Let it rip
Claire Sawers comes over all Cameron Diaz as she braves the chilly waters of Scotland for a surfing lesson
ven when the surf‘s up in
Scotland. chances are the
temperatures won't be. But with advancements in wetsuits over the past few years. it‘s now possible to surf the Scottish coastline year- round. Fuelled I suspect by seeing one too many photos of Cameron Diaz bounding along the sand in Hawaii with a board under her muscular arm. 1 get roped in for a beginner’s lesson by an adrenaline junkie friend. Our two-hour crash course takes place at Belhaven Beach in Dunbar. about a 20- minute train ride from the shoppers on Princes Street.
Our instructor, Sam Christopherson. has been surfing for 16 years. and teaches kids as young as seven how to pull Keanu Reeves moves on the east coast waters. After rolling on our suits and trudging over marshland to the beach, Sam leads us through the safety basics while we commando crawl over the sand on our tummies. Just like skateboarding or snowboarding. it‘s important to establish whether you ride regular, goofy or switch, which Sam works out by giving us a shove from behind and seeing which foot we steady ourselves with. After a quick — and invigorating. but surprisingly non heart-stopping — dip into the North Sea with our boards. we get used to bobbing on the waves and spreading our weight so we don’t finish belly up. Sam reckons it makes more sense to learn how to
Body boardan
If kids can catch waves by standing in the water with a polystyrene board and waiting. so can the most clumsy of adults. This is an ideal introduction to surfing. as body boards are smaller. lighter and cheaper than sun‘ boards. Coast to Coast hire out boards or wetsuits for £10. See www.c2csurtschool. com or call or 07971 990361 for details.
16 Till LIST 10—24 Apr 2008
‘WE ARE TOO BUSY LAUGHING AND END UP EATING ICY SALT WATER'
Shark Divlng
For those who like their shot of adrenaline served straight up. there's nothing quite like sharing an aquarium with a shark to get the blood pumping. Deep Sea World. North Queensferry offers two-hour dives for £155. including instruction and equipment. Booking four to six weeks in advance is recommended. Visit www.deepsea world.com or call 01383 41 1 880 for details.
uncomfortable as it might‘sound
.. .—~' ~ 4"" ‘5’"4 m' "‘ M .‘x'-‘» .——‘- 1-.w
time and catch the waves before
you work on your bum-out. arms- spread crouching pose. ‘Stretch your arms like Supergirl!~ he shouts as we eat icy salt water through too much laughing and not enough concentration. ()nce we‘ve mastered our floating not drowning technique. it's back to the beach for
Kite buggyan
Take three wheels. add strong winds and smooth sand. then let your inner speed demon run wild. Land yachting. as it's also known, isn't the cheapest of hobbies. with buggies costing around a grand. but they can be hired by the hour for taster sessions. X-Sail Events. St Andrews rents land yachts for £30 per hour. Visit www.x-sail.com or call 07785 350 843 for details.
What you need Swimming costume. towel waterpmot shoes Calories burned 700 per hour Muscles used (Tow muscles in the hack and stomach plus arms. legs and burns it also improves txirantte and is an excellent lat lllllllt‘l
Who should do it l rosh air freaks; and ;l(l\‘?ltltllt? seekers: Who should avoid it those who can't swan well
Origins Polynesian fishermen were usrno wooden boards to bring; llltfll catch back to shore as early at; tho lfrlh century, and it later caught on as a fun way to pass the tune in Hz'iwari, America and Australia.
1, at0r this month ilQBO April), Scotland Will host the O'Neill Highland Open in lhurso, a world class pro surfing ovont wrtlr a top prize of 8135000.
Details lwo-hour beginners; classes; at Coast to Coast Surf School cost 5‘35.
I For more rnfo vrsrt
www. c2csr/rfsc/rool. corn or call
0 1368 869734 or 0797 I 990361.
more theory. Next up are steps four to two. in reverse order. Step four is standing. but two and three are the trickiest. where you hop up from lying flat onto your knees then jump upright. This is the part that requires practise (and abs like slabs of granite) but after 20 minutes we are out of puff. and ready to take our wobbly ‘popping-up‘ routine into the water.
Luckily Sam is on hand to grab the board as it skids out from under me vertically. sideways and at one point straight back into my spray- slapped face. but after an hour I am surfing. or more accurately kneeling. like a pro. With an imaginary soundtrack of The Beach Boys ringing in my ears. and a combination of sleet and sunshine pounding down on my eyes. I'm starting to see what makes hardcore surfers like Sam take to the water when most people are taking de- icers to their cars. I won‘t claim it's easy. and I spend a good part of the session wiping out like Malibu Barbie in a washing machine. but the sensation of being swept towards the shore with the wind whistling through my salt-straggled hair is exhilarating enough to make me forget any aching muscles or goose-bumps on my face.