Lessons at Blue Water High
Address Schools are run at Manly Beach - North Steyne, Collaroy Beach, Long Reef Beach and Palm Beach
Contact ph 02 9977 6977
E-mail [email protected]
Web www.manlysurfschool.com
Cost Surf lessons for adults start at $55 for one hour and the school also offers corporate teambuilding days and many other tailored packages
Rain and challenging waves were not what I was hoping for, I muse as I contemplate a morning fighting against the pounding surf.
As a virgin surfer, a morning spent catching a few waves and being dumped by many more at Sydney's iconic Manly Beach will possibly be thwarted by Mother Nature. The sky is dark, overcast and ominous.
After what can only be described as a most uncomfortable attempt at fitting into a wetsuit, I am introduced to Matt Grainger, owner of the Manly Surf School and, although I'm not aware of it at this stage, my saviour-in-waiting.
A Manly local, his knowledge of the beach's landscape and ability to read the conditions is comforting, and the assembled group breathes a collective sigh of relief.
Following formal introductions to fellow surfing maidens and Matt's quick spiel on interpreting the environment, we hit the foam, sans boards, in a bid to dispel any lingering anxieties.
Before long, we're back on the sand and on the boards... practising.
Feet resting off the back of the board, hands beneath our shoulders, eyes looking upward, before jumping in one motion with the aim of being positioned perfectly vertical, knees bent, hands out for balance.
This all sounds simple enough and a few practice runs later Matt and his team of instructors are ushering us intermittently into the foam. There's a heavy rip, making the running, carrying of a nine-foot surfboard, leaping onto it and incessant paddling all the more difficult.
An intense and gratifying few moments follow as I finally reach the back of the break, but Matt isn't content with just making it out. He wants me to stand.
In waiting for an ideal set to build, I'm repeatedly cursing myself for allowing this situation to transpire. I'm at the far back of Manly Beach, petrified of sharks and in an acute fear of what other critters circle the unknown beneath...
Fortunately, I don't have the luxury of time to entertain any doubts as the set comes thick and fast, and before I know it I'm being thrust onto a wave ("paddle, paddle, paddle, paddle," Matt cries).
Everything appears to happen in a second in the surf and I've no time to recall the directions given on the beach.
Instead, instinct kicks in and, when it feels right, I hasten to my feet and ride the wave to the beckoning shore.
It doesn't happen so effortlessly every time, and over the course of the lesson, a quick rise to the feet is all too often preceded by a quick thud into the white-wash, my body tossed around like a pin in a clothes dryer.
Surfing is a thrill and, despite my earlier reservations, I see that it can an addictive way to improve physical fitness. Also, there's something surreal about getting back to nature, and being at the mercy of the ocean in its unmitigated rawness.
It can be unforgiving territory at times, particularly for the uninitiated.
Thankfully, the quality of instructors at the Manly Surf School almost certainly softens the blow.
