My first surfing experience. Read the description for details

Описание: On Labor Day 2022, I went surfing with my Kugali CoFounders at Santa Monica Beach in Los Angeles. It turns out that you need to lie on your surfboard and paddle about 10 to 15 meters into the water to catch the waves. If you're too close to the shore, the wave would already started collapsing by the time it gets to your board.

When you are wading into the water with your board, or lying on the board and paddling forward, you're safe if a wave meets you. It will simply splash beneath your board. The same applies if you have paddled out and are lying flat on your board with your back to the waves. The problem is if you have your side turned when the waves meet you. Sideways, the waves will flip your board over.

At the start of this video, I was too close to the shore and the instructor was telling me to paddle out further into the water. I started to paddle and turn around to face the waves when I realized that the next wave was already close and would catch me sideways. It completely tossed me upside down in the water. Before I could recover my board (which was strapped to my left ankle), another wave came and tossed me back to the shore. I stayed out of the water for a while because I hated the intense taste of salt in my mouth. Catching your breath only takes a few seconds but it takes like 10 minutes to stop tasting the salt.

When I got back into the water, I managed to surf to the shore twice without falling off the board. I was the only one who managed to do this. The caveat is I never managed to stand up on my board. There are 4 steps once you catch a wave. Position 1 is lying flat on your board and pressing both palms into the board around your ribs. Position 2 looks like you're doing a push-up, but your hands are below your ribs and not below your chest. Position 3 is getting on one knee. Position 4 has you squatting sideways on your board and pointing one hand in the direction you want to move. This is called the surfer pose.

Both of my CoFounders managed to get to position 4 and fell off the board immediately. I always got stuck at position 3 and fought to maintain my balance before moving to 4, then surfed all the way to the shore without ever transitioning to 4. I'm the only one who managed to surf all the way to the shore. It felt similar to free-wheeling a bicycle down a steep slope.

After being tossed around by the waves the first time, I was a bit scared going in the second time, but the fact that the instructor was standing in the water without a board really helped. If he was still standing, it meant the water was not that deep, and I was clearly taller than he was. The water only covers your body when a wave crashes on you. I definitely will keep going for lessons when I have the opportunity until I can confidently surf by myself.

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