Experience This: From First Waves to Lifelong Surf Memories
HIT THE WAVES WITH SURF LESSONS
WHEN mother calls, you answer.
It doesn’t matter if it’s your biological mother, your grandmother, aunt, best friend’s mom or even your sister; the maternal voice should not and cannot be ignored. Mothers tend to have a way with words like no one else does – they have an innate ability to connect in a loving fashion with your best interest in mind.
Yes, that includes Mother Nature. Her call, often loudest in the warmer months, is just as important as the call from the one you call “mom.” OK, maybe a little less important, but still. If you feel the urge to feel the sun on your skin, the sand beneath your feet and the cool salt water on your lips, then who are you to ignore Mother Nature’s call?
After all, she is creating an entire world for you to enjoy. The beach is her tapestry and you have a golden opportunity to be a part of it.
The best way to pay homage, by the estimation of owner and founder of Ocean City NJ Surf School Willie Fannon, is by surfing.
“It’s a unique sport, it’s not something you can do everywhere you go,” he explained. “You’re limited to certain locations, coastal regions. Mother Nature creates the waves and they’re not always the same. No two waves are the same.”
Surfing, although difficult, is one of the most rewarding activities one can do.
“Only surfers know the feeling,” Willie said. “Until you really surf, it’s hard to explain what it feels like. It requires time and practice.”
The word he used to describe the feeling of surfing is “freedom,” and it’s something that can be taught via lessons with Willie at the 51st Street beach or with another of the pros in town, such as 7th Street Surf Shop, Heritage Surf & Sport or KR Surf Experience. What matters is getting out on the water.
“I’ll tell people all the time, go where you stay. If you’re at 7th Street that’s the way to go. All the surf camps do a great job,” Willie said.
That said, Ocean City NJ Surf School’s curriculum focuses heavily on safety, and Willie noted his niche is offering a two-to-one instructor-to-surfer ratio for surf camps and one-on-one private lessons. The only real recommendation is knowing how to swim. His class can accommodate anyone older than six years old, too.
The surf lessons are a one-hour session for $75 where you are provided a surf board and wet suit. The first 10 to 15 minutes of the lesson are done on land where you practice paddling and how to pop up onto the board to ride the wave. From there you would have about 45 minutes to be on the water and put what you learned to the test.
The surf camp, however, could be up to 14 campers and 28 instructors in a two-hour class for three days.
“Even though the south end is still kind of quiet we try to not put too many people in the water at once,” Fannon said
The camp is offered at 9am and 11:30am in an effort to provide options for folks that like to get early versus late starts. There is a 15-minute break between the first hour and second hour which still gives campers 90 minutes of time in the water daily. The surf lessons are available daily and can be booked online at oceancitynjsurfschool.com. The camps can be booked at the same website.
Willie is a lifelong surfer who is trying to pass on his love for the sport in any way possible.
“I was out in the water earlier today and seeing the face and smiles after someone successfully stands up or rides a wave,” he explained. “I know what that feeling’s like and seeing it on someone’s face that youre teaching is a great feeling. It’s almost like I’m getting the same feeling. We live vicariously through the younger kids now.”
Persistence is key – this isn’t as easy as picking up a basketball and throwing it into the hoop. I’s a difficult sport that can be taught to those willing to learn.
“It’s demanding physically and mentally. The learning curve is tough because youre at the mercy of Mother Nature. Sometimes it’s windy, sometimes there’s no waves so you have to face adverse condition,” Fannon said. “But it’s super rewarding.”
At the end of the day it doesn’t matter where you go, there are ample opportunities to surf anywhere from the north side of the island to the south end, and anywhere in between. What matters is getting out there and taking advantage of both the geographical location you’re blessed to be in and doing an activity that is synonymous with island life.
For more information visit oceancitynjsurfschool.com, 7thstreetsurfshop. com, heritagesurf.com or krsurfexperience.com
By Anthony J. Mazziotti III