I hate 'em. I mean, what even is a surf school? We learned by doing, watching, asking. Is surfing even something that can be taught in a "school"?
OK, I did think that way once. But now, my wife is saying she'd consider trying surfing. She's 50, very determined, a good swimmer, and physically strong. But she's not in surfing condition (yet), and she had a traumatic hold-down bodysurfing big Zuma years ago, and it still haunts her.
So I'm thinking, a surf school might be just the ticket. Get her in with other beginners, maybe with an instructor with more empathy and patience than me. Cuz when I go surfing, I really just want to surf, shame on me! But I would love to see her get stoked on surfing, she was such an athletic type when I married her, and like I say, she's still strong, and she's always been a bit of a daredevil / thrillseeker (which explains why she was out bodysurfing big Zuma).
Anyone try sending their wife/girlfriend to surf school?
I have a visceral dislike of the surf schools around here because of
the negative impact they’ve had on crowding at local breaks and the
seeming unwillingness or inability of the instructors to teach “wave
etiquette” or “rules of the road” or whatever you want to call it to
their students.
I have a visceral dislike of the surf schools around here because of the negative impact they've had on crowding at local breaks and the seeming unwillingness or inability of the instructors to teach "wave etiquette" or "rules of the road" or whatever you want to call it to their students.
If it was my wife, I'd help her out myself.
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The crowding I have seen at one break in particular, the wave etiquette being overlooked I was not aware of. She will definitely learn wave etiquette from me! Maybe "surf lessons" would be a better route - something more personalized and less "group oriented" ???
I agree with the consensus (so far) . What gives someone the right to turn PUBLIC BEACHES and BREAKS into their own commercial affair? Why can they flood a break for monetary gain to the exclusion of a lot of others? It is as if they are PIMPING Their precious mother ocean and turning her out to whore for them exclusively. If they are allowed to exist, they NEED to be LICENSED and staffed by ACCREDITED lifeguards and only allowed to use a STATE BEACH, **FOR A FEE! **Any fly by night can buy a bunch of softops and hang out a shingle.
No offense to anyone but…having a girlfriend/wife that wants to surf was the worst thing I ever did.
Huck, more power to your wife but what do respect more, someone who put the time in, paid their dues, learned like we all had to or…someone who bought it?
ps. Who has not suffered a hold down? They are a VERY important lesson if not THEE MOST important lesson…NOT TO PANIC!
hahaha - so everyone feels about like I always did. Will my wife listen to reason? What are the odds? She has it in her mind that she wants to take a "class", even 'tho I have offered to teach / coach her. She is a very stubborn woman, so who knows what she'll end up doing? I mean stubborn in a good, way, of course ;)
Really, I'm just tickled pink she would consider giving it a try - I doubt she'd ever get into it anywhere near as much as I have lately, but I have 15 years of surfing experience to fall back on, even if its pretty far back to fall to actually hit it LOL!!
Not exactly like riding a bike, but every time I go out it comes back a little more.
well, i always think it's better to not teach someone a complex task like surfing if you have any sort of involved relationship with them. the involved relationship may....(may,,, hahaha....will) interfere with the instructor/student relationship and then that will interfere with the involved relationship, etc....
better for a disinterested 3rd party to do the tutoring, and then you can do the consoling and supporting.
i personally think that bringing 6 or 10 beginners out at a decent surf break is dead wrong. the beginners don't know the difference between a good point break and a mushy closeout.. i'd check with the instructor/school to see if they are idiots that would do that, before i put in any $$$. around here, most of the surf schools/instructors go out at the nice sandy soft beachbreaks we have in cocoa beach, but away from the "good" spots.
Surfing as a family experience is a beautiful thing... I taught my wife to surf, it was fun, she was never really into it as much as me but on the right day she had a blast. She did better working things out for herself, rather than being told, enjoyed it more too that way (and like I was fool enough to tell her what to do!!!). Hardest thing for me was looking out for her and realising how many surfers burnt her just cos they thought she was on her own and they could, there's some real dicks in the water around city breaks. Surf schools are like playing with Lego, fun but it doesn't teach you shit about building a real house.
I like my wife a lot, but there’s no way I’d enable her to learn how to surf unless I was backed into a corner. It would be fine by me if she wanted to learn on her own and do her own thing with her own friends but I’m afraid that’s not how it would work. I’m thinking I’be be left with a permanent babysitting job filling up the hole where my surfing used to be.
With that said, if my friend Huck gets along well enough with his wife that she can take instructions from him without the situation deteriorating then he should probably take a swing at providing the instruction himself. If he thinks there will end up being some tension as a result of an upset in their interpersonal dynamic then of course the surfschool with the softtops and the caring nurturing instructors would be the better way to go.
Either way, I think he realizes he’s still going to have to fill the role of big brother for her in order to provide the instruction that goes beyond the Introduction to Surfing.
I happen to serve on the beach committee in my town. Part of the Park and Rec Dept.
I was instrumental in passing a rule/bylaw that no one is allowed to operate a commercial venture at town beaches. This includes, but is not limited to, surfing lessons. My particular beef was that the few people giving lessons in my town do NOT know how to surf. Thus, they have no business giving lessons when they should be taking them, instead.
Make longboards for both your wife and yourself and go out on the tiny days. Don’t tell her what to do other than the basics. If she has determination she will learn. Nothing is more fun on tiny days than going for a family longboard surf and catching family (party) waves together. It’s even better if you get your kids to surf too. Some guys tell me they would never want their girlfriends/wives to learn to surf because that is their chance to get away from them. That’s kind of sad. Teaching your wife and kids to surf means more surf time (dawn patrol alone come back with the report and surf again with them), significant other has a better understanding about the need for more water time when it’s good, constant need for more surfboards, family surf trips. Think about the husband/wife or families you see surfing together, those combos just equal stoke and are well worth the work it takes to get there. As far as surf schools are concerned don’t waste your money, their not needed. 99% of the surfers out there learned fine on there own. Learning to surf is hard , but that difficulty is what makes it special. I don’t think you would want to deprive your wife of that ownership aspect of surfing, that accomplishment or rugged individualism is what makes us surfers.
Find her a buddy to learn with and she will have fun. No need to waste money on a school. Just tell her that you will build her the perfect beginner board and give her a book if she wants some outside advice.
I worked for a surf school that was heavily marketed at tourists. Most of the time it was 60%+ girls and it wasn’t uncommon to take a class of 21 with only one or two blokes in the group. Best job I’ve ever had.
Surf schools are good for selling boards, don’t know why you blokes are whinging.
I live near Bells Beach, and we have one very territorial surfer here who is known for strong-arm tactics, and for bullying younger or less experienced surfers in an out of the water. Well, guess what, the fkhead left Rip Curl and STARTED A FKING SURF-SCHOOL! This is a guy who has been quoted as saying “I own Bird Rock!” which is a nice righthand reef break in Jan Juc.
Screw you Gally, you are on the “feel free to drop in on” list now.
out here, surf spot locals are more often than not unschooled entrepreneurial types who offer one-on-one surf lessons, board rentals & surfari trips to less-crowded-yet-good-quality local breaks. those with better means open surf resorts with a surf shop plus board rentals & lessons on the side.
whether one-on-one or surf-school type of lessons, they basically just give surf etiquette reminders to beginners, walk 'em up to the lineup and push their boards on a rideable wave to give them their first taste of getting stoked-- with more or less very, very little paddling. this way they get to hook beginners on board rentals— each with a personal surf guide (board pusher) of course— providing very little incentive to learn on their own.
intermediate beginners too cost-conscious to hire surf guides all the time— as i was when i started out— tend to ask too many questions, rent all sorts of available boards and eventually end up making their own board hehe
