I’ve always wanted to surf…

Luckily, it was a hobby my family encouraged.

My mom spent a lot of her early adolescent years surfing in San Diego. She stopped as she got older, but when I showed some interest in the activity (mainly because my middle school best friend was getting into it), she was excited to get back out there with me. She and my dad bought me an eight-foot longboard for Christmas when I was around ten years old.

Unluckily, I had no patience. 

Despite the cowabunga-esque nature of the sheGO attitude, I’ve discovered that patience and humility are crucial when it comes to accomplishing whatever it is she GOing after.

And I had neither.

I wanted to rip! 

I wanted to get barreled!

I wanted to look COOL (which meant ditching my longboard for my brother’s shortboard after only a few times in the water).

Cut to me getting slammed against the reef at Diamond Head, clutching to my brother’s six-foot board…

Ego and body bruised, I ditched the hobby and rarely took my board out from then on.

Luckily, as I got older, my need to look cool dissipated and my interest in surfing returned. This renewed interest grew as my friends started moving home to Oahu. Many friends, who had never been interested in surfing when we were kids, picked up the hobby of long boarding now that they were back on island. They started frequenting nearby spots that were super chill and pressure-free. I was happy to join them every time I went home for a visit.

After rediscovering how fun it could be out there, I started to feel a bit bummed out that I was only enjoying it when I went back to Oahu.

So, I started to think about surfing here in California (something that had always terrified me). 

The FUNdamentals: Strength & Flexibility

When I started surfing again, I was pleased to discover that I’d actually been working on some fundamentals without even knowing it.

The same strength and flexibility exercises that helped me during my first wakeboarding trip also came into play when I reintroduced surfing into my life. 

Previously I’d been hyper-focused on cardio - running and running and running. This was great for getting into a meditative state (and keeping some of the weight from pizza and beer nights off), but I was seriously lacking in strength.

Only recently have I discovered the power of a mixed workout regimen. I now love switching between cardio, weights, plyometrics, and flexibility (though this last one could use even more attention). 

This has given me a lot more confidence in my body and made the #SheGOlive attitude so much easier to adopt. Having a foundation of strength, cardiovascular fitness, and mobility to jump off from makes it a lot easier to try new activities (whether that’s climbing silks at the Circus Center or wakeboarding/surfing).

Surfing in Pacifica: How I chose this location

I’d surfed a few times in San Diego as a child while visiting my grandparents but hadn’t ever attempted it here in Northern California. 

The thought of getting into Bay Area water to catch some waves was super intimidating. I’d heard about the conditions (and the crowd) at Ocean Beach and knew that wasn’t the place for me.

I had also heard, however, about another spot nearby – just thirty minutes away: Pacifica.

I was interested in checking it out for a couple of reasons. First, it was apparently a good spot for beginners. Second, it had a TACO BELL CANTINA right on the beach. ‘nuff said.

I decided that this is where I would attempt my first Northern California surf session.

Why I opted for surf lessons

Despite hearing that this beach was good for beginners, I wasn’t thrilled about the idea of jumping into unfamiliar waters without any sort of guidance. 

Instead, I thought I’d look to see if there were lessons available. One of my favorite ways to get over my fears about trying something new is to do it with someone who isn’t new to it.

To be honest, I’m not sure something like surfing can really be taught. I think it’s something you just have to do, trying and failing until you pick it up.

However, I still find it helpful (especially in new places) to have someone who can teach me a bit more about the environment. In this case, the break, the currents, and the crowd. Plus, the little pointers that they give can help a lot.

Note: The “She GO” attitude may be all about taking chances and pushing yourself, but that does not disclude taking lessons, asking for advice, or help if that makes you feel more comfortable.

Surfing Lesson Level II with Adventure Out in Pacifica 

I was stoked to find a company called Adventure Out (which also offers outdoor survival classes that I’ll probably be signing up for soon). They offered a level II private surf lesson. 

The cost of the lesson included the board, the wetsuit, and one-on-one coaching. Of course, it was pricey—and I realize I’m lucky to be able to do something like this—but I like to think that it’s going to a group of people who then get to do what they love for a living.

I emailed back and forth with the coordinator to set a date and time. Right off the bat, there were a few things I appreciated about Adventure Out. 

First, they checked the conditions ahead of time and realized how much better the surf conditions would be in the morning (my original lesson time was in the afternoon). They reached out to see if I was able to reschedule. I was. As my lesson came to an end, I was super happy to have rescheduled for that morning because things were starting to get a bit gross out there—the tide was rising fast and the wind was picking up a lot.

Second, they sent out at least four emails about parking. This parking lot fills up and I was so grateful that they warned me about that ahead of time.

I showed up extra early (about an hour ahead of my scheduled lesson time). I bought an all-day parking pass from a kiosk (there are three along the beach, though they sometimes stop working if it’s raining). The parking pass came out to eight dollars – a steal when compared to San Francisco prices. Then I went on a jog up along the hills as I waited for my lesson to start. 

Once back in the parking lot, I met up with the Adventure Out instructors (my instructor was a cool lady named Amie).

The lesson started right away with the instructors explaining what we should do with our belongings if we decided to come back to the beach on our own. 

After struggling to squeeze into the provided wetsuit, I followed my instructor down to the beach where she took the time to explain the tides, currents, and basically how waves were formed. I thought this was super cool because it helped to give a holistic picture of the sport rather than just “paddle when there’s a wave and try to pop up.”

We got into the water pretty quickly after that. 

I have to admit that the first part of the lesson was a struggle. Amie swam next to me and pushed me into some broken waves. It’s been a while since I’ve had someone push me into a wave and I wasn’t expecting the force of those pushes.

I kept losing my balance and found myself stumbling to my knees and falling over as soon as I got to my feet. 

Back in the day, this would have frustrated me enough to make me quit. 

However, focused on embracing the She GO attitude and mindset, I didn’t let that feeling overwhelm me. 

I was here to learn.

I started focusing on small things that I could do to improve instead of how I kept falling.

I got a couple of fun waves, and, overall, I was just happy to be in the water. It was warmer than expected and there were a lot of beginners out there so I didn’t look like a total kook (or the only kook out there).

Amie stayed in the water with me the whole time and gave little tips here and there while also helping me identify which wave to go for. 

The two hours flew by and when I got out of the water, I felt I could have stayed for a few more. 

As we walked back to the parking lot to drop off the board and wetsuit, Amie also gave me tips about where to rent boards nearby. She mentioned Sonlight Surfshop, highlighting them as a good spot because they really look out for surfers and won’t rent if conditions are terrible.

We parted ways and I knew that I’d definitely be coming back soon (I was back again with some friends a week later).

Surfing was no longer only for my trips home to Hawaii.