43… too late to start surfing?
Susana accepted a challenge by her daughters to take some surfing lessons one summer, and before she knew it, she was hooked. In this personal piece of writing, Susana tells us all about the unexpected things she’s gained: new friends, knowledge, a sense of equality and inner calm.
The beginning: A challenge
Two years ago, at the age of 43, I was challenged by my daughters to take a surf lesson. My eldest daughter had been taking surf lessons for some time, and the youngest had started a few months ago. As I accompanied them to training and stayed on the beach watching and enjoying the good weather, they thought I should try a class. It was the end of summer but we were still going to spend a week of vacation outside.
I readily accepted the challenge as I’m quite adventurous, and I’ve always loved the sea. I enjoyed it so much and felt so good that when we came back from the last week of vacation, I signed up to our local surf school for some lessons. “Just a few”, I said to myself.
I started taking classes in the Beginner class, initially 2 classes a week. After 1 month, the coaches took me up to Intermediate level and asked me if I really hadn’t surfed before. No, I had never done it, but I had always practiced sports, and maybe that’s why it was easier for me to have body and spatial awareness.
The process: New friends, conditions and observations
The desire to surf grew more and more, even though we were already in autumn, I was not discouraged by the low temperatures. I usually took classes in the morning, so before going to work I was already ‘up-to-date’ with physical activity.
At the end of 4 months I was already having a board made and surfing practically every day, if the sea conditions allowed it. I have never been afraid of the strong and rough sea – on the contrary, I like the challenging sea, and sometimes they jokingly call me “Susana Kamikaze”! At that time, I was already at the maximum level for adults at the surf school, doing at least 3 surf trainings and 1 surfskate training (which in the meantime I started to improve my technique and confidence for movements on the board).
I was lucky enough to make a group of friends who were all surfers, which included some of my coaches. And so, in addition to the lessons I took, I often surfed with that group exploring new beaches and new challenges in the sea. I wasn’t intimidated by trying to surf with much more experienced surfers who surfed in more “extreme” conditions than the ones I had in the surf school training. On the contrary, I like to surf with people who are better than me, to challenge myself and have the desire to surf even more.
Of course, it wasn’t all a bed of roses! I had days when I went into the sea and couldn’t do anything at all. Others that were more ‘falls’ than ‘waves surfed’, and even times when my confidence was not having its best day and I felt more afraid to surf; on those days I was often just sitting on the board watching others surf. But in all situations I am very attentive to what others do, absorbing as many teachings as possible. I try to understand at what point they paddle to the wave, at what point they do the take-off, the type of manoeuvres they do. And of course I always try to understand the sea…. Only by understanding the sea is it possible to surf!
5 reasons to start surfing
For those who want a new challenge in their life, surfing is an excellent option, for several reasons (and I can quickly give 5 reasons).
- Full body exercise: First of all, surfing is an outdoor activity, which takes us away from the sofa and the front of screens. It is a physical exercise that makes us work the whole body.
- Health: The fact that we are in contact with the sea (even in cold conditions), strengthens our immune system.
- Mindfulness: It is a moment in which we are only focused on that precise moment, and therefore all the problems of everyday life (children, work, home) are put aside.
- Socialising: Surfing is a great way to socialize with totally different people, as inside the sea there are no status or professions, we are all the same!
- Emotional wellbeing: Above all, while surfing we are investing in ourselves, in our emotional well-being. At sea we forget everything and enjoy the moment!
So, my takeaway from learning to surf at 43? IT’S NEVER TOO LATE TO START! It’s not a cliché, it’s true!
