Surf Camp

I went on a surf camp this past weekend in Lorne. It was a lot of fun despite the rain. I bought a tent and sleeping bag at a camping store called “Ray’s Outdoors” which was right next to where I live. They had a sale so I got the tent for $20 and the sleeping bag for $30. I’m thinking I’ll sell the sleeping bag because it will take up too much room in my suitcase on the way back; not sure about the tent though.

We met up across the road from a popular restaurant called “Dracula’s” which is down the road from RMIT and Melbourne Central station. There were about 10 people in the van. We drove to Melbourne University and picked up a trailer with surfboards and wetsuits. The drive down was long but we drove some of the Great Ocean Road so it was enjoyable. It was interesting to see what an Australian road trip is like with a group of college guys. Here is one of the jokes that one of the guys told:

Why did the first Koala fall out of the tree? It was dead.
Why did the second Koala fall out of the tree? It was handcuffed to the first.
Why did the third Koala fall out of the tree? It thought it was a game.
Why did the fourth Koala fall out of the tree? Peer pressure.
Why did the fifth Koala fall out of the tree? It was tied to the other koalas.
Why did the Kangaroo drop dead? It was hit by 5 Koalas.

I am not making this up…I don’t think I could.

When we got to the camp site I set up my tent and put my backpack and other bag inside. Not long after a group of people got back into the van and we drove down to a beach about 15 minutes from Lorne. I put on a wetsuit and grabbed a board. What followed was the best surfing I’ve ever experienced yet. I stood up quite a few times and for a longer time than I have before. That being said I did fail to stand up multiple times and slid off the front as well (there is a term for this but I forget what it is).

After we got back I walked to the beach down the road from the camp. It couldn’t have taken more than three minutes to walk there; maybe 50 meters away. There was a lot of ocean gunk washed up on the beach and dead birds scattered around the beach. I wasn’t enthused. I walked into town, just exploring. As I was walking back to camp I ran into some people from ride down (there were about 50-60 people at the camp in total). I joined them for diner. We walked around and decided on a burger place. I had a cheeseburger and some chips (french fries for Americans).

I met some more Norwegians when I got back to camp and played cards with some other people; I think they were Germans.

Saturday wasn’t as much fun. The waves were really low at the Lorne beach and not much better elsewhere. I read my Kindle for a few hours and made progress through multiple books. I read in my tent and some by the beach before it started raining. Saturday night was the barbeque. I helped cook the sausages on the gas grill. One burner wouldn’t light but some of the guys eventually decided to just keep pressing the starter button every 4 seconds…and they actually cooked half of the sausages on it.

Someone had changed the time and date on a guy’s phone. When he woke up he thought it was Sunday morning. Keep in mind it was Saturday night. This guy eventually showed up at the grill. I assume he found out later that night when it started to get dark that he had been tricked. Or maybe he was too drunk to notice.

After the barbeque we went to a local pub. I walked there with a guy I had met at the barbeque. I didn’t have my passport on me, but I was able to get in by showing my credit card and student ID. It didn’t matter as I had no intention of drinking, but it wouldn’t have made a difference if I had said that. I did dance some but it was a bit uncomfortable and unusual to be in a “pub” (read between the lines). I walked back to the camp around midnight. After taking out my contact lenses I decided to walk down to the beach because I haven’t been at the beach at night. It was a very beautiful sight. The waves and the lights of the peer off to the right.

Sunday I tried surfing again because the waves were bigger. But although they were bigger, they were too rough and the waves didn’t go far but flattened quickly. After getting tossed around I decided to go back. You have to respect the ocean and know when the conditions for surfing aren’t right.

There’s not much more to tell. I packed up my tent around one and got a ride back in the van a few hours later. I woke up today feeling sore. It was a great weekend away from modern life and it will be a weekend I will never forget.

Music I was listening to while writing this post: Sondre Lerche (Norwegian musician)

"Three cubic feet of blood and bone": Academic, Apple fanatic, and forever 18.

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