So, onto the much awaited surf camp…to begin our surfing careers!! We were on the coach at 7.30am and heading for the crescent head surf shack. We arrived at about 2.30pm after driving down a 15minute dirt track which took us a stones throw away form the beautiful and private beach, perfect for learning to surf. We met the crew and checked in, the surf shack was basically in the middle of nowhere, a great place to kick back and try and become surfing greats! We then had to meet back down in the eating area for a quick theory "Lesson" on surfing, they explained about the rips, swirls, gutters and currents, and then finished off with a couple of rules, number 1 (of 15) was: Look cool and have fun! Even from this quick introduction we had managed to work out some of the essential characteristics of a surf instructor:

·Super Cool

·Ridiculously Funny

·Unbelievably Laid Back

·To be knowledgeable about one thing: The Surf

We've got a couple of quick examples/quotes below,

1.Adzy (The surf instructor) asked someone a question, when they didn't know the answer, he replied "Come on, it's not rocket surgery!!" (And by the way this is the same instructor who asked Barnesie where he was from and when he was told Bristol, he claimed he had surfed their!!)

2.During the theory lesson, Matty (another surf instructor) asked the best way to swim out of a rip current, (this pulls you out to sea) somebody replied…Laterally…Now I don't think I've ever seen such a confused look in my life, then someone managed to save the "drowning" surf instructor by shouting out "Sideways!!!"He then asked that we didn't use "big" words around him!! He was an absolute legend though!

We got kitted up and then took the 2 minute walk to the beach for our first lesson, we all got in a circle on the beach and Adzy showed us the basics about surfing, Paddling for a wave, Popping up, and then attempting to maintain your balance. After a couple of practices on the sand it was time to get into the sea. For me I don't think I could have gotten off to a better start, nailed the first wave and then managed to catch it, standing up, all the way into the shore! I think they call it beginners luck, because it didn't happen all too often after that! We carried on attempting to surf until sundown and then went back to camp for an Aussie BBQ, which pleased Barnesie as there were Snags (Sausages) galore! We then spent the evening sat around a campfire with a couple of beers, reflecting on our first taste of surfing…good fun but hard work.

"Dudes, come on breakfasts ready and then were off surfing." This was the sound of our 7am wake up call for the next 2 days! And after a hearty breakfast of cereal and fruit we were off to the beach for day 2. There were 2 surfing sessions, about 8.30 - 12 and then 3 - 7, with lunch sandwiched in between. By the end of day 2 we had spent the afternoon session "Out the back" with a select group of about 10 of us, further from the shore attempting to catch the bigger waves! Attempting being the vital word, but we both managed to catch a few good ones. After the first surf in to the beach we had a quick chat about the surf, when one of the French kids popped up with a question, "What should I do when I am at zee bottom of a wave that is about to break?" To which Matty replied, as if the answer was from an Australian Surf Instructors textbook…"Well your f***ed dude! All you can do is hold on and take the beating!" Brilliant answer.

Day 3 was much the same, up early for surfing although we only did one session from about 8 - 12, we then had dinner and chilled for a couple of hours as we were getting a coach to "Spot X" (Near Coffs Harbour) We arrived just before dinnertime, just in time to get in line for a nice curry! It turned out that me and Barnes wouldn't be surfing here as we only on the 4 day trip and needed to be on the Gold Coast the following evening. So we were catching a coach to Byron Bay at 8am and then spending the day there with a surf lesson in the afternoon. Well…..we got to Byron and found the surf office to which they told us all of the lessons were fully booked so they couldn't fit us in. They offered us vouchers but these were useless to us as we wouldn't be going anywhere they were redeemable to surf, so they gave us wetsuit and surfboard hire for the day and a place to store the bags. So off we went to the beach looking the part with good wetsuits and boards...unfortunately the boards weren't magic and we still weren't that good!! Our coach wasn't until 8.45pm so we had a couple of hours to kill, we ended up in an internet café/travel shop. They let us store our bags and use their internet for free! We also managed to book a trip to Magnetic Island which is where we are hoping to become qualified Scuba Divers!We also booked a boat that we are hiring for a day to see the Whitsunday Islands (a boat you don't even need a license for!). Happy Days!!!!

We are now on the Gold Coast for a couple of weeks, bit or much needed relaxation!!

Hope you are all ok,

Take Care

C and Barnes

xxxxxxx