Hangin’ Ten
in Hawaii
At the Goofy Foot Surf School in Lahaina, we discover “goofy” is
the key word.
“Everybody’s gone surfin’, surfin’ U.S.-ayyyyyyy!”
Tumbling head-first off my 10-foot longboard into the warm waters
off Lahaina temporarily pushed the Pause button on the classic
Beach Boys tune that was playing in my head. But I’m here
to tell you that that fall did nothing to dampen my enthusiasm
over the fact that I’d just managed to catch my first wave.
After years spent watching the surfers lined up at many of the
same southern California surf breaks the Beach Boys sang about,
I’d decided it was about time I give this popular pastime
a try. But, while I was interested in learning the mechanics of
the sport, what I really wanted was to understand what it was about
surfing that inspired so much passion in so many people.
To find out I decided to go to the place where the sport of surfing
was born. The people of the Hawaiian Islands have been riding waves
for more than 1,000 years, and it’s an activity that still
has enormous cultural and spiritual significance even today.
For my guide on this quest to unlock the secrets of surf culture
I chose Tim Sherer, the laid-back founder of Lahaina’s Goofy
Foot Surf School. Over the past 13 years Sherer has personally
helped more than 30,000 newbies—including that prototypical
beach bum Jimmy Buffett—to catch their first waves. Within
minutes of meeting this soulful entrepreneur I knew I’d made
the right choice.
Sherer’s well thought-out program starts on the sand at
the same beach just outside Lahaina harbor where King Kamehameha
III once surfed. Tim provided a short course in the history of
the sport while guiding me through stretching exercises, followed
by a review of surfing fundamentals and a few important safety
pointers.
Then it was on to a handful of drills in knee-deep water
that take the quasi-mystical act of surfing and break it down into
a handful of easy-to-remember—if not quite as simple to execute—steps
designed to guide even the lamest Gidget movie rejects to catching
their first waves in less than an hour on the water. In fact, the
school is so confident in its program that they guarantee you’ll
ride your first wave within that first two-hour lesson or it’s
free.
As our morning on the water progressed Sherer gave my board a
shove as I madly paddled to catch one wave after another, calling
advice and atta-boys after me as I went. No matter whether I actually
rode the wave or ate it before I could even stand up, Sherer’s
patient and encouraging manner made me eager to paddle out and
give it another go.
When we finally called it quits just before lunch, I’d managed
to ride a nice little collection of ankle-slappers. Total surfing
time: Oh, say, about three minutes. But after feeling the wave
rise up beneath my board and carry me along in the last few yards
of its 2,000-mile journey toward this beach, I now have a much
better understanding of the visceral connection with the ocean
that is surfing’s real attraction.
Xtrordinary Xtra
The term “goofy foot” refers to surfers
who ride their boards with their right foot forward, the opposite
of what’s
considered “normal.” The way we hear it, the name dates
back to an old Disney cartoon where—yep, you guessed it—Goofy
himself adopted this stance.
Xtrordinary Xtra
If you think your foam-cored longboard is heavy,
just be glad you don’t have to lug one of the 15-foot, 150-pound
solid hardwood planks used by ancient Hawaiian royalty down to
the waterline.
The Facts
Name: Goofy Foot Surf School
Location: 505 Front Street,
Lahaina, Maui.
Phone: 808-244-9283
Website: www.goofyfootsurfschool.com
My Advice
- While it’s not necessary to be a natural athlete to participate
in the school’s programs, being in shape definitely helps.
I hit the gym five or six days a week and still found the experience
to be a lot more physically demanding than I expected.
- If you’re
not a natural athlete and can afford it, I’d
also suggest signing up for the school’s private lessons
that enable your instructor to give you their full attention.
- Finally, I’d also strongly suggest signing up for the
photo package the school offers. Their professional equipment and
experience will give you the kind of cool pictures of your first
ride that Aunt Marge and her point-and-shoot camera just won’t
be able to capture from the beach.
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