Women’s Solo Trip: Learning to Surf in Goa

Disclaimer: I am not an experienced surfer. This post is only about my research while finalising the surfing schools and my experience trying to learn the skill in India.

What is Surfing?

Surfing is an adventure sport where you stand on the surf board and ride a wave till the shore or until it loses its energy (whichever is first). The ultimate aim of a surfer is to glide sideways on the unbroken wave for as long as possible.

Surfing is usually performed in the ocean or sea where the waves are aplenty, however it can also be practiced in rivers or man made waves.

As with most other sports, surfing soon evolved and gave birth to other sports such as Kitesurfing, windsurfing, skateboarding and bodyboarding.

Why Surfing?

Being a water baby, I have been wanting to learn how to surf for a long time. I have tried it once before about four years ago in Mahabalipuram where I had gone with Kajal, a close friend of mine.

What that meant was we spent a considerably large chunks of our time gossiping, deep into the night and that further meant we were almost sleep-walking to our morning surfing classes. Needless to say, I barely managed to stand on the board during those sessions.

This time I wanted to give it a serious shot.

Total dedication and all.

So it was to be a solo trip in Jan 2021 (at least I would not have distraction as an excuse this time) for which I did a lot of research.

Where To Surf In India?

In the earlier days, when I would think of surfing, I would only think of California, Hawaii and Australia.

Contrary to what I used to think, surfing is a popular sport in the coastal towns of south India.

Below is a 15 minute documentary on surfing in India which I had seen a while back.

There are many surfing schools in India. The most popular ones are in Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu due to the big waves in these regions. Below are the ones which seemed to be the most popular and were the ones I considered.

Karnataka

• Mantra surf club: According to my research, this school seemed to be the most popular one and also seemed to be the first in India (established in 2004). They also provide accommodation and arrange for other activities like yoga, kayaking, paddle boarding. The nearest airport for this town (Mulki) is Mangalore which is about 30km from this club while the nearest railway station is Mulki which is 3 km from this club. There are at least 2 trains which run between Mumbai and Mulki i.e. LTT express and CBE festival special. Also, as per their site, you can also volunteer here and learn surfing for free.
• Shaka Surf club: This is another popular club located at Kodi Bengre beach which is about 70 km from Mangalore airport and about 20 km from Udupi railway station. There are many trains from Mumbai to Udupi.
• Cocopelli school: This school is located in Gokarna and provides accommodation as well.

Kerala

• Kovalam Surf club: This is located at Lighthouse beach in Kovalam and is only 10 km from Trivandrum airport and 15 km from Trivandrum railway station
• Soul and Surf This is located in Varkala which is about 35 km from Trivandrum airport

Tamil Nadu

• Mumu surf school This is located in Mahabalipuram which is about 60 km from Chennai airport. This is where I had attempted to learn surfing for the first time.
• Kallialay Surf school: This is located near Pondicherry

Goa

• Surfwala My research told me this was the most popular surfing school in Goa and was located at a more secluded part of the beach (almost at the Mandrem-Arambol border).
• Goa surf Center This is located in the heart of Arambol beach and also offers kayaking and paddle boarding lessons.

Which Surf School Did I Choose and Why?

While researching the schools, Mantra and Shaka Surf club (in Karnataka) seemed to be the most interesting ones to me. However, since this was going to be a solo trip, I did not want to be in unfamiliar surrounding and decided to not go for these.

For this reason, I chose Goa. As an added plus, the waves in Goa beaches are usually gentler which I believed would make it easier to learn the technique.

I had earlier thought Arambol was the only area where surf schools were located. (After returning from my trip, I now know that Agonda, Ashwem, Morjim also have some surf schools).

So with Arambol decided as the location, the choice of surf school was the only pending decision for me.

The call to be made was between Surfwala and Goa Surf Centre.

The charges were similar for both these schools (about 3,000 INR per session) which was double the amount I paid at Mahabalipuram.

I guess you pay a premium to learn to surf in Goa.

I wanted to enroll for either the 3-day course (8,000 INR) or the 5-day course (12,000 INR).

I finally chose Surfwala as it was on a quieter part of the beach and I believed it would help me concentrate better if I did not have too much of an audience.

Steps for Basic Surfing

The steps mentioned below are as per my understanding and experience.

1. Lie down or sit on the surf board facing the waves
2. Once you spot the green wave (wave that should break shortly after crossing your current position) that you want to catch, paddle and turn the board towards the shore. The board should be at 180 degrees now.
3. Start paddling while keeping a look out for the wave. You need to match the speed of the wave (unfortunately, I still don’t know how to do that).
4. Make sure the nose of the board is not too high or too low. It needs to be just above the water line.
5. Once you feel the push of the wave, pop-up. Pop-up is basically the method of going from lying down position on the board to standing position. I wouldn’t say that this is the most important thing for surfing, but you should practice it enough number of times so that it becomes muscle memory for you.
6. That’s it.

Steps 2 and 3 were the toughest for me.

My Experience of Learning to Surf in Goa

I spoke to Surfwala in advance of my visit.

They do provide accommodation as well, but I was unable to find it online and that is why I chose to stay at another hotel which was a 1-minute walk to this school. The place was called Double V and had decent single occupancy rooms (about 1000 INR/day),

Surfwala has classes every day at 8AM and 10AM. You do need to tell them in advance though as they seem to only open up the school if there are any booked sessions.

During my visit, Jay and Jenya were the two trainers. The training starts with some balance training on land followed by warm ups and explanation of pop-up technique.

On day 1, after practicing the pop-up technique many times and also receiving some accolades from Jay, I confidently went into the water. Maybe bordering a bit on ‘over-confidence’.

Of course, I fell. I believe I fell at least 5 times before I got the hang of it.

Now let me explain where all I went wrong.

Firstly, you need to be calm while popping up. According to my trainer, I was more hyper than I should have been. I was even advised to not have coffee before the surfing sessions!

The other mistakes I initially made were of looking down while popping up and leaving my hands too early.

But these were little things that could be managed (after a few falls that is).

By my day 2, I was standing up on nearly every wave. It seemed too easy.

Getting my (over)confidence back, I asked Jay how to do the zig zag stuff on the wave and if I could try to go for a bigger wave. The sweet guy that he was, he tried to explain to me that it was too early.

Seeing my face fall, I believe he thought a demo would be better. He made me go for a bigger wave. And yes, I nose-dived straight into the wave. Could see the satisfactory smirk on his face.

Guess I deserved it.

On my third day, I decided to rent the board and take it into the water on my own.

It’s only then that I realised, I did not know how to judge a wave, I hardly moved when I paddled and did not know when to pop-up.

During my sessions, I had never paddled for the waves. Jay used to give me a push on the right waves and used to instruct me when to pop-up.

This was tough. Paddling requires a lot of strength. However ferociously I paddled, I was hardly moving forward.

A total flop experience to say the least. The only good thing was the fact that I didn’t hurt myself.

My Experience With The Surf School

What I Liked About Surfwala

• Location is excellent. A 1-minute walk to the (nearly private) beach.
• The staff is friendly. Jay was good, Jenya was decent but due to language issues, I found it a little difficult to comprehend his instructions.
• They have enough variety of Swimwear to choose from.
• Good facilities: They have showers, drinking water, changing rooms, lockers.

What Did I Not Like About Surfwala

• When I had emailed the club to enquire, I was told that I would get a few hours of free board rental. That however did not happen.
• They offer professional photos and videos for 1500 INR. I did not want the professional stuff as I never look at those. I have it from my sky diving and bungee jumping experiences and have only seen it once. Also, I am trying to declutter my life by not adding anything that I don’t need. Minimalism.

But one souvenir from this surfing would have been nice especially as they did make video of the training and surfing. One unedited photo was all that I wanted and even asked. Even my previous school at Mahabalipuram gave me quite a few pictures for free. These are not professional ones – but I never wanted the professional ones.

I believe their charges are already on the higher side as compared to the other schools and a bit of complimentary stuff for people taking longer courses would not be asking for too much. Just my take.

• Lastly, on two of my days, I confirmed my 8 AM slot, however there was no one available there. Not really too much of an issue as the place was open and I could sit inside.

Why Learning to Surf in India is a Good Choice?

As mentioned above, surfing is a popular sport in South India with a plethora of surf schools essentially providing similar services (surfing, accommodation, yoga, paddle board/kayaking).

Here are my reasons for preferring India as my location choice for learning this skill:

Cost effective

Definitely the number one reason why I prefer India. Even the most expensive schools in India would be cheaper than their US/Australia counterparts.

Also, most schools here provide accommodation as well as other skill classes such as kayaking, paddle boarding and yoga.

Quality of waves

The waves in India are generally gentler than those in other popular surf friendly locations in the world. At least during the non-monsoon season.

Though these kind of waves would not be that tempting to experienced surfers, these are perfect for beginners.

Water temperature

Ok, this may not be important to some people, but is definitely a positive for me. I should mention here that I am the kind of person who takes hot water baths even in the summer.

Not worrying about the cold water is one less concern for me.

Lesser Number of Surfers

I still remember the first time I saw surfers. That was at Bondi beach in Sydney, Australia.

My first few reactions (in this order) were:

Wow! That looks so cool!

Ugh! Poor things – the water must be nearly freezing

There are so many of them – How do they avoid each other!

There are enough things to worry about while trying to learn to surf. From craning your neck to look out for the wave, to selecting the right wave, to popping up, to trying to avoid getting hurt while falling into the water.

Keeping a look out for other surfers and avoiding them is one less worry in India.

Tips for First-time Surfers

Clothing

Most surfing schools provide lycra tops and tights.

From my previous experience at Mahabalipuram, I was aware there is a lot of knee contact with the board and that is why on my first day I opted for ankle length tights and half sleeve top which I wore over my two-piece swim suit.

However, I got a lot of rashes near my elbow due to the constant friction of the hand against the surf board top. For my successive lessons, I opted for full sleeved top and ankle length bottom which I believe saved me from any more rashes as well as tanning.

Sunscreen

A must if you are going surfing in India. I had early morning slot for my surfing session but the sun was already harsh. Be sure to load yourself with a high spf (at least >40) water resistant sunscreen. Some of the ones I use are Nivea sunscreen and VLCC gel. I also have a sunscreen spray from Banana boat that I had bought from the US. The spray makes it easy to apply on your legs and hands and is my favourite especially for reapplying as I am quite lazy.

Surf board

Try and opt for a foam top surf board. The surf board I used in Goa was made of foam and seemed much lighter than the one I had used in Mahabalipuram which only makes me believe that the one I used previously must have been a hard top one.

As you are a beginner, you will have a lot of falls where the board may be under you/over you/ beside you after every fall. A foam board will cause less severe bruises.

Be Prepared for Falls

I cannot guarantee if you will be able to catch a wave on your own but I am sure you will fall multiple times. That is a part and parcel of surfing.

Be mentally prepared for it. There will be a lot of falls.

Always good to pack quite a few band aids when you go on a surfing trip.

Practice

Surfing requires a lot of practice. And though I can be in the water all day swimming, I did not have the energy to surf for more than 1-2 hours.

Also, during your sessions, try to judge the waves and paddle on your own. Ask the trainer to not give you a push.

If possible, take a 3-5 days course and intersperse it with a few days of practicing on your own. Its only when you surf on your own without the trainers giving you that push and telling you when to pop up that you realise the actual difficulties.

Final Words

Do I have the confidence to rent a surf board and take it in the water on my own. Maybe – but only if the waves seem gentle.

I still need to figure out the wave timing bit.

Surfing was a great experience for sure and I would like to do it again when I am in a coastal town for a longer duration.

My sense is that I need to practice consecutively for at least 10 days to get the hang of it. On and off surfing will not help.