Surfing at 50: Learning to Surf in North Devon

In my head I’ve always been a surfer.
Oh, and in my head I’ve also got a camper van.

I do wonder if loads of people secretly imagine themselves as surfers (or whether that really is just me).

The living in the moment. The sea. The dedication. And lifestyle aesthetics. With a ‘dude!’ and a ‘gnarly’. In another life, that was me.

But it’s hard to put yourself out there, and with this it is most definately’out there’ in every sense of the word.

There’s the body and mobility confidence side of things. Will I be able to do it? What if I need help? What if I look ridiculous (not that that particularly bothers me as much now). Other people might well have worries about the sea itself and managing nerves around that (the sea is big and scary when you’re not used to it). So there’s a new skill, in a new place, with new equipment and you’re by yourself in deep water. What could possibly go wrong?

And yet the idea stayed with me for years, and when I say years, I mean for my whole life.

One of my all time favourite films is Point Break. That’s all I’m saying… mind I might actually come back to Bodhi (Patrick Swayze) later. And as an aside, do you know that Bodhi means ‘enlightened being’.

Life sort of carries on though, doesn’t it? And before you know it, years pass and you still haven’t quite got around to doing the thing you thought you might.

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Then for my 50th birthday, my husband bought me a voucher for a one-to-one surf lesson at Discovery Surf School in North Devon.

And then I very nearly let the voucher expire.

Again… life.

Eventually, with one month left before the voucher ran out, I booked it. My youngest son was around at the time, and I decided he should come too. Partly because it would be fun, and partly because if I turned out to be absolutely terrible at surfing, at least there’d be someone else there to distract attention away from me.

So I paid a little extra and we headed off to North Devon, slightly nervous, slightly excited and pretending we could do it. Well I was. And I think probably reconciling the fact that I would probably end the day feeling disappointed that it, and I, couldn’t live up to my own expectations.

The thing is, to try something like surfing, you’ve got to be willing to make yourself uncomfortable. Potentially look like an idiot and fail publicly.

Hmmmm.

Our First Surf Lesson in North Devon

We camped just up the road from the beach and woke up to one of those beautiful coastal mornings where everything feels possible and fresh.

And somehow, we got lucky.

The surf instructor told us the conditions were much better than they’d been for most of the season. The waves were good, the beach wasn’t too hectic and, it ended up being just the two of us in the lesson.

Perfect.

My son could pretty much do it straight away, obviously.

The instructor told us to “pop up”, so he did.

Youth and flexibility and confidence and all that.

Meanwhile, I was there at 50 (actually by now I’m a week shy of 51) slightly stiffer, slightly less mobile and taking quite a while to actually stand up on the board. There’s some muscle memory to practice right there.

But I did do it.

There’s video footage of me shouting “WHOO HOOO!” Yes, I’m slightly hunched, but I’m up and surfing and that’s what counts.

And honestly? I absolutely loved it.

What Surfing Actually Felt Like

What surprised me most wasn’t even the surfing itself.

It was being out there in the blue. And I spend a lot of time in the sea already.

We sat on the water for over an hour, bobbing up and down on the waves, looking back towards the land from a completely different perspective. Legs dangling over the side of the board, lying on your tummy, waiting for the next wave, watching the sea constantly changing around you.

I hadn’t expected that part to affect me so much.

Waiting…
Paddling furiously…
Missing the wave…
Missing another one…
Then suddenly — WHOOSH — catching one.

My youngest was straight to his feet whenever he caught a wave. I, meanwhile, was often just delighted to still be attached to the board and heading vaguely in the right direction.

And honestly, even that felt brilliant.

It wasn’t really about “doing surfing properly”.

It was about:

• the movement
• the sea
• the speed
• the perspective
• trying something completely new

There’s something really special about being out beyond the shoreline looking back in.

Surfing When You’re Older (And Slightly Stiffer)

Beforehand, I think we were both nervous about the “rules”.

Surely there must be rules?

Where are you meant to sit?
How do you know which wave is your wave?
What if you get in everyone’s way?
What if everyone else knows what they’re doing?

But the instructor was brilliant. Calm, encouraging and very good at making it all feel accessible rather than intimidating.

Since then, we’ve gone back and hired boards ourselves.

And yes, we still got a bit uptight wondering if we were in the right place or accidentally annoying proper surfers, but actually most people were just getting on with their own thing.

And we got alright at it. I was going to comment something about my son being better, but you know, I can do it. I’m alright. I’m confident enough to hire a board and take it down to the shoreline and paddle out. Confident enough to try and catch waves. That’s pretty good isn’t it!? It’s also a good way to spend a morning with my boy, to have a laugh and enjoy a couple of hours in the sea doing something that once felt completely out of reach, and now actually feels achievable.

That’s a big shift.

It also made me realise I want to keep my body stronger and more mobile so I can carry on doing things like this as I get older.

Mindset is a huge part of it too.

Turns out the sea, and everybody else on the beach, doesn’t really care how old you are.

Tips for Nervous Beginner Surfers

If you’re thinking about trying surfing for the first time, particularly if you’re older, nervous or convinced you’ll be rubbish at it, here are a few things I’d say:

• Have a lesson first. It makes such a difference for confidence, safety and understanding the beach and conditions.
• Ask questions. Surf instructors genuinely want people to feel safe and enjoy themselves.
• Don’t worry too much about looking silly. Everyone starts somewhere.
• If you’re hiring a board, take a watch so you know how long you’ve been out.
• Bigger boards are more stable, but if they’re too massive they can feel like steering a small ship. I could barely carry mine the first time.
• Don’t be too frightened of the cold. We went in September and November and honestly didn’t get cold at all in wetsuits. It will be a lot chillier in late winter though.

You Haven’t Missed the Surf Boat

I think there’s something powerful about trying new things when you’re older. Especially things you’ve quietly assumed you either missed your chance to do, or maybe weren’t sporty, cool or flexible enough for.

Turns out none of that really matters.

You don’t have to be Point Break.

Honestly, even catching a wave on your tummy or your knees feels like winning.

And there’s something surprisingly supportive about just being on the board itself. Floating. Waiting. Watching the sea.

You’re in it.
Part of it.
Learning as you go.

Mostly though, I’d say this. Try the thing.

Even if you’re nervous.
Even if you don’t think you’ll be good at it.
Even if you feel like you’ve missed the surf boat.

You might surprise yourself.

And if you don’t do it, you definitely won’t do it.

Action is required.