Back to Surf School…

We’d been coming to Sennen for four years and I was ten years old when I first tried surfing. We’d seen Smart Surf School and they’d always been friendly and given us a wave as we walked past, so we decided to book lessons for October half-term. First we met Sam and he gave us a talk about being safe in the sea. He told us all about rip-currents, and how to move our boards in the water. Sam grew up on the beach at Sennen and he’s a really good surfer, so we learnt a lot. Then we carried our boards to the beach. Our instructor was Hollie, and after we’d done some warm-ups, we lay on our surf-boards on the sand, learning where to place our hands and how to pop up.  Then we took our boards in the sea. I thought it was going to be really difficult but once you get used to the fact that you’re going to fall off a lot then it’s really funny and exciting when you get a wave right. I was standing up in about twenty minutes or so. Hollie was really helpful and we laughed a lot. I’ve been bitten by the surf bug now, so I go surfing when I can. I still have lessons with Smart Surf School – sometimes in a group, sometimes on my own – and I’m getting better.  I broke my arm last summer (not surfing…) and I still managed to surf with one arm. When I went back for lessons next time, after my sling had come off, I’d picked up some bad habits which Hollie soon ironed out for me. If you’re thinking about trying surfing, you should definitely give it a go. 

GT, aged 11