woohoo!

In my long list of To Do’s before I die…learning how to surf the waves is one of my targets. Did I mention that I looove the beach and watersports? Oh yeah, my blog’s all about that. Haha. I never thought that I could do it one random Saturday morning, not to mention that it’s only 15 minutes away from my home. Club Manila East is a nearby resort located in Manila East Road Taytay catering to the water babies of Rizal, Pasig and Metro Manila. Best of all, PSA (or the Phil Surfing Academy) has put up surfing classes there for everyone to enjoy. Now how’s that possible? Well, it’s the wave pool, baby…

I decided to get stoked 2 hours before the scheduled class at 10AM-12nn. My mom was excited for me, can you imagine? So I ate breakfast, packed my stuff, wore my bathing suit, board shorts, scratch guard and drove to Club Manila East quick. I met coach E-jay and 4 other classmates (or surfmates, naks). He briefed us about the parts of a surf board, surfing etiquette, the proper ways of doing the surf stance and all the safety rules. The fee is Php 1,500 and that includes your surf board rental, entrance fee to the resort, use of the wave pool and training with the coaches. The wave pool’s also open to other guests so they put dividers (via rope) to separate the swimmers from the surf students.

I also learned that I have “goofy foot”, meaning I use my right foot forward when I do my surf stance. The usual stance is left foot forward…hahaha.

After the briefing and practicing our stance on the floor, it was time to hit the wave pool. And boy was I nervous! From the shore, you have to ride the board on your belly, paddle out, turn around and wait for your coach to catch a wave, push you out..and then you hear UP! UP! I was like, what? I have to stand now? Ok…I tried to remember how to do my stance in split second, but for my first and second rounds..I got wiped out! It wasn’t the best feeling in the world because I scratched my knee for falling on the shallow part of the wave pool…ouch. I grabbed my surfboard and tried for the third effin’ time. I was telling myself, I’ll get the hang of this! Breathe!

I’m standing! Haha!

The third try was bliss, indeed. I was able to stand and maintain my balance. The best part was my coach yelling, nice one Jules! Ooohhh wow, I couldn’t believe I was moving with the waves…I was ecstatic! It made my day… The next few tries were okay too. I got to learn my mistakes and how to improve on my stance. The latter part was focused on how to catch a wave on your own and paddle out without the coach pushing you forward. It was exhausting but it was so much fun. I must hit the beach waves soon!

PSA and its coaches do organize surf trips for beginners and pros alike. I am so excited to be able to join them soon. I know it will be different on the beach but heck, at least I tried it on the wave pool the safest way. I really recommend this to career women like me who would like to change the usual working out in the gym routine. It’s a good workout for your legs, shoulders, arms and abs. Seriously, I had muscle pains the day after… but it felt good. It’s also great for kids and parents for a fun outdoor bonding activity…also for couples who need to get off their asses and get a little competitive. Hahaha.

Two thumbs up! You guys should try it before hitting the beach waves…

Visit http://surfingacademy.multiply.com