With 2 weeks free to keep myself busy in Asia and being a pretty sporty person I thought I try my hand at surfing, why not?! Ignoring my friends remarks such as "good luck standing..." and "u know it's not as easy as it looks" I booked into a weeks surf camp/beginners course at Rapture camps (googled "surf camp Bali" and just went with one that looked like a pretty great deal for a beginner like me....)
Rocked up at rapture with only my enthusiasm and poor swimming ability, hoping I would be able to surf! From the first night the camp seemed pretty much perfect for me - other likeminded people to hang with, home cooked meals, an endless DVD collection and a fridge full of bintangs.
Surf lessons began on day 1 with some beach-based theory and basic skill introduction, then we headed out to sea! ok, so I didn't stand on my first wave, but with help of some amazingly experienced instructors I was riding waves within an hour. Easy. And for the rest of the week I just kept on at it with te help of the rapture instructors (a push here, a warning there, and the odd piss-taking of my English accent!). Been to 4 different surf spots, each offering some lovely local food, much needed ice cream, and some massive waves (and some pretty massive wipeouts) everyday.
A week in and I am now hooked - my arms no longer hurt from paddling out, I know my inside from out outside, what fins and leashes are and can confidently say I can catch a wave.....bring on my week long extension at rapture (hadn't planned on staying for so long, but am loving it too much to move on and can't imagine a better place to learn to surf!)
If you’re up for a challenge, want to learn to surf, or even if you’re an experienced surfer already (like the two Californian 17 year olds who I am staying with who seem to ride tsunamis compared to my little ripples!) then I couldn't probably recommend a better place to do it Bali. I haven't been anywhere else to be fair, but I am in no hurry to move on from here!
