With the lure of free wet suit, board and lesson, I joined my co-worker Christine Calkins for my first ever surfing lesson last Saturday. An assortment of women in varying levels of fitness and ability met on the beach at Short Sand, also known as Oswald West State Park for the 3rd Annual Clatsop County Women’s Community Surf Day, provided by NW Women’s Surf Camps.

Director Lexie Hallahan was joined by veteran surfers and instructors Beth Bergick and Dennis Braun to impart knowledge and wisdom and, hopefully, the joy of surfing to us.

The day began at Clean Line Surf Shop in Cannon Beach, where I wrestled into a wet suit. While the first suit I tried on was too small, I enjoyed the fact the young man at the shop thought I would actually fit into it. (Maybe he was just having a good laugh as I struggled with the suit.)

Then it was a hike to the beach, where Christine and I both discussed if it might be more fun to take that three hours and go see a movie. Nevertheless, we made it to the beach, where 12 surfboards were laid in a circle on the sand, beckoning, maybe even daring us to take a ride.

The first hour or more was spent on the beach, learning a variety of necessary skills upon which to draw once we hit the water. One, called a ‘pop up’ involved going from a prone position on your belly to somehow having your feet under you and in the surfing position, ready to ride that wave.

So, I never was able to ‘pop up’ and Lexie took pity on me and showed me another method, while better, still found me struggling to get off my stomach with my feet beneath me. We learned to paddle in the sand, keeping our arms and hands near the ‘rails’, feet pointed towards the ‘tail’ and head and chest up looking over the ‘nose.’ (I did learn some surf lingo.) Honestly, after a couple of hours on the beach, I was exhausted. That last cup of java had worn off.

Carrying our boards, (wow, those things are heavy and awkward), we head toward the surf.

So, truth be told, I am a bit nervous when it comes to being out in the ocean, and honestly, standing onshore, the waves looked a lot smaller! And, as everyone kept telling us, these were the smallest waves they’d ever seen at Short Sands, I wondered, so, just how big do they get?

The first step was to flop myself onto my board, struggling to find that center line, which if not lined up perfectly, pitches you off to one side or the other. Then, the wait for the instructor to push you into a wave, and hold on to ride it to shore. The first time, as I was about halfway to shore, I thought, ‘I wonder how you get off this thing when you hit the beach?’ Much to my relief, the wave slowed down and I was able to somewhat gracefully disembark. And, unbelievably, I had a huge smile on my face, it was a blast! I don’t actually remember the whole first wave in, but I do remember the sensation of being on top of the wave and picking up speed as it traveled to the shoreline. While Beth asked me if I was thrilled, the word that actually popped into my head initially was petrified. No quitter, I walked my board back out for another ride in. Who cares if I ever stand up, I thought, this is fun!

And with more practice, I was able to get on the board by myself, and get myself centered and ready, although let me remind you, I am still laying on my stomach.

Next step, paddling into the wave. The idea is when you hear the instructor, yell “paddle, paddle” you start paddling as hard as you can to get on top of the wave. And then from there, ostensibly, this is where you stand up and surf.

As I lay there waiting for her to tell me to start paddling, I wondered why a 51-year old woman thought she wanted to learn to surf? No time for an answer, as “paddle, paddle” was heard and I started doing just that. And, unbelievably, I caught the wave and rode it all the way in… on my stomach of course. Well, this isn’t so bad, I thought, although Christine had already stood up and actually surfed, instead of belly riding.

A few more times paddling, and then, okay, this is it, I’m going up…and made it to my knees, twice. And then, sheer exhaustion compelled me to call it a day.

So, while I actually didn’t get up on the board, I was told, “you did great!” I’m sure they tell all their beginners that!

Did I fall in love with surfing? Well, that question hasn’t been answered yet. The hike back to the parking lot carrying those surfboards made me wonder just how committed I might become to this sport. Maybe I’ll try boogie boarding for now.

To learn more, call Lexie at (503) 440-5782 or email surfcamps@freedomnw.com.