A reporter goes back to girlhood, and learns to surf again.
By Karen Portugal York / Publisher
The fact that I ended up surfing at my age can be attributed to: a trip down memory lane, the power of suggestion and a need to prove that I still could.
It all started at a birthday party a dear friend gave herself last fall. To celebrate both her age and our youth, she had invited an icon from our teen years to address her guests -the ever young and vivacious Kathy Kohner Zuckerman, the real and original Gidget.
As “Gidget” shared her tales of sunshine, sand and surf during the late 1950s, my thoughts turned to my own “Endless Summer” during the ’60s, learning to surf in Waikiki. Waves of nostalgia rolled over me like the warm Hawaiian waters as I recalled the sunny days, the delight of the long ride from reef to shore and the (bronzed, built and flirtatious) beach boys who taught me to surf. Although I never mastered the sport, I still experience those long ago thrills every time I watch a surfer from the shore or shooting the curl in the surf films to which I am addicted. But, sadly, in the 40 odd years since those halcyon Hawaiian holidays, the only surfing I have done is on the Net.
When Kohner Zuckerman’s talk and my reverie ended, the conversation turned to travel: bicycle trips in Vietnam, kayaking in the Sea of Cortez, rainforest treks in Costa Rica-active tourism that reflected the fitness, grit and game of the women assembled. When my friend Lori touted the virtues of a women’s surfing camp in Mexico, it was as if she had read my mind. At that moment I knew that I could, and would, surf again.
Thus it was, just a few months later, armed with surfing booties, a rash guard, board shorts, a great deal of sun block and the company of a good friend, I arrived in a small fishing village just north of Puerto Vallarta. We, along with 18 other like-minded women, were there on a Las Olas Surfing Safari. And, while neither my friend nor I were in great shape aesthetically or athletically, we were determined not to be intimidated and to leave vanity and competitiveness at home, and give it our best shot.
Of course we had done our homework before embarking. Checking out the Las Olas Web site’s FAQ page, we found the first question to be: “Am I too _______ to surf? (Insert word of your choice: old, heavy, wimpy, scared, hyper, etc.). In answer to that, I can honestly report that whichever word you might choose to fill in the blank (and I could have picked any or all of them), the answer is emphatically “No.” My sister surfers ran the gamut of age, weight, athleticism, experience and backgrounds. What are required, however, are good health, a desire to learn and a sense of humor.
Further online research told us that Las Olas Surf Safaris is recognized as the No. 1 surfing program available to the rapidly growing number of women of all ages eager to ride the waves (a phenomenon worthy of an article in itself). Bev Sanders, CEO and creator of the program, defines the experience as a “reverse finishing school” designed “to make girls out of women.” And I am living proof that she has achieved her goal.
“Girlish” is an apt description of my behavior during my Las Olas experience. Certainly, if the difference between a woman and a girl is that women work and girls play, at Las Olas, I played, ergo … This, I discovered, is the Las Olas secret: create an environment where grown women play. Children learn by playing, taking great joy in mastering a skill by doing it again and again until they get it. Children don’t care about “can do” and “can’t do,” being graceful or clumsy or how they look in a bathing suit. They just do it until they can do it. And so it was with me.
How does Las Olas accomplish this? First, by attending to every detail.
The all-inclusive Las Olas Safaris package offers outstanding instruction by world-class coaches (women, of course). Then there are the super accommodations- lovely comfortable rooms, ocean views for all- delicious and healthy dining options, daily yoga, a cultural program and even massages. There is a great deal of time to read, shop, visit and/or just take a siesta. As virtually everything is provided-including surfboards, transportation, a cozy casita near the beach (for showers and changing), umbrellas, beach chairs and even sunblock-one’s responsibility is limited to showing up for lessons and deciding where and what to eat. With such care taken to create a physically and emotionally safe “space,” wonderful things begin to happen. Energy, rather than being used to deal with one’s day-to-day responsibilities, is released to overcome self-consciousness and fear, and to quiet those negative inner voices that keep us from taking risks or leaving our comfort zone.
During our first “chalk-talk,” our Las Olas instructors explained the “simple formula” for surfing success. All that was required, they said, was to center oneself on the board, paddle, paddle, paddle when told to do so, “pop up” to standing position and go! On a long board resting on the solid floor of the casita classroom, it seemed eminently doable -even easy.
The first morning on the beach, clad in our matching Las Olas day-glo rashguard T-shirts, surfing shorts and 40 SPF sunblock, we surveyed the surf. We were lectured on winds and tides, swells and points, technique and safety. Then it was into the water, onto the board (harder than it sounds) and a short paddle toward the breaking waves. Eventually, we became very adept at carrying the longboard (on our heads, no less). We learned to mount and straddle the boards, to assume a good paddling position, and how to roll over quickly when a wave threatened to break on top of us (turtle rolling). However, real surfing requires putting it all together: learning to “read the waves” to know when to paddle and then when to raise oneself from prone to standing on a moving, rocking platform. In other words: experience, timing, balance, coordination and muscle.
Not everyone stood up on the first day, or even on the second. Yet, one by one, with the expert coaching of our patient and persistent instructors, we rose to our feet. I must admit, it took me longer than most to “get it” and “get up.” Suffice it to say, after innumerable wipeouts and inelegant knee stands, I eventually attained a vertical position, balancing precariously as I glided gloriously shoreward to the supportive cheers of my darling and daring surf sisters.
When the week was over, we gave ourselves a party to celebrate our new achievements and our new friendships. We had become a tight-knit group that had moved quickly from strangers to surf sisters, complete with insider references, stories and jokes. We giggled, praised our coaches and one another, shared contact information and then, a bit misty-eyed, promised each other that we would meet again in the waves sometime, somewhere.
I arrived home healthier, stronger and with renewed self-confidence. I felt better than I had in years, albeit a bit sad that my wonderful week on the waves was over. It seemed like a dream. After all, to be attempting this at my age? Did it really happen?
Yes, it really did. I have proof. Within hours of my return, thanks to the wonders of digital photography, my e-mail box was filling up with Las Olas photos. And there I was, standing tall, the sun at my back, the waves at my feet and a smile on my face-surfing.
Information:
Las Olas Surf Safaris for Women
letsgosurf@surflasolas.com; 831.625.5748
Flight: Alaska Airlines to Puerto Vallarta (PVR) (Passport or birth certificate required)