Catching a wave
I’ve always wanted to learn to surf. In my sun dappled imagination I’ve ridden the warm turquoise waves off of Costa Rica, or maybe Hawaii, surfing toward a white sand beach dotted with palm trees.
But when my chance came to surf, it was in Tofino, B.C., a former fishing village on Vancouver Island’s wet west coast. A place where the token palm tree, at the edge of town, appeared to be shivering. I was also older than I had been in my imagination. I decided to celebrate my 40th birthday squeezed into a rented wetsuit, learning something new.
Speciality spot
When I told friends I was planning to take a surfing class in Tofino, they were sceptical. “What’s wrong with Hawaii?” one even asked. Although surfers have been heading to Tofino for years (even Pierre Trudeau pulled out a board and caught a bit of air, back in the day), until recently, the crew consisted of a few hardcore dudes and dudettes who hung at Cox Bay, rippin’ down juicy waves and using lingo that sounds stupid coming from anyone not leashed to a board.
Then the news of Tofino’s 35-kilometres of pristine beach break got out. It turns out that despite the mist and rain, Tofino has excellent year-round surfing, with waves that suit everyone from beginners to pro. Surfers and wannabes have begun making the pilgrimage to the village of 1600 (it swells to 11,000 in the summer). To accommodate them, a half-dozen surf schools have popped up; one school, Surf Sisters caters primarily to women.
The lesson
“Goofy foot or regular foot?” my instructor Dan asked. My blank look must have given away the fact that I’ve never done board sports before. So he pushed me. “Regular foot,” he said, as I lurched forward and caught my balance with my right foot.
With the stance down, it was time to learn how to get there. The method of choice, the pop-up, is designed for someone who can levitate from their belly, up to the balanced, feet-apart-knees-bent stance in one fluid movement. Clearly I had picked the wrong ‘new thing’ to try for my 40th birthday. Then Dan showed me a novice manoeuvre – I got to hop up on my hands and knees before I attempted to stand.
