We first decided to try out surfing after my better half went on a school trip to Devon, UK where among activities like abseiling and canoeing they had the chance to try surfing.
We booked a B&B in Croyde, Devon in August 2012. Not quite Maui...
But with the help of a two hour class with Surf South West, we even managed to stand on our boards by the end of the lesson. The next day we opted for boogie boards instead and drove to the nearby Putsborough Beach. The sun had come out and we hired wetsuits for the day and took to the surf.
It was a while until we next had the opportunity to use our newly acquired board skills... so we decided to start over. When looking for a mini break for the late May Bank holiday in 2014, Ericeira in Portugal came up as a great surf spot. Luckily my work colleague Ana from Portugal enquired as to our surf skill level and advised us to try Costa da Caparica instead. Ericeira is a great spot... if you've had more than one previous lesson!
We were amazed by Costa da Caparica. Situated just outside Lisbon in the Almada region, there is just stretch after stretch of white sandy beaches.
End of May is not quite the tourist season yet in Portugal so we booked an hour long lesson for only Euro 10 each (including board and wetsuit) at Lufi Surf School, just opposite the entrance to Hotel Costa da Caparica where we stayed.
The weather wasn't the warmest so we explored the nearby beaches. We stopped at Praia de Castelo and enjoyed a delicious lunch cooked on an outdoor barbeque before stopping for coffee at the furthest point at Kailua, Fonte da Telha where we admired the wind surfers.
We had to give it another go so in August 2014, we spent a night in Raglan, New Zealand - a small beachside town close to Hamilton. We opted for a supervised lesson rather than a beginners lesson from Raglan Surf School and were very proud to stand on almost every attempt. If only we could surf every weekend!!
After our lesson we were ravenous so stopped off at Thabun bakery in Raglan town for hot chips. We retired to our lovely Dreamcatcher Lodge for the night.
On the way home we stopped at Manu Bay which has the longest left-hand break in the world. We aspire to catch a wave here someday.
We had lunch at The Shack for lunch before heading to the Bridal Veil Falls just out of town. Hubby took a selfie, my fear of heights meant I could only listen but not look!
Happy surfing all, and remember to always stay in the designated areas to avoid rips...
No comments:
Post a Comment