The Birth of a Surfer

A reader story about an Austrian guy who walks into a cafe and walks out a surfer. 

LISBON - Surfing. That was what I unexpectedly discovered on a recent trip to Lisbon.

We began with three days of strolling through the city. I was with two friends and we were on a quest to get a taste of the local scene. On our third day, I walked into a nice-looking restaurant in Baixa called Pois Cafe and was pleasantly surprised to discover that the owner was Austrian, like me. While chatting with her and her boyfriend about Lisbon, the topic of surfing came up. I'd never done it, in fact, I had never once thought about surfing, but they recommended that I take lessons at Mellowmove Surfcamps up north in Ericeira.

The next day, I took a train Sintra and a bus to Ericeira and began my passage into the surfing world.

There were 25 of us, split among five instructors and two levels of difficulty, beginner and intermediate, for four days of surf lessons. The instructors were really helpful and gave everyone individual attention. The water was really cold, even with wetsuits. The first day, I got used to the board and the waves. I just had to go out into the water, wait for a wave, and then jump on the board and ride the wave by staying flat on the board.

The second day was more spectacular: I learned to get up. We practiced on the beach to learn the correct technique, then tried it in the water. After a few attempts in the water, I was able to get up for a few seconds. And that was when I fell in love with surfing.

For the remaining two days, we learned to get up more quickly and become more secure on the board. 

Before the trip, I had never thought about surfing. But it was one of my best experiences ever. And everything happened by coincidence. The next step for me? Learning how to make turns.

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