Day 8: Surfing- Sports

A street in Rio across from our hotel

      We awoke to a day filled with excitement. We were finally going to learn surfing, something Rio is famous for. Everyone met up at the breakfast buffet downstairs in our hotel to eat and to prepare for the long day ahead of us. Pancakes and scrambled eggs were shoveled in our mouths as each of us eagerly anticipated our outing. After each was finished, we went upstairs to shower and change into bathing suits. Already, the surfing package was booked online and we were told that we would be picked up from our hotel. Food, equipment, and instruction (lessons) were covered in the total of $212.00 (which we all thought to be very affordable). All of us stood outside our hotel, basking in the gorgeous Brazilian sunshine and soaking in the sounds of a bustling city. Soft breezes teased our hair as taxis shrieked by. Couples walked hand-in-hand and children scurried between parents' legs. Finally, the car that was picking us up came and we all loaded in.      

A look into Rio traffic

   The van took us to Copacabana Beach which was around an hour drive with traffic along the way. The instructor (named Emanuel) explained to us the importance of having a long board. This allows us to maintain our stability (since it is longer) and to stay afloat. We were all given a long board, since it is recommended for beginners. Emanuel told us that this particular surfboard is a common choice for all types of surfers. It allows them to glide along the wave and gives them the illusion of walking on water. Our boards were around eight feet tall. Next, we were taught about wetsuits. Wetsuits are designed to keep us warm while allowing some water to come in. A layer of water between our body and the suit is created so that we can use our body temperature to warm it up and stay relatively heated throughout the surfing experience. Emanuel told us that the type of wetsuit we used was based on the water temperature. Since Rio is warm throughout, we were given a Rash Guard wetsuit (which is for warmer temperatures). Each of us were allowed to wax our boards so that there is enough friction to keep us on. After each of us was fitted into a wetsuit and given a board we moved on to the next part of surfing experience: the surfing.

The longboard surfboard we used.

              The beach was filled with tourists and many surfers. We watched as they zig-zagged across the water, leaving a trail of salty foam in their wake. Surfers turned into flips and twisted in and out of waves. Once in a while, they "wiped out" a term meaning that the surfer fell off the board and/or got caught in the wave. As we watched, the professionals made it look easy. We all thought that it could be done without a problem. Emanuel had us each lie down on our board in the sand. The line going down the center was to go down the middle of our body, and our feet had to touch the end, known as the "sweet spot." Next, we learned a series of four steps to get up on our board.The first step, while lying down, was to get our hands right next to our chest on the board. Then, we had to push up until our chest and torso were off the board. The third step was to recline back onto our knees until we resembled a formation similar to cat's pose in yoga, but our head was not touching the board. Finally, we brought our front foot forward and stood up on our back foot. Once we practiced these steps over, and over again, we moved on to paddling.

Surf Positions

              We paddled out into the water. It took us a solid hour just to be able to stand on the board. When we finally stood, everyone was so excited. Emanuel cheered in the water behind us and splashed at us until we fell. We practiced until we could stand on our first or second try. Some of the children from shore cheered us on, much to our delight. After we depleted most of our energy, everyone decided to replenish with some food. Emanuel took us to a local cafe where we ordered soup, sandwiches, and salads. After our delicious lunch, we went back to the beach to continue surfing. We took a bunch of pictures out on the water and sand, posing like professionals. Each of us took turns competing with the others to see how long we could stay on our boards. After spending most of the day on the beach, surfing, we thanked Emanuel and took a walk across the sand.

   The beach was almost deserted, except for a few couples strolling along. Lights shone across the waters, far off in the distance. The moon reflected in the waves, crashing against the rocky shores. Life is so peaceful here, all of the native Brazilians are so lucky to have such a beautiful location at their beck and call. We slowly walked away staring back at nature in all of it's glory.

   We ate a quick dinner in the heart of the city and then called it a night. We were exhausted, and happy with our newfound knowledge of surfing. Hopefully we would continue to have an amazing time throughout the rest of the trip.

Copacabana Beach at night