Paddle Pops

Surf lesson #2 took place on Sunday at Dudley Beach in Newcastle.

The sky was partly cloudy, the sea was reasonably gentle,and my wetsuit was still child-sized for maximum discomfort. I took the longboard, which seemed awkward and ungainly, much like I do on a surfboard. This turned out to be  a wise decision, because it gave me slightly more stability in the water. No dolphins made an appearance, but I paddled my hardest, feeling like I was exerting a high level of effort for a minimal achievment. Jared lazily sliced through the water and was soon a tiny speck on the horizon.

Most of my energy goes to staying on the surfboard while laying on my front. I do not attempt to sit up and watch for waves, nor do I attempt to catch them without Jared shouting, “Now! Paddle!” My goal during lesson three, besides the everlasting aim of standing up, is to make my own wave decisions. The exciting part of Sunday’s lesson was that my feet touched board. I felt it, for just a split second, the hard plastic and rough dried wax against my soles, and nearly rejoiced before being destroyed by the wave and tumbling into the ocean.

Lesson three is due to take place tomorrow morning in Port Macquarie. I know this town to be the home of my temporary adopted koala, Binnacle Clearview. My sisters adopted him in my name for the duration of one year in 2006, and he lived at the Koala Sanctuary, where he was recovering from either some sort of fire or from falling out of a tree. Visiting Binnacle C. is not on the agenda, though, as apparently there is more to Port than koalas.

I have three days off, the sun is shining and it smells like summer outside, all good omens for the road trip. Now I have to go practice my standing up techniques on the kitchen floor, while no one is home to laugh at my attempts.