Mar-2014
What surfing does to me
The word surfing gives everybody different kind of feelings. For one person it can mean a nice workout at the beach while for the other person it might mean the world. A lifestyle. This year I started in the magical world of surfing, and it only just began. It is something I have been wanting to do all this time.
I started in Huatulco, Mexico, where my friend Boio gave me my first actual surf lesson. We went to a beach named “La Bocana” which has a pretty rough sea and a lot of waves. My friend showed me how to use the surfboard and I tried it out in the water, on the waves and it worked, but I guess that over there it was a bit to rough for me to start off with.
Surfing in Brazil
Now I am in Brazil, in a place called Búzios. It’s quite famous for the many visits Brigitte Bordot brought to this place, but also because of its many beautiful beaches. There’s one beach in particular that is sooo good to go to when you want to practice surfing. Praia de Geribá.
I had a mission. My mission was to find a professional surfing instructor on the beach of Geribá and just go with the flow and learn. By a blue tent that stands on the beach of Geribá I found two local guys, Hugo and Israel, who have been surfing their entire lives and they want to teach in the cold waters of their hometown.
Mission completed
Surfing has become more than just a work-out to me. It needs focus. It also requires me to relax. It’s hard work. It’s maintaining balance. It’s hard work for my good mood when I fall off. Again. It’s fun. It’s frustrating. It’s a smile. It’s a serious face. It’s a challenge. It’s meeting new people. It’s throwing back surfboards of others who have fallen off. It’s drinking a lot of salty water. It’s getting a tan. It’s messed up hair. It’s a way of living. It’s amazing.
“You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.”
― Jon Kabat-Zinn
Photos by Wanda Reyes.
About Renate Rigters
Ever since I left my home country I felt at home at any other place I went to. I enjoy getting to know more cultures by talking to strangers and hearing their philosophy about life. Speaking with gestures when you can not find a shared language, finding places only the locals go to and learn about their customs and values. Hanging out with local people makes me happy. The experience of every new place is a step out of your comfort zone where I like to wander around until it feels like a second home.
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zo leuk he! Ziet eruit alsof jij ‘t beter kan dan ik 😛
Hey babe! Ik zeg surf competition in Nicaragua! 😉
Tof! Leren surfen staat al ruim een jaar op mijn wensenlijstje en als t goed is ga ik er deze zomer eindelijk aan beginnen! Weliswaar op Scheveningen, dus een iets minder tropische plek dan Brazilië. Enjoy the surf!
Hi Daphne, ik zie er al naar uit om daar iets over te lezen van de zomer! Ook leuk, surfen in eigen land 🙂
Ooh geweldig! Gave foto’s heb je! Ik heb vorige zomer voor het eerst gesurft en ga over een paar weken weer een week surfen. Wat heb ik daar zin in! En idd veel zoutwater binnen krijgen en je haar die helemaal in de war is!
Hi Maaike, waar ga je volgende week surfen? Ik wens je hul vul plezier met het zeezout 😉
[…] had my first, lets call it official, surf class about one month ago in Buzios, Brazil, and now that I carried some experience with me from my first surf sessions back there I was ready […]