Blistering sun beating down. Salt water dripping from your pores and your hair. Sand coating your tongue. Shoulders shaking and overall body fatigue setting in. But once you stand and catch a wave, none of that matters.
The waiting game is the worst part. You just want to get up and try again as soon as possible, but sometimes it takes several waves before you can go for it. You get all up in your head. And your butt and the backs of your legs get a painful sunburn no matter how well you applied sunscreen. Although our surf instructors made it all a little more fun, cracking jokes and singing Drake on repeat while scoping the incoming waves for us.
And the paddle back to the break is the hardest part. By far. It’s a constant game of trying to get back while having to swim upstream against some potentially massive waves–threatening to break at any moment as you stare them down–with your surfboard. The struggle was always to avoid getting knocked down and caught underwater every single time.
In Kuta, Lombok, surfing is a lifestyle. Most of the local young men are out on the water catching waves at sunrise or sunset, or teaching classes to tourists during the day. We watched groups of them out at crazy breaker areas at sunset doing amazing things I couldn’t even imagine on the tiniest of boards. Many a surf bum seems to have relocated to Kuta as well. There are surf shops everywhere in the small, one-dirt-road town, and some of the most magical beaches I’ve ever seen in real life surround anywhere from a 20-minute to 40-minute motorbike journey away from the town center.
It was the perfect setting to learn how to surf. Two full days of surf school were absolutely amazing, transformative, and exhausting. Shezaad and I were joined by an awesome German guy named Andy who was on an two-year-long adventure; plus our two young, lively, encouraging, and hilarious instructors. Our first day was a standard day at a small but beautiful beach full of first-time-surfers with small waves learning how to stand up and get comfortable. We got the hang of it way more quickly than either of us thought we would–I stood up on my second try! It was amazing and tons of fun. Day two, our instructors felt the three of us were ready to take a leap to up a couple levels, so we went to a bay that required a 30-minute boat ride to get to, with much larger waves–about 4-5 feet tall. It was an incredible setting but so challenging.
I learned a whole lot that I’m carrying with me off the surfboard and away from the beautiful beaches of Lombok as well. Here are some of my lessons from surf school.
Facing your fears is good practice.
I realize this is something that we’re told constantly by people and society as we grow up and expand our minds and bodies. But it’s much easier in theory than in practice. I was terrified of the idea of trying to surf for a variety of reasons, primarily because being underwater makes me feel anxious (read on for more on that). I can’t even watch movies or scenes that take place underwater because it stresses me out. While we were in Southeast Asia, Shezaad kept talking about how he wanted to try surfing and I kept answering with a (genuinely) encouraging, “You should totally do it, but I’m out.” By the time we were in Lombok, beach island paradise of dreams, we were at the tail end of our trip and it felt very much like our last chance to try new things and take advantage of being in this magical, serene place. Or maybe after 4 months of traveling, he had just worn me down with the surf school talk. Either way, I decided to just try it. After all, riding on the back of a motorbike in multiple-lane, chaotic traffic was also one of my fears before this trip and I had basically mastered it by then. I’m so incredibly happy I tried surfing, and really grateful for a partner who gently pushes me out of my comfort zone when my fears are largely irrational. For me, the first time I stood up on the surfboard was a remarkable feeling but, even better, was realizing I was totally fine after a few times falling off in different ways.
Feeling like you’re being pushed underwater is f***ing terrifying.
Yeah, so, what I just said about facing fears is something I believe and embrace, and something I want to do more of as I get older. But as critical as facing fears is, my fear of being trapped underwater was one I had to experience countless times over the course of two days surfing. It feels like you’re being pushed under when a wave hits you just right. It is awful and I’m still terrified of the way it makes me feel, though I am somewhat more comfortable and confident knowing I can survive it.
Salt water, sand, and intense sun is bad for your hair but good for your soul.
This is the title of my forthcoming memoir. To be fair, my hair was already real damaged from 3 months of sweat, rain, bus-headrest-germs (it’s a thing), mud, wind, questionable linens, lack of conditioner…you name it. But this really took it to a whole new level and I may or may not still have knots in my hair from surf school. (Recommendations for hair masks always welcome.)
Spending time with strangers is amazing.
Spending two full days with our surf instructors was a really awesome experience. One was about 18 years old, probably, and had an amazing head of curly hair and zest for life. He loved Drake and clearly embraced the surfer lifestyle, while also being completely dedicated to his family. After we paid them each day, he took his motorbike to go give his earnings to his mom and sister to use for the household expenses. Our other instructor was in his mid-twenties with long hair down to the middle of his back. We got to spend some more time with him as he took us to his “secret spot” after surfing one day to enjoy palm wine and anchovy snacks with him and his friends, and also took us to a hill for sunset to watch some real surfers catch waves. The locals here chain smoke intensely, and he was no exception. He called his menthol-filled cigs “healthy cigarettes” which was hilarious. His English was amazing, primarily picked up from surf students and early schooling. We talked a lot about the life experiences he’d had while discussing his awe and appreciation of our travels, and it was just remarkable to witness the amount of joy and passion and optimism that he brings to his everyday life while being cognizant of the struggles he’s faced. When we talk about our travels with Americans, a lot of people say, somewhat rudely, “Wow, must be nice!” But his response was exactly the type we got from locals throughout Southeast Asia–a genuine curiosity and interest in learning more about where we were going and the experiences we’d had, without even the slightest hint of jealousy or judgment. The locals we met in Lombok were happy and hard-working, and their appreciation for life and family and good health is inspiring and rare.
We were talking with our co-surfer Andy about the way most Westerners see and approach travel as an escape from our lives. As a way to seek happiness and fulfilling experiences. But in Lombok, the locals we met, like our instructors, gave us a new perspective on what it means to live a fulfilling life every day, with work, family, friends, and experiences that draw on your passions and interests, and provide happiness and growth. What it means to practice true gratitude. A little idealistic, I know, but absolutely something I want to strive for.
Nourishing the mind, body, and soul all at once with a singular activity is damn underrated.
The feeling achieved when standing on a surfboard and catching a wave is unlike most things in life. It’s truly remarkable and makes all of the physically and mentally challenging parts required to unlock that feeling all the more worth it. It’s exhilarating, calming, energizing, scary, and fulfilling all at once.
Doing things that you’re really bad at can be fun.
I’m sure there’s science somewhere that talks about how doing things that you’re bad at can actually be really enjoyable and maybe even good for you? But as someone who has some serious perfectionist issues I’m trying to work through every day (and getting much better at as I get older, I believe, not to toot my own horn), the idea of doing things I’m actively horrible at is usually not all that appealing. With the caveat of working out and group exercise classes: those workouts I’m especially bad at become a challenge for me in a (hopefully healthy?) way. But with surfing, it was basically a challenge that I knew I would be terrible at. And I was and still am, but that’s okay! It was such an amazing ride (pun intended) and I really want to do it again.
Pushing your limits and taking risks is rewarding.
We’ve covered this lesson by now for the most part, but it’s so true. Taking risks and pushing yourself to try new, scary things is always a healthy exercise–whether it’s surfing or picking up a new hobby or asking for help. I’m trying to do more of it and trying to surf was a good step in the right direction.
And all of this together got me thinking ever since I first stood up on a wave… Surfing might just be a metaphor for life.
It’s all about waiting, thinking, observing, and listening then making a decision in a millisecond to go for it. You give a forceful, frightening wave coming at you at full speed that will disappear in less than 60 seconds, all you’ve got–pushing yourself up, standing, balancing, riding a wave, and hopefully looking around and enjoying the ride. Until you’re knocked off and have to draw upon your strength to get yourself back to where you started.
All to do it all over again.
It’s something you have to constantly practice to become more comfortable and confident doing it. The mental stamina and perseverance required to become good at surfing is truly inspiring, not to mention the physical challenge and athleticism. Not to get too philosophical (oops, too late?) but after only two full days of surfing, it really makes you think about courage, strength, resilience, will, and those fleeting, split-second moments of pure and total bliss, joy, and total body/mind/soul fulfillment.
Here’s to seeking more moments like this every day.
One last thing: We were in Lombok in October 2018. The northern part of Lombok island had just been hit in July and August by catastrophic earthquakes that killed hundreds and injured hundreds more, destroyed homes and buildings and infrastructure, and impacted access to resources and livelihoods. We went to three different parts of southern Lombok during our time there, each different and amazing, and the lack of tourists was obvious everywhere. We talked with locals about it almost daily because there would be times where we were the only tourists eating dinner somewhere, or the only people using the pool over an entire day. For the locals on Lombok who rely so heavily on tourism and tourist dollars, and many of them who had lost homes or loved ones in the earthquakes, it’s extremely challenging yet their resilience shines through. If you have a chance to go to Indonesia, which you absolutely should, make a beeline to Lombok!
Anna Logs It 