After one surf lesson, you could be ready to hang 10. // (c) 2013 Thinkstock
By Janeen Christoff
I have always wanted to take a surf lesson, but the opportunity never really presented itself. In the past, I've had enough time to rent a board from a vendor on the beach, trying to surf on my own or through the guidance of friends. During my last visit to Kauai, I finally had the chance to take a proper surf lesson with Kauai Surf School, and it made all the difference. I went from fumbling in the waves to actually hanging 10 in just under two hours.
Our lesson started on the beach, or more accurately, in the park next to Poipu Beach. We put our boards down on the grass and watched as our instructor, Alan from Kauai Surf School, demonstrated how to sit and then stand on the board. After he showed us, we felt only a wee bit silly as we pretended to surf invisible waves while Alan called "Paddle, paddle, paddle."
We only had to endure land surfing for a half-hour before we were in the waves. We put our newly learned skills to the test as Alan pushed us into the best waves. I paddled my heart out as the first wave propelled my board forward. As I felt the water rush around me, I got to my knees, caught my balance and then put one foot forward and stood up. I rode that first wave all the way to the shore before I jumped off my board, threw up both my hands and shouted "I did it"__ to a bunch of strangers on the beach. As my cheeks turned red, I picked up my board and quickly headed back out to sea.
Guest blog written by Janeen Christoff