After living in Long Beach for three and a half years and passing up a few semesters of 6am surf class with Jenna and Maggie, I figured it was time to catch some waves. Luke’s visitors brought the perfect opportunity to work up the courage to test out surfing. What better a time and place then in Sydney, Australia? I have to admit that I was very nervous to get out there and try it; the images of ten-foot waves, along with giant great white sharks played over and over again in my head. It didn't help that my dad reinforced this image the day before when I informed him of plans to go surfing. In the end, however, his scare tactics did not discourage me from participating in the surf adventure. We met up with the tour group in front of a local hostel where we loaded into vans and set out for the perfect secret surf location, Boat Harbour. After the hour-long trip (during most of which I was asleep) I was immediately relived to see the gentle waves and open beach on what couldn’t have been a more perfect day. This peaceful beach was the perfect place for a timid beginner like myself. After lathering up in massive amounts sunscreen to protect my previous irresponsible sunburn, and then squeezing into a sandy wetsuit, we were all stoked to get out in the water to catch some waves. The instructors had a different plan in mind...lessons on popping up in the sand for 30 minutes; this was a wonderful exercise in a wetsuit and 80 degree weather. After perfecting our stance on the board, we made our way into what I would call freezing water (most normal people would say it was a pleasant temperature but I am much more dramatic as you may know). Anyways, after getting used to the water and heading out to where the waves were breaking, I was ready to give it a go – this is easier said then done. As Brendan has pointed out numerous times in my life, I am the weakest person he knows; after trying to paddle on my board towards the shore, I realize he might be correct. My arms are way too weak and little to get me anywhere in time to catch a decent wave. Luckily the “beginner” boards we were using were extra big and buoyant, making it possible to stand up even without paddling in or catching the wave at the perfect time. After a few minor spills into the water, the instructor came over to give me some more tips. Of course he made it sound super simple and eliminated the challenge of paddling by pushing me into the wave, but this time I was actually able to stand up and ride the wave in. I couldn’t believe I was doing it as I wobbled unsteadily and looked towards the sandy beach. It wasn’t exactly pro surfing, but I honestly didn’t think I would be able to stand up at all so this was an accomplishment in itself. It wasn’t as easy the next few times without the help of the instructor, but I still successfully stood up a couple more times. Even with a few spills and some embarrassing wipe outs, we were all laughing and having a great time. The boys seemed to be regretting their no wetsuit decision after getting a rash from the waves, but stuck it out anyways. We went in for lunch on the beach and a quick rest before getting out there for the afternoon session. After a few more hours of attempting to grab the perfect wave in, we wrapped things up and went back to the jeep to make the trip home. The 4WD Jeep shuttled us from the parking lot to our spot on the beach in two trips the first time, but this time the instructors thought we could all squeeze into the back of the it, thus eliminating a second trip for them. These instructors were your typical laid back surfers without a care in the world, and this seemed to be the perfect job for them. I’m sure they made a nice chunk of change at the end of the day after charging us each $80. Anyways, the crammed ride back to the lot was quite an experience as he swerved back and forth along the beach, splashing in the water every so often while we bounced up and down and held on for our lives. He also had a trailer full of surfboards that shook uncontrollably, and barely seemed to keep up with the crazy driving. It was about half way there that one of the boards inevitably flew out and hit the sand hard a few times before coming to a rest. The driver slammed on the brakes and laughed about this mishap, that is until he realized it was his favourite board that we had lost. Apparently it had a few scrapes and dents, but it was his own fault for driving like a maniac though. When we got back to the parking lot we filed into the vans to make the hour-long trip back home. After a long day, we were all pretty exhausted and took advantage of the trip home to get some much needed rest. We had worked up quite the appetite, and the simple sandwich lunch hadn’t exactly held us over for the whole day. So when we got back home we made plans to shower and then meet at Broadway Café for some happy hour pizza and drinks. Broadway Café always seems to hit the spot after a long day and we were all looking forward to some pizza. We ended up severely disappointed after waiting an hour and a half with no sign of food. When this place gets busy the service takes a plunge and the customers take a major hit; this Thursday night seemed to be just that case. We questioned our server and he assured us that it was on its' way, but 30 minutes later we were still starving and crankier than before. It was only then when we threatened to get up and leave that the servers took any interest in feeding us and brought our pizzas out one at a time over the next 15 minutes. Needless to say, the quality of our food was not up to par, as I'm sure they were rushed and poorly made. Our typical pleasant evening at Broadway was stressful and disappointing…what a bummer. By the time all of this was done, we were all a little upset and ended up calling it a night. Broadway, you’re letting us down!
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