My family and I take trip to North Carolina every year. We usually only for a week, but this summer was different and more open so I was able to go down for a full two weeks. More relaxing on the beach and more time to do the yearly activities we do. A family friend retired to North Carolina and surfing has been his hobby for as long as he can remember. Last year, we had discussed learning on to surf because I said that would be cool to learn. I never went through with the offer because there simply wasn’t enough time in the week. This year my cousin learned how to boogie board and thought it was a good time to learn how to surf. I always knew it would be hard, but not as hard as I expected.

My cousin went first and from the instruction it didn’t seem hard. He was balancing on the board laying now and he was learning how to paddle on the board because how can you learn to surf if you don’t know the basics. Then, feeling the wave was the next step; the feeling of getting pulled back and knowing when to start paddling and how to catch it. Last but not least the art of standing on the board itself. I watched him struggle and become frustrated that he wasn’t catching a wave and my biggest fear for him was that he was going to give up. He is 10 years old and they tend to acquire new skills, but some have gotten to the point where they believe they can’t do it and walk away. He kept trying for an hour and somewhat got the hang of it, but soon he laid it to rest because his belly was starting to rub raw from the board.

I have become experience is some was on a board. I have done paddle boarding in numerous occasions, but the other difference of this experience was I went paddle boarding in the ocean. All the other time it was in calm body of water. The ocean wasn’t much different, but I had to check my balance every now and again. Also, it took more muscle and power to push against the current. I have many years’ experience with a boogie board, not to brag.

It was only a matter of time before I would get the chance to get on a surf board. After my cousin was done, I retrieved the board and tried following the instruction that our family friend relayed to my cousin. The board was a soft board and small, with the being said the smaller the board the harder it is to balance because its more buoyant. I was able to get comfortable on the board and taught myself to paddle while balancing on my stomach. No wonder surfers have bulky arms because after while my arms were on fire. Catching the waves came naturally, but timing was difficult. Deciding when was the right time to start paddling and standing up didn’t come to easily. I got as far as getting on my knees before I called it a day.

Surfing is a hobby I have always wanted to learn and still do. I realize it’s something I have to constantly keep up or else the skill will go to waste. Learning for a couple days in the summer and no doing it again until next year is not how one learns something new. Surfing takes a lot of time and patience just like anything that someone is learning for the first time. I am hoping to add this experience, but truly add it. I want to be able to say I can surf, not I tried it once, but never really caught on. You know what this means, I will just have to live by the beach.