Paddling and Catching Waves in Crete - afternoon
The waves were pumping today on the North Coast of Crete. Because our afternoon group all had enough experience on our belt to surf green waves instead of white water, Andy quickly decided to change surf spots! So we changed plans during the lunch break, informed all participants and then headed to a surf spot east of Chania, that works differently with a bigger swell. The sea is a changing element. The waves and currents change and so does the ocean floor: the sandbank can shift completely during a storm or rocks can come out in places where they were covered before. Before heading out to surf it's good to ask some local surfers or the lifeguard about dangers in the water. Andy chatted shortly with the lifeguard of the bay and together they arranged to make a swim and a surf zone for the duration of the surf course. So we set up the theory part of the lesson. We repeated all the safety rules and signals, then the maneuver of the turn as well as the cutback. New today was surfing etiquette, something that is very important when we go to a surf spot with other surfers!
After the warm up, Andy gave to each surfer individual tipps and gave the last instructions what to take care of. Then we waited for the break in between sets and paddled out to the lineup. Slowly the group got used to the new environment and gained confidence. Each at their own pace trained the aspects they wanted to train and had a good time. Joost didn't even want to get out of the water! On the way home, we listened to nice music in the car, enjoying the moment. This was the Kalo Surf trip of the afternoon group. ❤
