Mojo Surf Trip

G'day readers :) I just recently returned to ICMS from an awesome weekend spent at Crescent Head learning how to surf! We left here around 5pm on Friday and had a nice five hour bus ride to the camp place and our home for the weekend. Saturday morning started off early, with breakfast at 7 and then a short walk to the beach at 8. The beach was awesome. Big rocks, tall grasses, almost no people at all, it was like our own private beach. The waves were good size, for beginners. We had an introduction lesson that lasted only about 10-15 minutes and then we were set loose into the ocean. We had three different instructors out there with a group of about twenty helping us get the hang of things. Surfing is intense and hard but also really fun and I am so glad I had the opportunity to learn how to do it. The morning session that lasted about two hours was a little tricky getting the hang of it and I actually only got up one time. I kept catching waves and making it to my knees but was not succeeding in standing up on the board. Towards the end of our session it started raining and the bluebottles got blown into shore and on their way there they decided to sting most of our group. Bluebottles are small jellyfish that have one pretty long tentacle that can wrap around you and sting you. The pain does not last too long but you need to try and remove it quickly. Well once got my right thigh but did not hurt me too bad and then one got wrapped around my left thigh and then one held on tightly. I tried to pull it off but could not get it at first and had to find an instructor for some help. I still have a little mark on my leg today but the pain was not too bad.

Our group headed back to the camp site area and had some lunch around noon. And then hit the waves again for a couple hours in the afternoon. This block of time was much more successful for most of the group. We had gotten a hang of things a little bit and the waves were steady and good size. I was successful in standing up numerous times and overall our group had a lot of fun and were all really getting into it. The instructors and Mojo Surf staff were great and very helpful in the process and the entire weekend. After the afternoon session, we headed back to camp, showered up and ate some dinner. Saturday evening we were going to have a big bonfire on the beach but it was too rainy for that so instead we all hung out at the camp site and celebrated our success in our first day of surfing :)

Sunday brought another early morning with breakfast and then back to the beach. Many of us were sore and tired from the previous day but also excited and anxious to get back out there and surf more. I was tired and sore but as soon as Olivia, my surfing buddy and I carried our two boards down to the beach and saw the waves, I was filled with excitement. I did not know what kind of expectations I should have for my first time surfing but after getting up numerous times in the afternoon session I really felt like I was figuring it out. My Sunday morning session was successful in numerous ways. First off, do you know the short segments that America's Funniest Home Videos shows that is numerous short clips in a row showing people getting hurt or falling? Well, lets just say that America's Funniest could have made a whole segment on just me falling off my surf board today. I made sure to utilize my last two hours of surfing today by trying to get up on as many waves as I could, which resulted in me falling, tripping, slipping, and more painful and accidental acts that could have won me some money. I was at some points also successful in standing up and catching some good waves. After surfing one last time we caught lunch back at camp before loading up the bus to drive back to ICMS. Overall the weekend was quite fabulous and such an awesome new experience to learn how to surf.

I have my first day of classes tomorrow and I am quite excited. A little sore and tired from the weekend but as the Australian's say "no worries." :)