Hit the Beach! Read Online Free PDF Page B

for a beginner at least, was to wade out into the water, waist- or chest-deep, turn round, wait for a wave, then lie on your board andlet the wave shoot you back in to the beach.
    “What you’ll see the other guys doing down there…” she nodded further down the sands “…is putting their boards at an angle to the beach and surfing across the face of the wave as it comes in. Ignore them – that’s advanced stuff. We’re just going to stick to the little waves for now and the simple moves, OK?”
    We all nodded. But it looked like it was going to be a while before we even got to go in the water. First, Bethany wanted us to practise our positions on our boards – on the sand.
    “The hardest thing at the beginning is learning how to balance on the board,” she said. “You’ll start off lying on your tummy – that’s quite straightforward. Then we’ll practise getting to a kneeling position. And then we’ll try standing. Don’t worry if it takes you a while – there’s a kind of knack to it. It might be frustrating at first, but all of a sudden, you’ll just get it. And then it’ll feel brilliant.”
    “Oh no,” groaned Rosie. “I’m going to spend the entire week falling in, I just know it.”
    Bethany told us to find a level bit of sand to put our boards on. Because each board had a little fin on the bottom, you had to dig a hole in the sand before it could lie flat. Then, because the underside was slightly curved, you had to pack some sand in round the edges of the board to stop it rocking. What a palaver, as my gran would say!
    “Now, lie on your tummy with your toes on the end of the board,” instructed Bethany. “In this position, you can use your arms to paddle, or if you’re letting a wave bring you in to the beach, you can grip the sides of the board.”
    I hoped none of the expert surfers was watching us. “Hey,” I muttered, “anyone else feel stupid doing this or is it just me?”
    “Now push on your arms and bring your legs under you, so that you’re kneeling,” said Bethany. “Sit back on your heels – that’s right.”
    “This is so cool!” said Fliss. “It’s like a weird dance routine!”
    “When you’ve had a bit of practice, you can slide your feet in and go straight to standing, like this,” said Bethany. She lay on the sand, pushed up on her arms and brought her feet under her in a crouching position, then stood up. “Your feet should be turned to the side, see, one in front of the other. Keep your knees slightly bent to help you balance.”
    “Wheee!” said Lyndz, pretending she was zipping through the water.
    “We’ll never do this in a million years,” moaned Rosie.
    Frankie was busy doing silly dancing on her board, holding her nose and sticking her other hand up in the air, and squiggling downwards like she was shimmying underwater.
    “Good!” said Bethany, who was looking the other way, watching Alana. “OK, then – two more pieces of equipment before we get wet.” She delved into a box she’d brought out of the beach hut. “First, we all need to wear one of these.” She was holding up a couple of paddedsleeveless jackets in neon orange and yellow.
    “Are they life jackets?” asked Alana.
    “Similar.” Bethany nodded. “They’re actually called buoyancy aids. Catch!” She threw one to each of us in turn and then showed us how to put them on.
    “And finally,” said Bethany, “your leash. It’s the stringy thing attached to your board.” It was a thin lead, kind of like a dog lead, but a bit stretchy. One end was attached to the board and the other end had a Velcro strap on it.
    “I wondered what that was for,” said Lyndz. She giggled. “I thought it might be in case your dog wanted to come surfing too!”
    “The Velcro strap goes round your ankle,” Bethany explained. “It means that if you let go of your board in the water, you won’t lose it entirely. But, even so, try not to let go of your board. If a wave picks it up, it