Sorry the first picture is crooked I don't know how to rotate in this thing. But you get the point.
I'm officially back from surf camp and now in Byron Bay. I don't know if I can surf (although I can stand up!) but I definitely learned some stuff! The first was that I have been making the mistake of traveling to Europe all of these years and little did I know that you have to go to Oz to meet Europeans, if you want to meet Aussies you go to Europe.
So the surf camp was 5 days and 4 nights and consisted of two different surfing camps. The first day we arrived in Crescent Head and began our lessons at Big Hill Beach. This camp was very secluded with only our camp there, I loved it! Within twenty minutes of being in the water I was stuck in a rip and could not swim back towards my instructor. He walked over and pulled me out, apparently I enjoy embarassing myself in front of locals..... I also learned that surfing is by far one of the most attractive sports to learn. Not only do you get to dress in those amazing wetsuits, but your hair becomes a soaking knotted mess stuck to your face and of course your nose is running because it's getting flushed out with sea water. By far the most effective way to clear the sinuses! I also discovered that spitting is only un-ladylike when you're on land, in the ocean you have no choice. Our third day at the camp we had the chance to go out for a 5:30am lesson before we drove off the Spot X. I chose to go more to see the sunrise than for the surfing, and it was worth the wake-up time.
At Spot X I really felt like I was learning how to surf. They taught us how to cut through the waves on our way out which makes half of the battle so much easier. If you place your body on an angle and turn your face towards the shore it's a lot easier. This seems like common sense right?? Well apparently it's not, at least not for me. I may not be able to surf but I can at least approach the waves like a professional. Getting back in looking professional? Now that's a whole other issue.
The instructors were also a lot more helpful and would shout out tips while you were learning. And by tips I mean more then "stand-up!" which is what I got from the other place. Really stand up? Oh wait are we surfing? Because I thought this was a course on how to get HIT IN THE FACE WITH WAVES! Clearly I know how to surf but just don't want to stand up! Ugh! The waves at Spot X were also a bit softer, this is key I found out.
When we arrived in Byron Bay I was coaxed into staying for a night. One of the owners of the surf camp let me stay at their cabins for free since I wasn't planning on staying. I canceled my ticket for my bus that evening to Brisbane and canceled my hostel in Brisbane as well. Oddly enough on my way back from canceling these I ran into a friend that used to work at the Moustache with me in Halifax. She lives in Brisbane and we were supposed to meet up when I got there, but she happened to be in Byron for the weekend much to my surprise.
I've now been here a couple of days and love it! The town is small (there isn't even a stoplight), laid back and literally on the beach. Last night I did a trial at a restaurant in town and got a job. Today I'm apartment hunting with three people who were on the surf trip with me and hopefully we'll be staying here for a couple of months working, surfing and working on our tans (ahem... freckling).
So the surf camp was 5 days and 4 nights and consisted of two different surfing camps. The first day we arrived in Crescent Head and began our lessons at Big Hill Beach. This camp was very secluded with only our camp there, I loved it! Within twenty minutes of being in the water I was stuck in a rip and could not swim back towards my instructor. He walked over and pulled me out, apparently I enjoy embarassing myself in front of locals..... I also learned that surfing is by far one of the most attractive sports to learn. Not only do you get to dress in those amazing wetsuits, but your hair becomes a soaking knotted mess stuck to your face and of course your nose is running because it's getting flushed out with sea water. By far the most effective way to clear the sinuses! I also discovered that spitting is only un-ladylike when you're on land, in the ocean you have no choice. Our third day at the camp we had the chance to go out for a 5:30am lesson before we drove off the Spot X. I chose to go more to see the sunrise than for the surfing, and it was worth the wake-up time.
At Spot X I really felt like I was learning how to surf. They taught us how to cut through the waves on our way out which makes half of the battle so much easier. If you place your body on an angle and turn your face towards the shore it's a lot easier. This seems like common sense right?? Well apparently it's not, at least not for me. I may not be able to surf but I can at least approach the waves like a professional. Getting back in looking professional? Now that's a whole other issue.
The instructors were also a lot more helpful and would shout out tips while you were learning. And by tips I mean more then "stand-up!" which is what I got from the other place. Really stand up? Oh wait are we surfing? Because I thought this was a course on how to get HIT IN THE FACE WITH WAVES! Clearly I know how to surf but just don't want to stand up! Ugh! The waves at Spot X were also a bit softer, this is key I found out.
When we arrived in Byron Bay I was coaxed into staying for a night. One of the owners of the surf camp let me stay at their cabins for free since I wasn't planning on staying. I canceled my ticket for my bus that evening to Brisbane and canceled my hostel in Brisbane as well. Oddly enough on my way back from canceling these I ran into a friend that used to work at the Moustache with me in Halifax. She lives in Brisbane and we were supposed to meet up when I got there, but she happened to be in Byron for the weekend much to my surprise.
I've now been here a couple of days and love it! The town is small (there isn't even a stoplight), laid back and literally on the beach. Last night I did a trial at a restaurant in town and got a job. Today I'm apartment hunting with three people who were on the surf trip with me and hopefully we'll be staying here for a couple of months working, surfing and working on our tans (ahem... freckling).
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