Week No 32 - Stable Northern Swell for Surfing in Crete
Surfing lessons from 9 to 15 August 2021 - New swell arrived on the island of Crete and we are happy. Finally some wind to cool us down and waves to surf. The beginning of the swell started easy going on Thursday around lunch time. Perfect time for a kids surf lesson. We had a group of French youngsters with and without prior experience. They learned from Surf Coach Andy the important instructions on safety. In the water they first tried body surfing to help with timing of catching the wave and then they practiced with the board. Lots of fun!
Thursday, 12 August in the afternoon the waves picked up in size so the first half of the surf lesson took place in the white water for our returning guests to get back in the flow and for our first timers to practice the first day exercises. On the second half of the lesson Petra and the kids paddled out together with Andy to catch waves further out.
Friday, 13 August was a full day for surf Coach Andy and Kalo Surf. We thank everyone that participated on this day for their trust in us, their flexibility and that everything went so smoothly!
We started in the early morning with a group of kids, first timers and surfers with prior experience. The conditions were ideal for an introductions into surfing. The whitewater had power and allowed for long rides. At the same time it was easy to get back out and catch the next wave, thus allowing for many repetitions of the same movement patterns - key to progress in any sport but especially hard in surfing because no wave is the same as the next.
In the early afternoon the the first time surfers learned everything about catching waves in the whitewater and keeping up the speed by optimum weight distribution. The more experienced surfers caught unbroken green waves further out.
Then in the late afternoon our returning guests from Austria and Daniel first practiced in the white water catching waves and popping up on the surfboard. The waves beautiful and the evening light created a magical scenery for our surfer. After the break we first learned the proper paddling technique on the beach and how to overcoming waves. Then we paddled out together to catch green waves and have longer rides.
On Saturday, 14 August big an powerful waves were waiting for us on the beach of Kissamos. The lifeguard put up the red flag - swimming prohibited! After the introduction of the safety rules, recap of the exercises on dry land, our group of similarly experienced surfers paddled out with surf coach Andy to catch waves further out.
In the afternoon we were welcoming a group of first timers together with Kaitlyn who had prior experience. The first timers learned everything about safety of course and then in the water they learned catching waves and gliding on a surf board - no matter in what position. It is important to learn not to stall the board and keep up the speed. Kaitlyn learned how to make turns in the white water, this is the first step of being able to perform turns on a green wave. The whole group was super fun and passionately practiced on one wave after the other.
On Sunday, 15 August the waves were even bigger. In the morning we scheduled our group of experienced surfers for an early bird session, in order to catch the best conditions possible for them. The day started with a warm up. Then we spoke about paddling technique, overcoming waves, reference points on land, currents, where the rocks are and safety. We paddled out together and with Andy's guidance keep the position of where the peak is. It was a lot of fun to be out there and try to catch bigger waves.
In the afternoon the big waves became even more organised with more distance between the waves. This makes the wave stronger as well as the current. The waves were however spilling waves, with whitewater travelling down the face of the wave which makes it safer to get into it instead of a quickly closing wave. Surf Coach Andy was on high alert this day, so that everyone stays in the safe zone and does not get pulled by a current to a place where we do not want to be. Some surfers practiced in the whitewater while our youngsters rest paddled out with a lot of confidence to have longer rides. It was a super fun surf session, everyone had their own individual achievements, definitely one to remember!
