Hey guys,

Well this one is gonna be a big one because I've been really busy this week. Surf camp came to collect us on Monday morning at 8am from central station, it was really tough getting up that early and there was a crazy snorer in the room and a couple 'cuddling' so I didn't feel particularly well rested when I got up at six.

Checking onto the bus was reasonably easy and I ended up on a bus with eight other girls and our surf instructor Ben. We rode about four hours to get to the huts were we would be staying and after lunch hit the surf. The first day was just spent learning how to pick a wave and learning the basic moves on shore. I did attempt to get up, but my lower back and arms just weren't strong enough, but I felt good for trying it, so wasn't too dishearted. An accident did occur and the board washed up in front of me and completely bent my fingers backwards on my right hand which absolutely caned, but I kept going. The accomodation was quite controversial in that all the water was electrically charged! It certainly ensured that I was wide awake when I absent mindedly stuck my hand under the tap and electrocuted myself, not what you need at six in the morning!

The next day was a complete cop out. First off all I woke up and my hand was so swollen the skin was all really shiny which was freaky, then original Ben told us that he was having a day off and so another Ben would be taking us out. It was raining really hard and we'd been downgraded from a mini bus to a four by four, which was not designed for ten people! We checked out four different beaches, but the surf was just way too big and even the instructor said he wouldn't go in. Three of us decided to pop in for a swim in our wet suits (THE most unflattering thing in the world) and dived under the waves and generally got swept off our feets. Because the day was such a cop out and the instructor was getting really stressed (shouting expletives, mainly directed at us and consuming chocolate at a rate that should have had him attending overeaters anonymous!) he decided to treat us to pop corn and a movie at his house, which was really nice and all ten of us snuggled under duvets to watch Elf. Ben our instructor was a typical aussie male, absolutely lovely, but insisted on ending every sentence with eh? A lifetime of sampling illegal drugs meant his mood was pretty changeable, but after the first day we discovered any bad mood could be combated with chocolate; he thinks there is excessive oestrogen in the sea and living with women have made him co-dependent on it! When we got back to camp everyone was completely knackered from a day spent battling the waves and getting no where, we were all nice and relaxed and had used up all the hot water in the camp which was jokes!! The night was spent getting drunk and dancing to cheesy euro-pop. I retired before it all got too messy, but not before one of the surf instructors had danced around naked for about twenty minutes, a decision he wholly regretted in the sober light of day!

The next day we got up early and drove to another beach about three hours away. The place we were staying at was really isolated but the surf was just perfect. The waves broke really far out of shore and the white wash came in for ages, so I managed to get up the board about twenty times and rode a few in all the way. The bad thing was that everytime I made it up on the board, I'd stand up and raise my arms in celebration and promptly fall off. I think I swallowed the equivalent of the dead sea up my nose, but by now my hand was fixed, as was my eye where I had scratched the cornea earlier in the week. By now our group was really close and contained two kiwis (Ronnie and Jamie), to canadians (Mallery and Chelsea), three brits (Jennie, Eva-Lucia, and Carrie) and a yank (Abby). We went back to the camp and watched a surfing documentary and then Point Break before bed.
The next day was another early start as we drove up to another national park where we would be camping that night. The place was basic with one toilet (that didn't flush) and nowhere to wash your hands. The beach we hit was rubbish because the waves were incredibly high and broke way to close to shore, so after two hours of struggling to get out far enough to stand up without being pushed back by the wave and then permanantly wiped out I decided to sunbathe!! I'd say about 80% of my surfing experience was spent just trying to lug the huge board out far enough before wiping out, so it was completely shattering! That night we had a bonfire and ate burritos before camping in two man tents, accurately constructed by myself! We went walking at sunset to see the roos and I saw a couple wild ones, only about three feet from me! Then a man turned up who used to be an outback tour guide and he gave us a talk about the stars and we saw three shooting stars! It was absolutely lovely and the tent was even reasonably warm which was good- thank heavans for my sleeping bag!

The final day was spent on the same beach, but the waves were even higher. I managed to get up on the board a couple of times and then decided to quit while I was ahead! We drove to Byron Bay, our final destination and ate dinner at a Mexican cantina before moving onto a club reminiscent of Coyote Ugly, with everyone dancing on the benches and tables in a general sweat pit. Still it was really nice to fully put my hair down, I had a warm bath which was the best of my life and we all chilled knowing we didn't have to get up at seven the next morning! Today I'm just relaxing before we're all gonna meet up (about thirty of us) and have a barbie on the beach as the sun is out, absolutely lovely!
In conclusion, surfing = good, my surfing ability = dire!