CEO Takeover: Learning surfing and bonding with the Ocean

Manan Vora, Advensure’s CEO Takes over for one last blog post this week as part of #CEOTakeover. This time, he talks about his surfing trip, that he took in August 2017 with friends from 1heart1soul1planet.

(We’d written about their awesome adventures a while back- Free Birds: Dominique and Rene)

So if you’re looking forward to learning surfing, read about what Manan has to say about it from his own experience-

You will look stupid the first time!

Learning surfing requires balance, quite unlike any other sport. I love being in the water, and am a self-proclaimed Scuba addict. Because I’ve dived for a while, and also participated in loads of other sports, I thought I’d have it easy.

But that’s really not the case. Whether this is your first attempt at any sport, or if you’ve been adventurous all your life, you start on even ground. Of course, fitness matters, but that is a prerequisite and not something that gives you a headstart.

So the first few times (And by few, I really mean many :P), I was struggling to get my balance. and that’s what is so cool. With most other adventure sports, there’s a physical procedure to follow. Which if you do, you can maybe pull through. But with sports like Surfing and slacklining, you need to have your zen mode on. Get distracted and it’s wipeout!

Easy to Try

Yes, this goes against what I just said, but in a way it is easy. This is because learning surfing is basic physics- you simply need to listen to your instructor and do what they say. It’s like learning cycling – there’s a theory behind it. You do fall the first few times, as you do while cycling, but every fall tells you something about what you just did wrong. And when you get that balance just once, you’re good to go.

You don’t really forget how to stay up on the board- and can then work your way up to the ‘cool moves’. Also falling while surfing hardly hurts, since you’ll be only hitting the water. Unless you hit your board, then it’s really ‘Ouch’!

Work those abs!

Stripped down, surfing is about pure balance. And balance means core strength. It’s quite tiring, and make sure you’ve made arrangements for food- enough to feed a village- because you will be famished! And surfing not just works your abs and back, but your arms and legs and well. Legs obviously because you’re standing in a slight squat the whole time. And if you watch surfing videos, notice how you must start off by paddling out towards the wave. The surfer stands up right before the wave hits. And you’ve got to paddle hard, really hard. 

An experience like nothing else

All this might sound tedious, and it is, but it’s also super fun. Just take a look around, when you’re out there. It really teaches you to live in the moment. Your focus is on nothing but the ocean, the waves and your connection to the water. To feel it move underneath you is empowering and humbling at the same time, it’s like a strange dance. For the first time, you take in the full expanse of the mighty ocean that you’ve only just watched from the shore. That’s the life!

Also, it’s true what they say. You really connect with people out there, as you learn together, fall together, laugh together. And let’s not forget the binging on food and the muscle aches the next day!

Excited about learning Surfing?

We’ve got just the thing for you! Lessons for learning surfing at Goa and at Covelong, Tamil Nadu. The instructors here are some of the very best in the country, and there are multiple levels of difficulty to choose from. (So even if you’ve finished the basic course, you can check out what the Advanced level offers). It’s a great time to get there!