By June Ramli
Sydney, May 26: After living in Australia for the past ten years, I finally crossed off something that’s been on my to-do list for ages: surfing.
I almost signed up for lessons at Bondi, but fear got the best of me.
I eventually overcame my fear and managed to get a free pass to try surfing at URBNSURF.
As I write this, my body is still aching from the experience.
For starters, I never got to stand on the board during my entire class.
All I could manage was floating over the waves using the board.
Hailing from Malaysia, I’m used to chlorine swimming pools, and while we have something similar at Sunway Lagoon in Malaysia, I never gave it a go until today.
My original class was scheduled for yesterday, but I switched to the absolute beginners class due to my zero experience.
Thank goodness I did that.
Usually, you can’t change classes at the last minute; you need a five-day notice.
So, my advice is to call them and ask which class you should book online before heading over.
There are also walk-ins, but to avoid disappointment, it’s better to book online.
Classes are $109 per lesson, so make sure you don’t back out after booking.
Once you arrive, parking is available on-site with the first two hours free.
The following hour costs $7.
Before surfing at the pool, you need to sign a waiver, which essentially indicates that it would be very hard to sue them if something unwanted were to happen to you.
This waiver is renewable every six months.
So, please be absolutely sure that you want to do this.
The lesson started at 10:30am on a Sunday.
You need to arrive at least 15 minutes before your lesson to get your wetsuit sorted.
Free rental wetsuits are included with your ticket and can be found on site.
They’re all reputable brands.
After that, you head to the surf academy to find your instructor and get your board before starting your lesson.
We started on time, but there was one parent who accompanied his child during the surf.
The instructor advised that most kids should have a guardian with them to ensure safety since the instructor can’t watch everyone at once.
For the absolute beginner class, you learn board work on the ground before heading to the water.
This takes about five to ten minutes of your lesson, but I couldn’t keep track of time as I didn’t have my watch on.
Then we were given our boards and headed to the man-made swimming pool to start our lessons.
That’s when all hell broke loose for me.
I had a hard time with the lesson but mustered enough courage to slide with the board, although I couldn’t stand on it.
I’m so glad I didn’t take that Bondi course. If I struggled in the swimming pool, imagine surfing in the open sea.
I had a good time and thank my instructor, Eliot, for his patience.
After the lesson, you can visit the surf shop and grab some nibbles and drinks at the restaurant named Sandy’s.
One important note for parents: please don’t bring your underage sons into the women’s changing room. I saw a young boy brought in by his mother, presumably because removing the wetsuit would be hard for him to do on his own.
The mother did not surf, but the boy did, and he was ogling at the naked woman in there who were changing.
Let the father handle this; he should be in charge of helping the boy change.
URBNSURF is also great for tourists wanting to try surfing during their holiday in Australia.
Instead of trying it in the sea, you can do it with the safety nets at URBNSURF.
It’s a great place to learn surfing, and with a little planning, you can make the most of your experience there.
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