Thirst for the Surf

By Georgie Hartigan // 1 November 2011 // Comments: 0 // Related Categories: Surfing, Things to do, Traveller blog

Surfing is a word that seems synonymous with Australian culture, conjuring images of late nights, early morning, sun kissed skin and salt laden hair. So I must admit this Sydney-sider was apprehensive to confess I had never even attempted to learn before.

As I set off on a bus full of other first timers, my nerves were swiftly swept aside as the beers were opened and the international accents sparked up excited conversation.

The two hour journey to our camp site set the mood for a weekend of fun and frivolity. With lots of surfing tales being told by our more than experienced instructors, music and drinking, all reservations were lost and the group laughed and talked happily amongst ourselves. Then our mini-bus reached the Munmorah State Conservation, where we eagerly awaiting the gatekeepers arrival to give us access into the Park.

Setting up our tents was an experience in its self, poles and pegs getting lost and found regularly as we rushed to have them standing solidly before we lost the last of the daylight. With the mattresses inflated and secured behind the fly doors of our tents, we huddled into the communal tent, a large open sided canvas covering with chairs and lamps for more beers and to hear about our itinery for the weekend.

I'm not usually pleased about waking up before 7am but with the sun seeping into my tent and the smell of salt water creeping into my nostrils, I forgot the time and emerged from my tent to begin the first day of my surfing adventure.

Donning our very attractive wetsuits, we jumped back on the bus and headed to the place of our first lesson, Birdie Beach. Walking through the tea tree lagoon, we eagerly stumbled over the sand dunes, surfboards gripped tightly under our arms until we reached the white stretch of beach.

Our instructor, Deano, as he became affectionately known to us, took us through the basics of catching a wave on our stomachs while the locals kept us entertained Birdy Beach being one of NSW's official "nudist beaches".

On the completion of our first lesson, we surged towards the water as a group and dared the cold with the excitement of newbies about to get our first taste for surfing. Throwing our heads up and arching our backs, we put our arm muscles to use paddling to pick up speed as the whitewater delivered us almost effortlessly to the shore.

Peeling off my wetsuit, a task that was surprisingly challenging, allowed me to take in the beauty of the day, laying against the white sand and feeling the gentle strokes of the sun against my skin. Some of the others continued perfecting their art in the water or explored the rocks around the headland.

A few hours of laying in the shade of our tents and feeding our appetites revitalized us with the energy we needed to head back down to the beach. The second half of our surfing lesson would be teaching us the art of actually standing on our boards.

After Dean and the other instructors took us through the motions of standing on our boards on the sand we repeated the process until we all had our feet in just the right spot and our knees bent to perfection. The group the re-entered the water enthused and optimistic after the success of the morning.

The instructors most definitely did their job well, with almost every one of us standing on our boards and catching waves (if only for a little while) on that first afternoon. The afternoons surfing was however cut short when a strong southerly wind cut through the beach, blowing our shade cover away and taking some of the lighter boards into the air. Lugging our boards against the wind back to the bus was an effort and a half. We were all thrilled when the bus was packed up and we could rest our leg muscles!

After such a successful day in the water we were all keen to kick back and relax. After a short trip into the local pub it was back to the camp site for an evening of good music, good food and great company.

Passing around a guitar, drums and harmonica our communal tent came alive with members of our crew displaying their musical abilities. It was an incredibly fun night with everyone singing along together and laughing as the sun came down. We reflected on the successes and failures of the passing day.

Over indulgence and a little bit too much fun had created a group of weary travelers on Sunday. Fighting off our headaches, we struggled into our wetsuits and sluggishly boarded the bus. A change of beach was necessary as the wind from the day before had changed the surfing conditions. We headed off to find a sheltered beach to tackle our second day of surf in the little town of Catherine Hill Bay.

Those who dared the water on this chilly, overcast day surprised everyone with their sudden aptitude on a surf board, heading out past the break and catching waves like seasoned pros.

After retreating from the water later that afternoon, a quintessentially Aussie experience was had by all when we poured into the historic Catho Pub. Making our way through the crowded pub we came out to a large beer garden packed with picnic style tables and benches. The place was crawling with locals enjoying a Sunday of live music, and drinks. Families danced and drank to the music while we all enjoyed unwinding together as a group.

Soon enough it was time to board our mini bus again for the final time. Although I personally was not one of the talented ones who left the weekend able to ride a wave standing, I had an amazing time away. I was blown away by the hospitality of our hosts and the bonds formed amongst the group in such a short time. Despite not being a talented surfer after the trip, I enjoyed myself thoroughly and would recommend the experience to anyone who is yet to give surfing a try.

surfsupsurfschool.com.au