The Ultimate Surf (Camp)

It's been a while since my last blog post and I apologize, but I have been incredibly busy plus the lack of internet makes it harder to keep you all updated. Anyways, here is a post about my latest adventure, the Ultimate Surf Camp, a 10 day extended surf camp.

Yamba

Our first destination was a small town called Yamba, about 10 hours north of Sydney. We took the overnight buss from Sydney and arrived early in the morning. As soon as we had settled into our rooms, we went out surfing. Yamba is a great place to surf, with four beaches to choose from you can always find a wave.

The hostel we where staying in was the only on in town and incredibly friendly and nice. It was a family run business and the people that worked there came with us to surf. The place had a reputation for backpackers coming to stay for a week, but ending up staying for 5-6 months.

Another great thing about Yamba was the fantastic food. We got free lunch and dinner every night. I tried Kangaroo which was different, but tasty. But the best food they had was the "Works Burger", a burger with everything including eggs. Around the corner from the hostel there was two pie shops as well, with delicious pies.

The first two night there we went partying. I had a great time including a Singstar competition and dancing to a band I have never heard about. The last day we went on a tour of Yamba. We went to some cliffs where you could jump off into the water. The first cliff was about 5 meters and the second was 12 meters. It was scary but a lot of fun! We also fed crazy fish with toast and pelicans with fish. Overall a great last day!

Byron Bay

After Yamba we traveled up the coast another two hours to Byron Bay. Byron Bay is known as one of the best surfing places in Australia, but sadly the weather was not on our side. The last day we did get some waves, but the first two was almost flat. We spent the days lying on the beach trying to catch some color and I got a bad sunburn on the back of my legs where I forgot to put sunscreen.

The hostel in Byron was not as nice as the one in Yamba, but it was still decent. It had a nice pool with very warm water which we used to play in. We trough in money and went diving for it.

Food in Byron Bay was more up and down. One of the night we got free dinner at a pub called Cheeky Monkeys. The food was crap and very small portions. I had to buy another meal to feel full. However, as a nightclub the place was crazy. It was packed every night with backpackers dancing on tables and generally having a good time. They also held competitions every day.

The last day in Byron Bay we went to a concert with an Australian band playing psychedelic rock, it felt like being back in the 60's. Our Surf guide was a big fan of them and predicts that they will be well known in a few years. Sadly I can't remember the name of the band :(

Coolangatta

After Byron Bay we got on another buss and traveled another two hours up the coast to the Gold Coast and more precisely Coolangatta. The hostel in Coolangatta reminded me more of a hotel than a hostel. The rooms had a big balcony with sleeping couches which I spent a fair amount of time in.

It was very windy the first two days which made the waves very choppy and hard to surf on, but the last 2 days we got better weather and some good surfing conditions. I can now do turns on the waves, move up and down on the board while standing up and keep my balance. I can really feel that I have become better over the last 10 days. Paddling is still the hardest part, because my muscles are not trained in paddling.

We did not party as much in Coolangatta, in stead we chilled on the balcony in the evenings. Just having a good time. Now I am heading up to Brisbane to find work. I am not sure how long I will stay there, but I will keep everyone updated. I am traveling with a group of Germans from the surf camp. Lastly I would like to say thanks for a great surf experience and to all the people in my group: Anja, Anna, Alice, Chris, Markus, Mathias, Phil, Mike, Tony and Lock Dog!

Surf Camp

On Monday 07:15 AM a group of people including me, left Sydney in 3 minibuses and headed for Surf Camp Australia. Surf Camp is located about 2.5 hours south of Sydney in a small town called Gerroa The place is filled with summer homes and has a very relaxed atmosphere. The beach is called Seven Mile Beach and is part of Seven Mile Beach National Park.

As soon as we had put our luggage in our rooms, we where given wetsuits and surfboards and where heading down to the beach. Each day consisted of 2x2 hour lessons, and every lesson we learned something new. It started of with how to get up on the surfboard, then different techniques to gain speed and balance, and ended with learning how to do turns.

Even after the first 2 hours I realized that surfing is a sport that requires strength. My arms where hurting from all the paddling, and after 4 days my whole body was aching. I had a fantastic time though, the food was great, the instructors where super friendly and the surfing thrilling.

The only downside to surfing is putting on a wet and cold wetsuit 6:00 AM in the morning to go down to the beach and surf as the sun came up. The water was not very warm ether, but because of all the exercising I was not freezing much. I made some new friends as well, and 5 of us signed up for the extended 10 day surf trip up the Australian east cost. This takes place next Thursday and I will get back to that after it is finished.

I realized that surfing takes a ton of practice and although I now know the basics, the only way to progress is to surf as much as possible. Especially doing turns or surfing along the waves at an angle is hard and something I have to work with.

After the 4 days of surf camp the whole group headed back to Sydney for a farewell party at a bar called Scubar. I had a great time there as well and didn't get to bed until 2:00 AM