Art Director Lisa Balemi-
Hughes took on a challenge
to ride the waves and
channel her inner surf
goddess. Mission achieved!WH LEARNS TO SURF
Paddle! Paddle! Paddle! Jump!
Above the sound of the crashing
waves I can hear my instructor
yelling to me as I try to catch my
first-ever wave. I paddle quickly,
push myself up to jump and, to my
surprise, I’m standing on my board- on my first try I’m riding a wave!
It took less than half an hour for
my Holden Trailblazer to take
me south from Coolangatta Airport
to Cabarita Beach. I’ve been looking
forward to a much-needed escape,
and the Gold Coast isn’t letting
me down. The cloudless skies and
warm air make my mission to learn
to surf a lot more appealing.
I check in at Halcyon House, so
in the morning I can walk out of the
front gate and straight down to the
beach. My nerves get the better of
me and I don’t have the best night’s
sleep: will there be sharks? Should
I have been practising paddling by
lying on the coffee table? Will I be
able to dress myself once the lactic
acid has made its home in my
biceps from said paddling? Relax,
I tell myself... Who knows, I could
be the next Tyler Wright!
I decide two breakfasts are
needed, so at the Paper Daisy
Restaurant I order smashed avo on
toast, then a second breakfast of
beans, eggs, bacon and sourdough
to be delivered to my room post-surf.
When my instructor, Belen
Kimble-Fuller, appears my nerves
dissipate. Her smile lights up the
beach and her energy is infectious.
A former US longboard pro, she
moved here to teach women to surf.
She equips me with a long board,
great for starters, and a wetsuit. As
FEBRUARY 2017 womenshealth.com.au 111JUST
HANGIN’
BOARD
MEMBER