Learning to surf in Bali was one of my best life decisions. We were lucky to have Luca as our coach: a charismatic Kiwi whose energy filled the big van that we all piled into at seven every morning, sleepy-faced but excited for the day’s waves.
On our first day of lessons I wade into the warm waters of the Indian Ocean with my board and I feel like I’m being hugged by the sea… I don’t think I’ve ever tried to surf sans wetsuit in South Africa and this! is! Heavenly!
Paddling out has never been my strong point and the waves have their way with me from the start. Luca tries to teach me to Turtle Roll, where you flip yourself and the board upside down just before the white water hits you; then back up again once the wave has passed over so you end up neatly back on top of the board. Quick and sleek and elegant, like a turtle. That’s what you’re supposed to do. I don’t do that. I think my version is called the Spluttering Land Animal Roll and can be described as a clumsy mess of flailing limbs being sucked into a crash of white water that thrashes my body around and leaves me gasping for air as I emerge like flotsam from the wave – not on top of my board, clearly.
I ask Luca if there is a less ridiculous way to navigate these things and he shows me how to use my weight at the back of the board to float it over the (smaller) waves. Ahh, that’s better. It feels similar to sitting a rearing horse and I much prefer that to the other option of being bucked off and dragged by the stirrups.
We surfed in three different locations over the week but my favourite spot was on a reef at Sanur. We went out there in a rustic boat that’s essentially a big canoe with cylindrical wooden support beams attached to the sides and a sheet of shadecloth above our heads; our surfboards stacked at the front.
I’ve never surfed a reef break before and I find myself experiencing a kind of ecstasy at catching these long rolling waves that seem to go on forever before they gently collapse into still water at waist height. Riding a wave for that length of time in a setting like this is awesome, in the classical sense of the word. What look like Indonesian pirate ships dot the ocean to our left; temples stand proud on the land ahead. The blue expanse of ocean is warm and the waves are small and inviting. It is mystical and magical and many times I close my eyes in a prayer of thanks for this experience.
I catch the longest wave I’ve ever ridden in my life and feel like the Queen of the Sea. My board eventually starts to sink and I dive into the water, coming up with a stupid grin on my face and a bursting heart. I’m not one to swear much but with a loud laugh I blurt out, to no one in particular, “Fuck that’s fun!!!” The next wave slams the board into my teeth and the following one slaps me on my butt as I try to stand, like the sea has a sense of humour. But nothing can take away the frisson, that pure playful joy that makes me squeal the way my horse would when he was fresh in the ring.
I float on my board and take in this view and think, “I’m surfing in Indofrigginesia!”
By the last day there are only two girls left standing in the surf group. I’m feeling tired so I grab hold of Luca’s leg rope and let him drag me out there. Somehow he manages to paddle twice as fast as I usually do even with me hanging onto him. At one point my friend Katja grabs onto Luca’s leash and I grab onto hers to form a train, so this skinny New Zealander with a sense of humour says “Luckily I’m built like Arnold Schwarzenegger” and paddles two deadweight bodies out through the waves! Daywan, an even skinnier Indonesian surfer with shoulder-length black hair stays behind me and helps me catch waves by pushing forward on my feet to create a burst of momentum at the crucial time. I’m enjoying this last day;)
As I try to catch a bigger wave on the backline I finally manage to do a turtle roll, but this one’s unintended. It happens at the wrong time and in the wrong direction and I’m tossed around and put through another washing machine cycle of swirling salt water and foam that cleans out my sinuses and pulls down my bikini. Luca says not to worry ’cause Indi (the team photographer) will be sure to get that shot;)
Like anything in life, learning to surf takes practice and repetition and you’re going to fall – a lot. Luca says something profound about not trying too hard to paddle out too fast because if you just relax and take your time, you’ll suddenly look around and find yourself right where you need to be for the wave. Sound life advice shared right there as we bob around on our boards. My surf guru.
I love this. If I hadn’t ridden horses my whole life I’d surely have ridden waves instead. Sick barrels bro! Or something like that… 
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