What do people do in Australia? Surfing, of course.
The Work and Travel Company gave me the chance to participate in one of the best experiences I have ever had in my life: Surf Camp Australia.
Excitement level was so high the night before, I couldn’t sleep properly.
Get up Joana, you have a bus to catch, I told myself in the morning.
I arrived at the pick up area, and what did I see around me? Lots of Backpackers – of course, a few young couples, a 42 year old man who decided to leave his old life for a new adventure, and a dad with his daughter spending their holiday together. It’s amazing how we all felt so connected through our excitement to learn how to surf and adventure, given many of us were strangers to each other a few hours ago and for some of us, we got to know each other just a few days before hand.
The trip up to Surf Camp was uncomplicated and quick and once we arrived at the camp, it was immediate that we were going to have a great time. The vibe was just amazing!
After a brief introduction, everybody took their own place in their cabin, got fitted for our wet suits and headed out to the beach for our first lesson.[vc_single_image image=”22601″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” qode_css_animation=””]The cabins itself were very clean and comfortable and they’re all placed in a circular formation facing the common area, giving a sense of small community. All the staff and the instructors are amazing! They made sure everybody stayed safe in the water and they were very helpful and patient with us no matter what our skill level or surfing experience was. You could see straight away they had passion for the their job, but not only that, it was obvious that they weren’t new at this either.
Surf lessons are divided in two parts: theory and practice. We learn about how to identify good surfing conditions like waves, wind and the tide. The instructors made sure we practiced the tactical moves like standing up on the board first on the ground and then in the water.
After the afternoon class, dinner was served (the food was soooo delicious and plentiful), after dinner that night we just chilled for a bit and enjoyed each others company. Music played in the background and it didn’t take long to animate the group.
There are lots of things to do while we had some downtime to reflect on the day that was. When I looked around there were people playing cards and board games, people singing and people laughing. The atmosphere was at camp was insane. I couldn’t have asked to be doing this with a better bunch of people. But one thing was for sure, it felt like we were a world away from everything, we all just felt at ease, there was a sense of calmness, peace and freedom.[vc_empty_space][vc_single_image image=”22603″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” qode_css_animation=””][vc_empty_space][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column][vc_column_text]If you get the chance I highly recommend sitting on the beach at night time, our group witnessed the most beautiful starry sky I had ever seen in my life, it was just something else!
Seven Mile Beach is outrageously beautiful and it is mostly reserved for the surf camp people.
If you ever wanted to learn to surf this is the only way. I had a chat with the 42 year-old man and he told me he didn’t know how comfortable he would feel being around 20 year old backpackers. Not only was it not an issue, he was appreciated for being an older person within the group. More importantly, he and we all could surf within three days. Literally. We could stand up on our surfboards and catch some good waves from day 2. I loved it.
Whether you are from overseas or a local, do yourself a favour and DO IT! Go to Surf Camp Australia and learn to surf![/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_single_image image=”22605″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” qode_css_animation=””][vc_empty_space][vc_separator type=”normal”][vc_column_text]written by Joana Nucci[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]