Byron Bay- Surf's Up!

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We arrived at Byron Springs Guesthose tired and warm after our comparatively short 3 hour bus journey from Brisbane. We couldn't get any hostels in the town, so we booked this guesthouse about 20 minutes outside it. We were really impressed with it, it was really bright and luxurious, and we had our own bathroom- something we haven't had in almost 2 months. We dropped our bags, borrowed the free bikes at the guesthouse and cycled down to the town. We locked up the bikes and grabbed a pizza for a snack. Byron Bay seemed to be buzzing, and there were loads of hippies knocking around. Every second person had a surfboard under their arm; even the pizza place was showing a surfing video on a loop. We headed across the street to a travel agency to see if we could book a surf lesson for Dave the following day (I wasn't that keen on the idea since surfers are sharkfood). The travel agent was a young lad from England and wired to the moon. He eventually convinced me to go along- he was a good salesman. So we booked a surf lesson for the following afternoon. We cycled back to Byron Springs and cooked some dinner (I found a roach in one of the pots, but I just put it back without saying anything).

The next morning we checked out of our room and took advantage of the free breakfast (these are rare in Australian hostels). We got chatting to a couple of ladies from Sydney in their 50s, and they told us there was a festival on in Byron Bay and that was why all the hostels were booked out. "Splendour in the Grass" was headlined by Jack White and the Smashing Pumpkins. The ladies gave us great tips for Sydney and what to see and do. After breakfast we made our way on foot to the Mojo Surf Office just off the main street. We left our backpacks at the office and met our instructor, Wapi, as well as the other students.

We got on the bus and met the photographer, Gus. On the half hour journey, we played "The Name Game" where everybody had to say their name, where they were from and why they came surfing. Once each person had finished speaking, everyone had to woop, cheer, clap, stamp their feet and generally make noise. Wapi was a real surfer dude- a proper Aussie- and we had great craic with him. When we got off the bus we had to get into our "wetties" as Wapi called them, and "rashies" (which are rashguards). Once we were kitted out, he handed us our boards which we placed on our heads and carried down to the beach. Once we were all on the beach, Gus took a few photos and then we sat in a semi circle to start the lesson. Wapi explained to us how rip tides happen, how to spot and avoid them and what to do if we get caught in one. He also showed us some Bluebottle jellyfish (or "Bluies" as he called them) that had been washed up on the shore. He said we should be protected by our wetties but we could get stung on our feet. Any questions we asked about sharks were politely ignored and glazed over. He also explained to us that 80% of Australia's drownings happen off the coast of Byron Bay and it's usually because of rip tides. The beaches are only staffed during the summer, so people don't have help in the winter and that is when most drownings happen.

Once we were good and scared, it was time to started learning how to paddle and get up on the surfboard. Firstly, we had to find out what our "back leg" was, by lying on the surfboard and jumping up really fast. Whichever foot was nearest the back of the board was your back leg, and the foot you strapped your leg strap to (or "leggie" as Wapi called it- definitely sensing a pattern). Wapi explained the importance of leggies- if you get caught in a big wave and knocked off your board, the leggie keeps you attached to your board, which floats. It's also handy if you don't have to go chasing after your board each time. Once we had our leggies on, we practised how to get up on the board, which is really easy- on land! After that we had a warm up which involved the usual stretching...and skipping along the beach holding hands (?!).

We could then get in the water and try catch some waves. It's more difficult in the water! Getting up on the board is the easier part, its timing it that's the problem, as well as getting your board out far enough while waves come crashing into you. Wapi went around us individually and he helped us with the timing and balance. We both managed to stand up properly a good few times which was a great achievement! It's such a tiring activity, trying to keep your board up while you get out far enough to catch a wave. Once you catch a wave, it brings you right back into shore and you have to make the journey back out again! We had a 15 minute break where we had some oranges for energy. Everybody was exhausted so it was nice to have a rest for a while.

We got back to the water and everyone started to really improve. We finished up and carried our boards back to the bus, where we got changed back into our clothes and Gus showed us the photos of the day on his I-Pad. We were all knackered after our day's surfing but had a great time. No jellyfish stings, no shark attacks, and no getting caught in rips- it couldn't have been better.

We got back to Mojo offices where we said goodbye to Wapi and the others, and we got a goodie bag full of stuff. We were getting the bus to Sydney that night, so we headed to the bus station across the road to leave our backpacks in lockers until our bus came at 10pm. Unfortunately the bus station office closed at 5, so we had to take our bags for the rest of the day. We had gotten a voucher for a dinner at the Cheeky Monkey Bar on the main street (which is a bit like the Woolshed in Cairns). We went to a cafe for an hour before Cheeky Monkey opened and then headed in for dinner. It's a real backpacker's bar. We were greeted by a busty, barbie-type blonde, who showed us how to order. There were loads of people there because the festival was kicking off, so we had a few beers and soaked up the atmosphere after eating our weight in pasta. At 9:30, we headed across to the bus station to get on the overnight bus to Sydney. We were knackered and sore after our day, and a night on a bus was the last thing we needed! We arrived in Sydney at 12pm the following day, fell asleep in the park (like a couple of hobos) and caught the night bus at 8pm to Melbourne to visit Donna, Dallas and Cian. What a journey!

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Photos

Lessons first!
Learning how waves and tides work

Weeeee!
Warm ups!

Everybody's Going Surfing
Surfing Byron Bay!