Hannah Law

If you’re like me, you’ll be keen to just dive straight in and give surfing a crack but it pays to do a bit of background research.

As a minimum, you should check the surfing conditions before you head to the beach. These websites are good for Aussies:

• Real Surf (www.realsurf.com)
• Swell Net (www.swellnet.com.au)
• Coastal Watch (www.coastalwatch.com)

If you’re looking for some surfing inspiration, Aquabumps (www.aquabumps.com) is a website dedicated to capturing the best of Sydney’s waves each day. Sign up to their daily newsletter so you have something to daydream about whilst you’re sitting in front of the computer at work.

For other beginners a surf school is the way to go. Here are some Sydney-based schools:

• Let’s Go Surfing (www.letsgosurfing.com.au)
• Cronulla Surfing Academy (www.cronullasurfingacademy.com)
• Waves Surf School (www.wavessurfschool.com.au)
• Manly Surf School (www.manlysurfschool.com)

Any other sites/surf schools you can recommend?

Ok, I didn’t really get bitten by a shark in Byron … but that’s what I’m telling people when they ask what the scar on my right thigh is from!

I drove up to Byron for New Years 2009-10 with the intention to spend a week relaxing, celebrating and shopping. It was all going to plan (with a cheeky surf thrown in!) when a mate cajoled me into surfing again.

We hired boards and were having a fun time, catching a few smaller waves when a big wave (by my standards) came along. In a stroke of genius I thought it would be a great idea to try and catch it. So there I am paddling my little heart out when the wave swells up behind me and … dumps me. Hard. Under the water I was flailing around, trying to make sense of which way was up when I felt a pull on the leg rope and moments later a hard thud as the surf board and fins hurled into my thighs.

Four stitches later and I now reckon I have some surfer cred because I’ve had my first (and hopefully only) ‘fin chop’.

Everyone in Sydney has been complaining about the terrible surf lately with surf report websites resorting to measuring wave size in inches, instead of feet. But for a beginner like me, I’m loving it!

I headed down to Bondi on the weekend for my first surf since I smashed myself whilst surfing in Byron (more on that later!). There were some infrequent 2 ft waves out the back but the ocean was packed. Packed with surfers who knew more than which foot you should be putting forward on the board when you try to stand up! Everyone floated on their boards like ducks, waiting until a half decent wave came along … and when it did, everyone thought they’d be the one lucky enough to catch it!

I quickly realised I don’t quite have what it takes to compete against these big kids so headed to the white wash closer to the beach. I tried surfing a few of these waves which was fun … until the board hit the sand! And so, I retired for the day but not for good!