We are currently in South Padre island, and as you can probably guess we are very close to the ocean. Because the beach is super close Dad bought us two surfboards and a boogie board, and we have gone surfing many times. I started surfing because for a while at the beginning of our trip we were very close to the water constantly, and we had a surfboard so I thought I might as well learn how to actually surf.
North Carolina surf
The first place I ever actually stood up on a board was North Carolina at the start of our trip. I had been on a board before, but all I had done was just lay on it or occasionally kneel. I already knew the basics of how to catch a wave and how I was supposed to stand up, but it was pretty hard to actually stand up, but I figured it out eventually. It is actually slightly easier to stand up here because the waves are slightly smaller, but it was still super fun in North Carolina. I only had one bad experience in North Carolina and it was totally my fault and I could have easily fixed it. The problem was that I was always just wearing swim trunks with no top so my nipples would rub against the board and become really irritated and painful. Eventually I started putting on a rash guard which solved the problem, but it was still unpleasant when it lasted.
Fortunately I don’t have that problem in South Padre because the water is so cold that I always wear a full body wetsuit. It can be very annoying to put on and take off, but it is totally worth it so I don’t get hypothermia. It has gotten slightly warmer since the first time I surfed here, but it’s still very unpleasant without a wetsuit. South Padre is also extremely foggy, to the point that we are pretty sure that we are in a laser tag place with all the fog machines that must be here. At night when taking out the trash, I almost always walk past our trailer on the way back. Another environmental change is that the currents are much weaker. In North Carolina after one or two waves we would have to get out and walk back or else the current would take us out of sight, but here the currents are weaker, and in shallow water they push a different direction than they do further out. The biggest beneficial difference in Texas is that we had surf lessons. Our instructors name was Chris, and I’m pretty sure that the stereotype of surfers was based off of him. He was extremely nice and really helped me learn how to surf better, and I really appreciate him teaching Aleah and me.
