Travel to see the sights is easy, pack your suitcase, take your camera and hit the road. It’s a different matter when you plan to engage in extreme sports during your trip: such a vacation requires more careful planning, preparation and, of course, compliance with some rules already in place. Today we will talk about how to plan a trip to the ocean for surfing, so that you will have bright and unforgettable memories from this trip.
Physical training
Surfing is an active sport, so expecting that you can easily get into the tube from an office chair is, to put it mildly, naive. On the water you will have to work intensively and for a long time with your hands, so if you are used to overloading yourself with work on a laptop, you should take care of training in advance. This does not mean that you need to urgently perform the bench press; endurance is much more important here. The best exercise machine for this is a regular jump rope. Start training a month before your planned trip, jump a little every day, gradually increasing the duration of the load. It also makes sense to go to the pool, where you will primarily focus on freestyle swimming technique. A powerful, confident stroke will give you 10 points ahead.
Insurance
Immediately before the trip, you must take out travel medical insurance, extended to extreme sports in general or specifically to surfing. Yes, such insurance will cost you a little more, but while surfing, one way or another, the risk of injury is higher, and the cost of medical care abroad is unlikely to please you.
Sun protection
The most popular surfing destinations are, of course, the tropics. This is understandable, when thinking about surfing, we can’t help but imagine tanned guys and girls riding the waves in shorts and bikinis, and then drinking from a fresh coconut in the shade of a palm tree. Spending your vacation this way is a temptation that is difficult not to succumb to, but do not forget that in the tropics you are in danger of getting sunburnt under the rays of the scorching sun. Therefore, it is very important to constantly use sunscreen, and when surfing, use waterproof creams and special protective clothing.
Training
Another important point in surfing is the correct assessment of your own strengths. Jumping rope and the pool are just a preparatory stage that will make you stronger, but nothing can replace experience. In general, surfing is only 20% of physical strength, and the rest is knowledge acquired over many hours in the water: the ability to “read” the ocean, understanding at what moment what to do, sense of dangerous situations and the ability to avoid them. If you don’t have experience yet or it’s not enough, and you only have two or three weeks to go on vacation, it makes sense to turn to more experienced surfers for help. To master the basic technique, beginners need to take lessons at a surf school or from an individual instructor. There are usually plenty of both in any city where there are suitable waves. For those who already know how to catch a wave, but have come to a new place, it makes sense to talk with a surf guide who will show the local spots and talk about their features, after which they will be able to surf on their own.
Good company
Last on the list, but not least, is the company with which you are going on vacation. It’s no secret that emotions and impressions become brighter if you have someone to share them with, so be sure to persuade your friends to join you. Learning to surf with friends is more fun and effective – you can look at each other, look up to the most agile one, rejoice at successes together and laugh at (temporary!) failures. Plus, surfing will help you make new friends! It doesn’t matter whether you are traveling alone or in a large group, do not neglect the option of staying at a surf camp: here you can meet like-minded people from all over the world, practice your English and learn a lot about the culture and mentality of representatives of other countries. Moreover, you won’t have any problems getting to know each other, because you already have at least one common topic of conversation – surfing.
Travel with a purpose is always more interesting, and active pastime, especially in the ocean, will energize you much better than lazy hours on a sun lounger near the pool. And, most importantly, don’t think that you can only learn to surf at a young age; anyone can get on a board if they want. Choose an active holiday, you will have time to lie down at home!
This article was prepared with the support of the HAKULA team (hakula.ru),
which offers on its resource beginners and advanced surfers a wide selection of travel destinations: group and individual surf trips around the world with training and information support.
