First off, I think it’s fair to say I’m “frothing” over this last weekend. This is one of my new surfer terms I picked up at the weekend surf camp I just attended. I went with 4 other Americans that attended Wollongong and are from all over the states. The five of us left a rainy and cold Wollongong Friday afternoon to head to Sydney for our Mojo Surf Camp. I thought the camp was on one of the Sydney beaches but it turns out it was 6 hours north of Sydney in a place called Crescent Head. The drive was a long, but fun one. We watched Crocodile Dundee and surfing videos while rocking out to music with our (very cute) driver. We arrived close to midnight and hit the hay to get a good night’s sleep for our long day of surfing. The camp was a very stereotypical Australian surf camp setting. There was a bonfire pit, an outdoor eating area, a main building with couches, a fire and two rooms for sleeping as well as outdoor toilets. I shared my room with 4 people, but there were only two walls so we heard noises from the other room and downstairs. Needless to say, I didn’t sleep well.
We woke up early the next morning for a brekkie of Australian cereal and fruit and then headed out to hit the waves. (Australian cereal is called Weetbix and it is a chunk of cereal that you add milk to break it into smaller pieces that you eat.) The beach was beautiful and we had it all to ourselves! There were 11 people in our group and the instructors said usually groups are about 50 but sometimes they get up to 300 people in a weekend! We were very fortunate the group was so small as it allowed for more one-on-one instruction time. After practicing how to stand up and paddle on our boards, we zipped up the wetties (wetsuits) and jumped right in. I was able to stand up after a few attempts and had a blast riding the waves. I “got up for your mum” as the instructor told me to do and then failed when trying to get up for dad. He told me dad’s have too high of expectations anyway-ha! We were even joined with a dolphin for a little while!
After my first ever tuna sandwich for lunch and another surf lesson down at Racecourse beach, we sat down for an amazing dinner of chicken schnitzel, salad, and potatoes. We then all gathered around the bonfire for some beer and some laughs. We all went to bed pretty early because we were so “sauced” from the day and we had another early morning surf session Sunday morning. I was only able to stand up on one wave Sunday because I had a pretty bad wipe-out and hurt my ear. Some people tried to tell me it was the way I landed in the water but I think it was from fighting off the great white shark that tried attacking us. I guess we’ll never know… Although I got hurt, it was still nice sitting on the beach watching my new friends laugh and smile as they learned how to surf. After a few hours we headed back to the camp, had some lunch and hit the road home!
Overall, the weekend was amazing. Not too many fun stories to share but definitely many memories made. I’m obsessed with the lifestyle of surfing. The entire weekend I didn’t look at my phone, check any emails, or even look at a clock. Everyone is so laid back and it was nice to get away and relax. I know I’m already away on vacation but this just felt so connected with nature and brought back memories of camping with my family. It was an awesome experience finally getting the opportunity to surf. I want to keep practicing and getting better so I can give Kelly Slater a run for his money. I’ll keep people updated when Hurley tries to sign me, but until then, G’day mate!
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