2.5-Hour Beginner's Surfing Lesson at Kuta Beach

My wife and I had ever touched a surf board, and we were a little afraid that we'd both fall and break our necks out in the ocean. But our instructor, Riko, made us very certain that wouldn't happen. Riko gave us along with one other beginner a surfboard and walked us across the street to the beach. We laid our surf boards down on the sand and he gave us a lesson on how to paddle, stand up, and balance on the surfboard. He gave each of us individual attention to make sure we had it right, and then he brought us into the water. He was with each of us every time we got on the board, telling us when to stand and giving us tips on how to improve every time we fell and we fell a lot. I can't say we were very successful, but Riko was very patient with us and made us feel very comfortable in the ocean. We both left with a few bumps and bruises, but it was all worth it - because we had an incredible experience. Tips: Come wearing a bathing suit. They'll give you a shirt to wear and locker where you can store your stuff. Also, when you're out in the water, watch out for other surfers. The beach in Kuta is full of surfers, including many beginners who don't know how to steer like me, so just watch where you're going or else you're going to get hit.

As an aging ex-skateboarder, and latterly snowboarder, I've always wanted to try the source for all boardsports, surfing. And so, I booked this beginners surfing lesson. The car came to the hotel to pick me up right on schedule, and drove me to the surf school at Kuta beach. There were lockers for stowing your stuff, and rashguards were provided. Once an instructor had been allocated, he selected appropriate sized boards in my case 9' for us, then it was across the road and onto the beach, where we were shown the basics of lying on the board and paddling, to getting up on two feet. Once we could all get that on dry land, it was into the water where the fun started :- Initially the instructor gave us a push to catch the wave, so that all I had to concentrate on was getting up on my feet. There was a few spills, as I soon discovered that skate/snowboarding are easier than surfing, but surfing is seriously fun. A break after about an hour for a rest and some water, and then it was back into the water for more fun. By the end of the lesson I was paddling and getting up unaided, and got a great sense of accomplishment. The lesson was so much fun that I booked a second for later in the week, where I got to try a shorter board, which initially was less stable, but once I got used to it, was actually easier to ride as it was more maneuverable think the difference between a skateboard and longboard. This time round, it was all about timing paddling so I could catch the wave myself, If you've never tried surfing and would like to give it a go, I can't recommend these introductory lessons enough. They make it a very enjoyable experience.