So, here I am standing on Westward Ho! beach in a wetsuit, clutching as longboard, with my wife Kayleigh, daughter Ena and brother-in-law Jonathan (taking the photo), who are properly dressed for the weather. I am about to attempt sport number one of 52 – surfing. The water is pretty deserted as it is New Year’s Day and most sensible people are nursing hangovers in front of the TV. My audience is a handful of dog walkers, who I am sure will drop everything and send their Yorkshire Terriers in to drag me to safety if I hit any trouble…
I was lucky enough to have a lesson in Australia back in 2014, and followed this up by messing around on a board for a few days that same summer with a mate, Mike. We would get into the surfing mood by listening to Jack Johnson records, and then jogging down to the beach arm in arm. I think we blended in pretty well aside from our poor technique, Mike’s foam board he had hired and our pasty, almost translucent skin.
I call what I am doing surfing, but for me if I can stand up and ride a wave in to the shore in a straight line I am counting it. Knowing what wave to go for, and having the patience to wait for the right one, is something I’m sure that takes years of practice. On the day the waves weren’t too high and were a bit messy, so I only got up a handful of times, but spent a good couple of hours in the water, and the board only flipped up and hit me on the head once, which was a bonus. I would say it is one of the most enjoyable ways of keeping fit that I can think of, and I can see why people spend their whole summers/gap years/lives surfing. Every day is different, every beach has its own characteristics, and who ever saw a miserable-looking surfer?
Enjoyment - 75%
Success - 60%
Will try again - Yes
First timer's recommendation – have a lesson or go out with an expert. Choose your board and beach carefully and don’t go out on your own unless you are a strong open water swimmer. And get a decent wetsuit if surfing in the UK during all but the hottest weeks of the year.