Featured Image: LU Locals and their board racks, 2010.

How would you pitch surfing to someone who has never entertained the idea of paddling in the direction of a giant wave?

Anyone can learn to surf. If it interests you, if you think it looks cool even if you can’t imagine yourself doing it, I’d definitely recommend that you try it at least once because I was one of those girls whose eyes widened and whose mouth gaped whenever she saw other girls surfing in movies.

I will promise you two things: First, it’s as simple as learning how to ride a bike. Finding your balance, after falling down a hundred times, just suddenly comes together in an instant and then you can never unlearn it! The only obstacle left is conquering that paralyzing fear—whether it is the fear of drowning or the fear of looking stupid in a bikini. The sea is outside our comfort zone—true, it’s beautiful to gaze at but for some, including me, it’s terrifying to swim in, especially with big waves. In fact, prior to surfing, I loved going to the beach but was contented with sunbathing and watching my friends swim because I wasn’t a strong swimmer. Now, I can’t stand being out of the water and what’s worse is going to the beach without waves!

My only advice if you want to learn how to surf is to get a proper lesson from a licensed instructor. In popular local spots, there are surf schools that offer board rentals and surf lessons from trained instructors who can teach you the basics of surfing and more importantly, all the safety elements and the surf etiquette you need to know.

My second promise is that once you stand on that board riding your first wave, once you get stoked, once you get bitten by the surf bug, your life will never be the same again. There’s no other way to explain it, you just have to find out for yourself.

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Read the full article at Parallel Planets.