Surf day no.01

When you start a semester in Lisbon, one of the most exciting, (and for me also the most exotic things) is to learn how to surf! Even before coming here, I decided that I wanted to try surfing, and I already looked for a surf school where I could surf. I also grabbed every opportunity and took notes whenever somebody started to talk about surfing, and joined a whatsapp chat about surfing! 

 

When I got here, the weather was a little bit less sunny then I expected, and a little bit more rainy, and I was also a little bit sick, so I postponed my first lesson until the next week... but I couldn't wait more than until Monday :D 

Some practical Informations about surfing in Lisbon:

I looked up many surfing schools on the internet, but after a recommendation, I tried Dr. Bernard’s surfing school, at Costa da Caparica. The place was really nice, and they have a discount for Erasmus students, so it is 12,5 euros, for the equipment and for the lesson with a teacher.  Usually there are 1 instructor for 5 people, and they make the groups according to level. 

 

How to get there: 

It was a little adventurous way to get to the surfing school. In Google maps, it only offers you to go by Uber, but since I already had the transport pass for the whole metropolitan area of Lisbon, I really wanted to go there with public transport.

 I haven't really knew my way around town yet, so It was difficult for me to find the bus stop. But actually It is a really easy way, you just need to take the 161 bus from the Areeiro metro station and after getting off the bus walk for 8 minutes to the coast.

 

 

 

Expectations before the lesson:

- Firstly, I thought that I will be really cold, because the weather was not sunny, and It was a chilly morning.

Luckily we had a wetsuit on, in which you do not feel the cold water at all. When you first step in the water you instantly regret your decision of booking a surfing class at 10 am, but after the first wave splashes you in your face, you don't feel any cold. To be honest, I even felt hot after an hour. 

- I also naively believed that i will not get my hair wet ... boy was I wrong! 

- My other preconception was that you just step on the board in the water and you are a born surfer, the only thing you need to know is have good balance. Actually, there are several steps, to get to the „cool surf like a pro" part, and the first time is always really hard. 

In spite of my lack of athletic skills, I really enjoyed surfing (or more like trying to surf) and I definitely want to try it again! And after surfing I felt like I had a really really good workout, so I recommend trying it out, even for those who are not really athletic.