Growing up in London, I was always fascinated by surfing but never thought it was something I could do and definitely not something I could progress at.
After turning 30, a friend and I decided this was the time to fulfil our dreams of living out Blue Crush and booked ourselves on a beginner surf trip to Portugal.
I was awful, spending most of my time getting beaten up by the sea (and the board a fair amount!) and swallowing salt water but I absolutely loved it and have been hooked ever since.
Last year I came across London Girls Surf Club on social media and loved the idea of getting out of the city and heading to the coast with a group of girls all wanting to achieve the same thing, to have fun and try and stand up on a wave.
I booked onto their next weekend in Devon straight away, went along on my own a couple of weeks later and came back with a gang of new friends.
The girls on the trip were some of the loveliest, friendliest and funniest I have met. They all made the trip so fun, cheering each other on when we got up on the board and laughing together when we fell off. There was no competition, just encouragement.
I was awful, spending most of my time getting beaten up by the sea (and the board a fair amount!) and swallowing salt water but I absolutely loved it and have been hooked ever since."
Since then I’ve introduced more friends to surfing who have all loved it. The best thing is you don’t have to be good at it to enjoy yourself.
When you’re in the water you’re not thinking about your work or social obligations or looking at your phone every two minutes. You’re just enjoying yourself in the moment.
It’s about having great fun but also challenging yourself, falling and getting straight back up, slowly progressing and gaining confidence in the water.
It can be hard to drag yourself away from the city and the day-to-day routine but whenever I’m able to get away and spend a few days by the sea I always come back feeling like a brand new person.
