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Published: March 17th 2007
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I believe I'm getting a little behind with updating this travel blog so I thought I'd fill you in on the fun of Surf Camp last week to avoid confusion and me forgetting bits and bobs of what went on. The delights of our current stay in Byron Bay will be coming soon!!!!
Well we left Sydney for Surf Camp on 11th March, all packed up and quite excited for the week ahead! Our first impressions on arriving at the bus station and loading our backpacks on their trailer were a little bit dubious, and I felt a little bit anxious for the rest of the week at that point! We were loaded on to a little bus that wasnt in its best condition with some drivers/surf instructors that seemed a little on the crazy side! I don't think it helped that we had dragged ourself out of bed at 6.30am so someone waving their two fingers and saying 'Sweeeet' alot was not something I was ready to laugh at at the time. Well we travelled for a few hours to arrive at our first place of rest 'Waves Surf Camp'! It was a few cabins in the middle
of nowhere, with a bar, pool and showers which either gave you some light electric shocks or shared by a few spiders. At first it seemed slightly scary but I think we were more prepared than a group of girls who'd brought massive suitcases and who ended up leaving before 24 hours had even been done. The Cabins were nice and clean though and shared by about 20 people. Once we'd settled in it was off to our first day in the sea!!! I can't remember the name of the beach but it was deserted and we had it all to ourselves which was cool. They gave us lessons on getting up and we were off into the sea! Unfortunately I think it dawned on me after about 20 minutes that I wasn't going to be a pro-surfer! 😞 Its a lot harder than I was expecting, I don't think my poor little arms could handle it but I kept going and despite not being good it was fun. At one point it was raining which was a really bizarre feeling and it felt a lot warmer being in the sea than out. That evening we ate and were encouraged
to join in on drinking their sangria! (Danielle, I'm afraid this was no where near as good as ours at uni! I think they missed a few ingredients out!) A good night in all although their pool is a little bit of a liability as thanks to trying to save someone from being chucked in (a silly mistake I realise now!) I was pushed in aswell.
The next day it was off to another beach, which I think was called Seals Rocks. This was possibly the most tiring day of all, we must have been in the sea for about 4 hours overall! After a few too many wipe outs, getting hit by my board and washed under the waves (the currents and force of the waves in Australia are a lot stronger than any other seas I've been in before you get images of a weak and helpless laura washed up in the sea!) my arms and legs were ready to give in when we had to carry the boards back to the trailer! If anyone is thinking of lessons and they haven't done them before I would suggest making sure your arms are toned up as it's
the main part you use all day. It was quite fun to share stories with the others about our injuries and it was nice to be making friends with the guys on the trip. I think it was comforting not to be the only one hit by a few waves. That evening it was back to the cabins for dinner and a few drinks with the other group that had arrived, bit of a crazy night, unfortunately the instructors and a few members of the group were a bit too willing to take off their clothes!
The next day we moved up the coast to do some more surfing, this was my worst day overall which was really frustrating as the waves were a lot more manageable but I was absolutely knackered! They really like to make sure you get a lot of time in the sea! Some of the other guys were progressing well though and it was quite cool to see people surfing the waves, and getting wiped-out in mass groups. We stayed in another cabin in the middle of nowhere, but had a chilled night watching a movie.
The fourth day was spent further up
the coast again at a campsite in a National Park, my memory is so bad, cannot for the life of me think what it was called! This was a really cool location, it was right next to the beach and surrounded by bushland, wild kangaroos and various other animals I'm thankful I didn't see!. We spent the day surfing again, possibly the toughest day for waves as the current was so strong even the instructors couldnt get out far enough. I don't think I was improving that much, but I tried my best I think and the instructors were really helpful! I now know a lot about waves, how look for good ones to surf in, the ocean, various terms which I can bore you all with on my return, and if I manage to progress at some point how to do different moves on the board. That evening was spent round a campfire, chatting with the other guys and generally chilling out a bit. The stars you could see that evening were amazing! Several shooting stars and it was all so clear! a bit mesmerising if you stare at them for too long.
On our final day we
got up and went to surf on the beach. We had a surfing competition where I think our group provided some spectacular wipe-outs (I dont think I've explained this but in case you havent guessed it is just a term to mean literally wiped off your board). The other groups were a bit more advanced and once again a bit too much nudity seemed to arise, not sure how they managed to do it with those waves! I was a bit sad by this point that it was our last day as we'd made some nice friends and had a lot of fun. The crazy surfers are very entertaining when you get used to it after a while! I think I'll have another go at surfing at some point to make sure I get better, I just about stood up but not well at all! 😞
We then travelled to Byron Bay for a mexican meal and a night out with the whole group. There's a strange place here called 'Cheeky Monkey's' where you dance on tables! Although they are metal tables so it's all fairly safe and quite fun when there's a massive group of people around you.
That's it for surf camp, I think I've filled you in on most of the happenings there, all I can say that it was a very fun but slightly tiring week!
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Eric & Davida
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Surf School
Do they run courses for people of a pensionable age or should we just retire gracefully? I had to tell Davida that it was a sports thing...............(she thought it was something to do with laundry)