Hang Ten, Dude!

I had anxiously been awaiting my surf lessons this entire vacation!  Jenesa and I previously took surf lessons a few years ago in Maui (Hawaii).  We had a great time!  Surfing was highly recommended in Costa Rica, so we wound up booking these lessons through Jaco Surf School which had great reviews on TripAdvisor.  They advertised two hours of private instruction....with the opportunity to use their surfboards for the remainder of the day on your own!  Surf's Up!


Excursion #8 - Jaco Beach Surf Lessons
 

At the last minute, Jenesa decided she would rather relax on the beach while I attempted to battle these monster waves of the Pacific Ocean.  She volunteered to take pictures of this adventure....and I was ready for action!  After 15 minutes of instruction on the beach, they decided to turn me loose in the ocean.  My instructor (Josh) led me out to catch my first wave (check out the giant waves in the background!).

I was pretty proud of myself on my first few attempts 1.) getting up, 2.) keeping my balance, and 3.) riding the wave for 5+ seconds.  The key to maintaining your balance on a surfboard requires you to bend your knees, keep your back perpendicular to the board, and always keep your focus forward (eyes up) at all times!

 

My goal was to catch a few waves and ride them the entire way into the beach without falling off the board.  Again, easier said than done!  My paparazzi (Jenesa) was able to snap a great pic of my first complete beach landing!  Good job, dude!

I have to admit the hardest part of my surf lesson was fighting all the waves to get out and catch another one each time!  It was exhausting!  Each wave that hit me was bigger than the last one.  I really think Jenesa would've drowned (I'm not kidding!).  It kinda went like this - 5 minutes to fight through half a dozen waves, turn board around, mount surf board, ride it 20 seconds back to shore.....and then do it all over again!  Phew!  It was fun, but ol' Lenny sure was tired!

After two hours of surfing.....I was done hanging ten!  And, my wife rewarded me with a nice, cold beer back on the beach.  I'll surf again.....but I need to rest now!