What did I learn about surfing in Peniche?

• Don’t just hop into the ocean and try to surf every wave you see. Stand on the beach, stare at the water, see where the waves are breaking, which direction they break in, how often they come, and go out with intention and high standards.

• BE ONE WITH THE OCEAN! Move with grace! When paddling to catch the speed of the wave, don’t paddle with huge force, but instead be with the water. When you stand up to catch a wave, make sure you’re looking towards the same and imagine you are gracefully walking over the water and into the beach, and let the wave carry you.

• To catch a wave, you have to catch up to the wave that’s coming up from behind you at the right speed and at the right time. After you catch up to that speed, you’re able to “drop in” and officially ride the wave and let it carry you. The timing is critical here - if the wave has already crashed, or if it starts slowing down before it gets to you, you won’t be able to catch it as well.

• Stand up QUICKLY and look at the beach! If you hesitate or question whether to stand, you’ll probably fall

• Sometimes it’s nice to jump off the wave you’re riding before you reach the shore, since if you catch a wave all the way to the shore, it’s pretty exhausting to swim all the way back into the ocean.

• Learning a newish skill like surfing was MUCH easier when I could take a few classes on days close together, instead of when I would take ~1 class a month. Surfing is also such a cool way to travel! Instead of maybe exploring a city and restaurants, I got to explore the ocean, meet a lot of local surfers, and see a town I probably wouldn’t have otherwise!