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SURF

Activity Description:

Surf is a water sport in which the surfer rides on a wave, usually until the wave carries the surfer towards the shore. This sport is practiced in the ocean as the waves are usually found there.

 

Length of the Activity:

I will be taking surf classes in the academy Peñatxuri, in Sopelana, Vizcaya every Sunday (1 day per week) for 2 hours. This is almost a new sport for me as I have tried it a few times. I will give it a try and keep record of my classes. 

 

Personal Goals: 

I have two goals for this activity:

-  Be passed to a higher level, which means I will be able to surf in the fibre surf table, instead of in the begginer tables.

- Be able to do some tricks, like to be able tu turn in the wave with the surf table.

 

It is going to be a difficult learning process, but it is going to be fun.

 

Learning Outcomes:

  1. Increased their awareness of their own strengths and areas for growth. - I will be exercising, training my body, which will increase my area of growth in the exercising aspect, especially the arms.

  2. Undertaken new challenges - I will undertake a new challenge, by trying a different sport, as it is almost a new sport for me, and every day I go will be a different challenge, as the ocean will be sometimes easier and sometimes more difficult. So, everyday will be a new challenge.

  3. Worked collaboratively with others - I will be collaborating with the rest of the group, by helping my companions get on the surfboard if they are having trouble, and making sure I take care of them by being aware of where I ride the surf without running on top of someone’s head.

  4. Shown perseverance and commitment in their activities - I will show perseverance and commitment in this activity, as I will go every day without the weather influencing.

  5. Engaged with issues of global importance - This can be linked to the issues of global importance, as we know that to surf we have to take care of the water surrounding us, and knowing that when the water is dirty we should not surf.

  6. Developed new skills - I will be developing a new skill, this is the surfing skill.

 

Proposal

 

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Reflections:

28/09/2014

Today I woke up at 9:00 a.m. as I had surf at 10:00. I was very sleepy so I wasn't too excited about the classes. I already knew which teacher was going to give us the lesson, as I had him as a teacher when I went one week in summer. And I knew the rest of my class as I was going with my friends, so I wasn't nervous at all in that aspect. The weather didn't make me more excited either as it was a cloudy day and the temperatures were low. But when I got there I started to feel more awake and happy. I got my wetsuit on and we went to pick up our surf tables. As we were practically new to the sport we began with the easier tables, the GREEN one which is bigger. I imagine we will be changing of surfboard as we improve in this sport. 

When we got into the water it was freezing cold and I didn't want to go in. But, when I was entirely wet it didn't feel cold anymore. The temperature was actually perfect. So, when I started I fell many times. There were 1 or 2 waves that I stood up and stayed on top of the surfboard until the shore, but not many. As the class went on, I started to get up many times. Everytime I got up my smile widened ten times more, and gel really excited. When the class was approaching the end, the teacher congratulated Sara (a friend) and me. He said we had won the 'medals' of the day for the best ones in the class. I was really happy then, and still am. That encouraged me to go the next class and give the best of me, which is what I am going to do.

 

 

Day 5/10/2014

Today I did not feel like going to surf. I wanted to, but I was just very tired. I wento to the class like  a zombie. When I got there I got really scared, because the sea was going wild. The waves went in differemt directions and were really big. They came with a lot of strenght, pushing us back. Even though I was really scared and did not want to go in, I saw this as a new challenge in this sport, and would like to succeed in this challenge. We started with a teacher and finished with another one. The first teacher had already gave us class may times, and he explained well, but the second teacher I loved how she gave us the class. She was one of the bosses, so she knew a lot about surfing. She explained us varuious surfing techniques that would be very useful for days like this, and even in good days. This class really helped me know more about the understandings of surf. And, besides, I actually did it very good. Even though the waves were gigantic, I managed to get up and surf the wave many times. So, I can say I have succeded a new surfing challenge, and will be prepared for worse days. 

Day 11/10/2014

Today was the best day so far. I loved it. The weather was lovely, and the waves were just the appropiate ones to enjoy the sport. When I first arrived I only saw tiny waves. I though it was going to be a horrible day where we were not going to be able to surf because of the smal waves. But when we got out from the changing room and got close to the water, I saw that the waves were not at all small, there were much bigger than I thought. I went with a yellow surfboard, which I was very happy to have because Sara Jata and I got the best surfboards. The one in charge of the surf academy was giving the group a certain type of surboards, and when I went to get my surfboard, he told me, you can handle a better one, and he gave me a smaller board, which means it is more difficult, and Sara also got the same as me. So, I was super excited. I was euphoric, feeling like the pro of the group, as the teacher as well treated me like I was the best one in the group, which it was flattering, but, at the same time it created some pressure as I had to surf excellently to don't lower the expectations. So, we got into the water, and the water was like always, freezing, but when sometime passed the temperature was just perfect. I enjoyed so much that day that I did not want to get out of the water when the class finished. I wanted to stay forever surfing. I got pretty good waves, where I rode the wave from the top and went descending until reaching the shore. In the final waves, I started trying to turn in the wave, and the last one I managed to turn a bit, so that is the beginning to accomplish one of my goals. This day has been perfect, and I hope tommorrow will be the same.

 

Day 12/10/2014

So, today was not at all similar to yesterday. I hated it today. Again, I used the more complicated surfboard and we got in a place where we usually never go in. The weather was very nice, but I had a hole in my wetsuit, which I though was not going to matter but I ended up freezing, and could not move, and the consequence is that I surfed really bad. But that was not the main reason why I did not surf well. We got into a very difficult part, where we had to row a lot, because we had to go really far away from the shore. Getting to the place we had to be took forever, and the waves kept pushing me back, which tired me 10 times more than surfing normally tires me. When I finally got to the spot we had to be to surf waves, the wave came and I was so tired that I rowed horribly and could not get up, and the only thing that did was carry me towards the shore to then have to go back again and tire me even more. So, that is what happened all of the time, which exhasperated me, and I felt very overwhelmed. I only managed to surf about 3 waves, which meant that day had been a total fail for me. But still, I am gla I have tried surfing today, as I treat it as a new challenge, a new experience that will prepare me for worst days, and make me feel happy as I have survived this day in my surfing progress.

 

Day 19/10/2014

Today was awesome. I had lunch early and went to surf class at 14:00. I arrived a bit late but when I got there they still had not been given the wetsuits, so I relaxed. They gave us our wetsuits, and for once and for all they gave me one of my size! I always have to go and change it and still, it is too big or too small, but today they gave me one that suited me well, and made a note of the size. Then, we went to get our surfboards. The teacher gave us the same type of surfboards to all of us except me. I went the last one to get my surfboard, and he was going to give me the same type of surfboards as the rest, but the boss of the academy told him to give me a smaller one, which is more difficult to surf, because he said I got up very good in the surfboard, so I was very happy. We went with a teacher that had never given us class before, and he teached us a new technique, a step further in our surf progression. As he had not seen us before, we had to show him what we knew. But, he told us to surf staright, normally they tell us to lower the body a bit and beding a bit the knees. But, this teacher told us that in order to see us we had to surf with our body straight, so that is what I did. At first I did not completely get it, as it is weird for me to be straight riding a wave. So, I got the first wave, in a way I though was straight, but he told me to raise more the body. Which I thought was so weird and did not make sense. Then, he told me that I had the position right, but the knees had to be closer, and I rode some waves and finally got the position just right. When my postion was right, he told me that now I needed to bend my whole body down. Like, lower the body, to be like touching the surfboard. So, first straight and now bended almost touching the surfboard. It was really strange, but I liked it because I had never tried that before adn wanted to face new challenges in this sport. So, I tried it thinking it was going to be easy, but when I got the wave I thought I was in a very low position in the surfboard, and the teacher told me to lower even more my body. So, I tried it again with my body really low and I fell. I tried it many times and it was really really hard, I could not lower so much the body without falling. it was impossible, but that does not mean I give up, the other way, now the next time I go I will want to try it again, and will not stop until I succeed. The last wave I tried to get did not go very well, as a surfboard hit me in the forehead, at first it hurt, but now it is okay. At home, I will practice the new surfing position we learned, and the next time I go I will ace it. I am determined to succeed, but always having a really good time, because today I loved it. 

 

 

Day 2/11/2014

Today happened many things. The tide was pretty strong and the waves were not tremendous, but they were big. We started as always, warming up and practicing the techniques to get on the surfboard. Then we went into the water, into waht they call the "small bay". We has to be aware of the big rock that sperated the bay from the rest of the beach, and after some waves where it did not go very well, the teacher took us to the other side, where the waves were just a bit smaller, but still big. I liked it much better there because we did not have to worry about getting to near to the rock, and instead we could just surf freely. It started out really well, as i got up mopst of the times and surfed onto the shore in a good position. I got that awsome feeling I get when I manage to surf a wave perfectly, which is a mix between satisfaction and happiness, which I cannot really explain. But while I was surfing one wave, I felt something from behind that threw me to the water, and when I was going to get to the surface, a big wave covered me and knocked me. i was rolling in the water and I could not get out, not jsut because of the wave, but because the wave had also thrown someone, and without realizing I was under the water, she was on top of me getting thrown away by the wave. We finally managed to get out of that horrible situation, and we went out to the shore, where we adjusted the "invento" which is the cable that joins you to the surfboard, and we went back into the water. When I was in the water I notices the tide was getting stronger and stronger, and I went further and further from the shore, and then could not return, because I did not feel capable of surfing one of those big waves to get back to the shore. The tide kept carrying me further from the beach. The teacher came and told me to surf one of those big waves that I thought I could not do. But I positioned myself on the surfboard, and the fisrt enormous wave that came I paddled strongly, and got up on the surfboard, surfing the wave. It felt awsome. The wave did not have any foam, and it felt like I was descending slowly. It was definetely the best wave of the day. I feel that if I continue like this, I will be able to surf with the best level surfboard by next year.

 

Day 16/11/2014

Today was very different from the rest of the days. We did not surf in Sopelana because the waves were awful. It was impossible to surf there, not even the professionals were surfing, so instead, we went to Plencia. We arranged who was getting which surfboard. Claudia and I were told we were getting a surfboard that was already there, in Plencia, that was a bit smaller than the ones left in the academy, which meant they were a bit more difficult. I arrived there at 10:15 and we left for Plecia at 10:45. The organizing took a lot of time, and we were also waiting for Isabel and Mercedes that came really really late, but finally arrived and we went to Plencia. This week, my friends had gone to buy wetsuits for winter, but I did not buy one as it is going to be impossible for me to go to class surf December and January because I will go many weekends to ski. So, my plan is tu return to surf class in February, where I will still go to ski but much less. So, when I come back in February I will buy a winter wetsuit. But, for this month, I don't, and in the surf academy they do not have very thick wetsuits, but just the spring summer ones, and today it was freezing and I had to surf with a thin wetsuit. I thought it was going to be alright, but, as soon as we came out of the van I started shivering, and I could not stop. We started warming up and I was still shivering. Then, we went into the water, and to my surprise, the water was not at all cold, instead it was really warm, I was so relieved. I went in and the first to waves were a total fail, I fell both times. Then, the next one I rode, and the next one as well, and I could get up in every wave since then. The teacher saw I was doing it perfectly, and my friend Claudia was just like me, and he told us that the next step was trying tu turn on the surboard, like surfing the wave sideways. I though that was impossible. I tried and tried and tried, but I just could not turn fully. I always managed to turn a bit but not fully, as much as I tried I could not do it. The position I had was good, and I could get up and go to the shore perfectly. Sometimes I went to the shore giving little turns to the left and right, but never a full turn. The teacher told me my position was perfect, that I could surf the wave perfectly, but as to the turn, he said I ws trying to turn to the harder side, and that I had to try to the right, which was easier. So, I tried, and it was true, it was easier to the right, but I still did not fully turn. I could not try it many times, because I had an incident. The calves of the legs went out of place, and I felt an enormous pain. I got out of the water and sat on the sand, and the teacher came to help me. He showed me a trick to fix that problem. I returned to the water, and Claudia and I kept surfing the same waves, the teacher came and told us we were doing it very good, and that by summer we would be surfing perfectly. He also told us, that we were always together, surfing the same waves as if we were dependent of the other, so I thought he was going to tell us that we needed to seperate  a bit, but instead he said that we needed to try a new thing. We had tu ride the wave, and when we got close together, one of us had to jump on the other's board, and the two of us had to surf together on the table. We tried it but we did not get close enough. One time though, I felt her table was on the back edge of my surboard, but she fell and I continued until the shore. When the class was about to finish, I could not take the cold any more and the teacher allowed Merecedes and I to get going to change. I liked it today, but I need a thicker wetsuit, becuase it was raining and it was very cold. One of the people in charge of the academy told me that she was going to look for me a thicker wetsuit in the academy for this month. So, I was relieved and thought today was a great experience, and I think I am getting closer to one of my goals of learning some tricks. Next class I will also try to turn and hopefully will succeed at it. 

 

Day 23/11/2014

Today actually went really well. The sea was not at its best, but the waves were okay to surf. Sometimes they were pretty big, but other times it was okay. As last time, the goal was to be able to turn. The teacher had already told me that I do it very good, but now I have to take it to the next level and try to turn, which I find it very hard. But he saw me and told me that if I continue like this and when i manage to turn perfectly with the surf table we have, I will be given a fibre table, which would be achieving two of my goals, managing to turn and be given a fibre table. That motivated me to be able to turn in the surf table, and I tried and tried and tried. I could mostly turn, but not perfectly, when I turned a lot I fell, and then there were this waves that sort of cut into two making a sort of stairs, which meant you had to slide down with the table in the surf, which I feel it is just amazing, I love it, I feel euphoric. When the teacher saw me slide down the wave, he told me later on in the year we would be going back, and those would be amazing, so I felt really excited. I was really happy, evertyhing was going well even though I could not turn completely correctly I was having a really good time, and I felt I was not doing it too bad. Also, before, when we were receiving the table we would use in the class, the teacher said Sara Jata and I were having some higher, more difficult surf tables, as our level of surfing was good, which really makes me very happy and feel motivated. But, almost at the end of the class, there was another group next to us, and one man got hit by a surf table from a man on his group, and started bleeding from the head, which scared us a lot, and desmotivated us. We felt really scared, and even though I continued to surf for the 5 minutes left, I was a bit scared, and was way more cautious in case the same happened to me. 

 

Day 30/11/2014

Today we went to class surf really really early! AT 9:00! I had to wake up at 8 o'clock, so I was very very tired and it was raining, so I was in a lazy mood, but that always happen to me when I have to go to surf. First I am like oh no, I have to wake up and go to surf, but once I am in the car I am really excited about it and want to get to the class. The waves today were a bit big, in the shore they were small, but going farther from the shore they were much bigger and the tide was pretty strong. The tide sort of pulled you out. When I wanted to get into the water, and tried to walk away from the shore, many waves came and with the help of the tide they pulled me out, so it was pretty hard to get to the spot where I was going to surf the wave. They gave me a thick wet suit, because if not I was going to be freezing. Then they have us the surf tables and they told us they were going to give us smaller surf tables, which I was not really motivarted about as my surf table was already really small, but then they gave us the same ones as last time because the sea was not in veyr good conditions. So, I went happily with my surf table and after warming up we went into the water. I had a good time today and I didn't want to some out. I almost always want to continue the class, except when it is really cold, but if the temperature is okay, I love the class and never want it to stop, because I just feel really good surfing and I can feel I am improving each day. A couple of times I managed to like really turn in the wave which made me feel very proud. I felt good today and felt I was surfing well, maybe not at my best, but I still have to develop my best surfing skills. Next class we will probably do something different and more risky, so I am eagerly waiting for the next class to come, I just hope the weather is not too bad. 

 

Day 04/01/2015

Today was the fist surf class of the year. Last month I did not go to class because it wasn't worth it as I was only going to be able to attend 1 class. So, last class, before I started, I thought I had forgotten everything. I thought I had lost my surfing skills but then I got into the water and it was as if I had gone last week to class. I remembered everything and I felt excellent surfing. Also, I had a new wetsuit which made surfing much better because I did not feel the cold. THe waves were a bit tricky today. I normally rode the waves that had alrady been turned into foam, although lately I had been riding the wave before the foam. And today I wanted to also ride the waves before the foam. But, the problem was that the waves fell really fast, they formed a sort of tube, so it was difficult to surf them. But, there were ones that were really good, and I surfed them and felt great, I fet I was increading my surfing skillls, and I truly believe by summer I will be able to surf with a fibre table. Also, today I maaged to turn in the wave and control the table, not turn out of control. SO, it was a good first day. 

 

 

Day 11/01/2015

Today we went again to surf to plentzia. When I got out of home it was raining so I  didn't know how the sea was going to be. I imagined it would be bad and and I was right. I didn't like it at all. The waves were irregular, they went in many directions and it was very difficult. From the outsicde they looked small but when you got into the water you discovered they were not at all small, they were actually big.   But still I went in and gave my best.   At the start I got really angry because I wasn't able to stand on the surfboard. The waves kept pushing me to different directions. Nevertheless, I regained strength and did it the best I could and felt proud of myself afterwards.

 

 

 

Day 08/02/2015

On the contrary to what I normally say, today was a very good day BECAUSE the waves were not in its best conditions, but still I was perseverant and did as best as I could and I felt very proud of myself because I actually surfed quite well taking into consideration the waves. Plus, it seems that the teacher agreed with me because he told me I had surfed really well. I think I will be able to reach my goal soon (surfing with a fibre surfboard)

 

 

Day 15/03/2015

These past weeks I have been surfing with a fibre surfboard!!! So yes, I have accomplished my goal! I am so excited about it. At fist I thought it was going to be very difficult and I wouln't be able to manage it. However I realised it was not that difficult. 

Today the surf class took place in Plencia and the teacher said that the goal for today was to learn a new trick. I was super excited. He showed us how to turn in the wave (using our fibre table of course). At first I was desperate because there was no way I managed to turn in the wave without falling. Nevertheless, I kept trying and at last! In the last 30 minutes of the class I managed to turn perfectly. I was so proud of myself. I will definitely keep trying this trick in the following surf classes back in Sopelana. 

 

 

Day 19/04/2015

The past weeks I have continued surfing with a fibre board except one day when the waves were in such a horrible state that not even the advanced group students used them. All of us used corch surfboards and still found it very difficult to surf. Nevertheless, the rest of the days I have been surfing with the fibre board and getting better at it each class. I have been continuing to work in the turning trick and now I know how to turn to the left and to the right. The next step I want to accomplish is surfing the wave in diagonal instead os straight and then turning while I am going straight. I will start to work on that trick from next class until the last one. 

 

 

Day 17/05/2015

So, as I said in the past entry, I have been working in this new trick but I am not really succeeding at it. The good weather is coming back but I don't feel that the good waves are coming back aswell, which is not really helping me in my new trick. I did manage to surf the wave a bit diagonally but not as much as I would like to. Still, this only makes me want to try again andget better at it until I achieve my objective.

 

 

Day 21/06/2015

Today was my last surfclass of the year as I will not stay in Bilbao during the summer. I feel that I have improved a lot since the start of the year and have achieved already one goal, and the other one which included learning some tricks I am still working on it. Today was actually the best class possible. The sun was shining really bright and the waves were terrific, so I really enjoyed this last class and am somewhat sad that I won't be able to return to surf class until after the summer. 

 

 

Day 06/09/2015

We came back to school this week and I started surf class today. I have been surfing in the summer in Cadiz because some of my friends had surfboards (fibre surfboards) and lent them to me. So, it was a great opportunity to continue working on the tricks I wanted to do. I feel I already master the turn in the wave and I almost achieved the complete diagonal while surfing the wave instead of surfing it straight. However, it really hurts me to say this, but today was my last surfclass of the year (meaning school year). I am in the second year of the IB and teachers are bombarding us with IAs. In addition, I am taking padel classes and surf classes are very time consuming as it takes up to 3-4 hourse of my studying time on Sundays. So, I decided that the best idea was to stop surfing, and come again in June when I finish the exams.

 

 

 

Final Reflection

Surf has been for me an unforgettable experience. It is the activity that I enjoy the most. I am very sensitive to cold, but since I buyed my new wetsuit the cold was not a problem. I have really been perseverant and committed my self to this activity. I came to class no matter the weather conditions and tried my best in every single class because I really wanted to get better at this sport. I trained my body and develop new skills by achieving my goals: I passed to the higher level as I surfed with the fibre table!! and I was able to do two tricks: turning in the wave and surfing the wave diagonally, which I felt extremely proud of. So, overall I had a wondergul experience no matter how time consuming it was.
 

 

 

 

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