Surf Lessons in Australia

During my first week in Australia I had the opportunity to partake in a surfing lesson through my program’s orientation. I heard so much about how popular surfing is in Australia before traveling to Sydney and was therefore very excited to see what it was like. When we arrived at the beach we were welcomed by surfing instructors of all ages, both male and female. I was surprised at the diversity of the instructors because surfers are stereotypically portrayed in the media as young men in excellent physical shape. All of the instructors expressed their love for surfing before beginning our lesson, and from my time spent with them I could tell that they had formed a close-knit community around the sport. In just two-and-half hours I learned to boogie board, paddle board and surf. Each of the sports required similar skills and physical strengths, but the instructors explained to us that there are many differences between the sports as well. We were told that boogie boarding is more recreational, that surfing is much more popular and competitive and that paddle boarding is a relatively new sport recently taken up by American celebrities that is also growing increasingly competitive. Before this lesson, I had taken one surfing lesson in Costa Rica, but I found it very different from my experience in Australia. In Costa Rica my family had one instructor teach us how to surf and when we arrived at the beach there were no other surf instructors around and not a surfer in sight. This instructor also focused solely on the skills associated with learning to surf, and did not address the culture of surfing in Costa Rica. Comparing these two experiences, it is clear to me how sport truly is an integral part of Australian culture. Unlike my experience in Costa Rica, I could tell from only a few hours that the instructors who taught me in Australia made up a passionate community dedicated to the sports that they love.