On the weekend, I had a try at both surfing and windsurfing. On Saturday, I went with another teacher, Jack (an expert surfer) to the beach. He gave me some good tips on getting started with surfing and then I had a go. After many attempts, I could get up on my knees and a couple of times on my feet, except the board would be a little underwater or the wave had passed by me. Jack said the board wasn't really the best shape and weight for me, although I thought he was just making excuses for me. The spot where we surfed is only a 10-minute drive from our apartment and there were about 30 guys surfing there. They were all experienced and had wetsuits. I wasn't cold in the water, although I found out that the wetsuit also helps save your skin as I now have rashes all over my front from rubbing against the board. Since wetsuits are expensive, I might try to find a rash-guard shirt which won't keep me warm in the cold weather, but will save my skin. Even though I wasn't totally successful surfing, it was still fun, so I'd like to try it again.
On Sunday, I went with a Japanese friend, Keiji, and tried windsurfing. We went to Lake Hamana which is in our city and connects to the ocean, so it's a salt-water lake. Keiji also brought along a friend who was new to windsurfing. We rented beginner boards and wetsuits from a surfshop and Keiji gave us a good beginner's lesson. Windsurfing was much easier than surfing, and it wasn't long before I was trying to perfect both kinds of turns, tack and jibe.
Later on, I tried using Keiji expert board which was very narrow and had a huge sail. It took me so long to get balanced and get the sail up and by that time, I was always turned the wrong way, so I could never get going. I found out that I would need more experience before I could use Keiji's board. It made me realize that maybe it was true that the surf board I tried on Saturday was wrong for me and with a more appropriate board, I could maybe surf easier.
Anyways, I enjoyed both experiences and hope to do them both again.
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