STAFF REVIEW: SUP/SURFING LESSON IN BOURNEMOUTH

As we woke to a beautiful sunny Sunday morning, we were extremely looking forward to our SUP/Surfing lesson with the wonderful Surf Steps. With a short 5-minute drive to the sea front, we soon saw the sandy beach and glistening blue sea.

We were warmly welcomed to the Surf Steps office, where we ran through what would be happening throughout the duration of the experience. Here, we were advised that surfing would be the better option due to the wind and waves, though we were also keen to try out a little bit of stand-up paddleboarding. Luckily for us, Surf Steps were very easy going so were happy to run a class which included a little bit of both.

As we made our way onto the beach, we began our warm up. This involved a little bit of stretching, jogging and even some yoga poses. Once warmed up, we began learning how to stand on the board and get out into the sea, preparing to get past the big waves.

Once set to go, we picked up our paddle boards and headed for the water, which at first was freezing but you soon get used to it. It definitely helped wearing the wetsuit which was provided by Surf Steps.

We were finally out in the sea, and now it was time to try and stand! However, I couldn’t find the confidence to try that out straight away. Although looking over my shoulder Bex was already up! As we paddled closer to the pier, our instructor asked if we now wanted to try a little bit of surfing out. And, of course, we said yes.

Therefore, we paddled back into shore, riding the waves onto the sand. Although it definitely wasn’t as cool as I had hoped for, soon after catching the wave I went head first into the water. I surprisingly found it very funny and, as we were soon to get even more soaked in the water surfing, I didn’t mind. As we ran through how to surf back on the beach, it was soon time to get back out onto the water.

Preparing to catch a few big waves, we were helped by our instructor as he pushed us into it. It was brilliant, although I again I didn’t manage to stand, I thoroughly enjoyed it.  Gaining a little bit more confidence I couldn’t wait to ride another wave, Bex and I were loving it.

Having caught a few more waves, it was time to paddleboard back to our start point. Here I finally found the confidence to stand on the board, even if it was for a few seconds. It has made me more confident to stand next time.

Arriving back onto shore we took our paddleboards back over to the warm up area on the sand. Having said our thanks, we made our way to get changed and get back into the car.

A massive thank you to Surf Steps for having us, we extremely enjoyed ourselves. Even though we weren’t great, we will definitely be back for another go! Next time, I’ll try to stand for a little longer than a few seconds.