Zed's Surfing Adventures

“Up! Back leg! Front leg! Get up! Bend your knees! Ride the wave!” is what I heard the instructors encouraging me as I got closer to the shoreline. That’s right, I (of all people) went on a surfing lesson with some of my cousins and friends.

I’m Jodi, and I’m the summer intern at Loop Barbados. I’m a student in the hospitality and tourism field, and was honoured that Loop Barbados chose me to intern for them! I’ve spent quite a few summer and Christmas vacations interning and working in different segments of the industry, so I was glad that I got the opportunity to try something new and exciting! I’ve really enjoyed my time at Loop, and the time has gone so quickly! I’m so happy that I got to be play a part in promoting my beautiful island. In this blog article, I’m writing to tell you about my most recent adventure – surfing lessons!

The day started out by having to venture out to Surfer’s Point to Zed’s Surfing Adventures, which was rated as the 7^th top surf school in the world by National Geographic in 2012. Zed’s is probably exactly what you might imagine a surf school/guest house on a tropical island to look like. It’s quaint, colourful and the family of instructors and helpful hands around the property are so friendly and hospitable, welcoming you into their home.

After two of the instructors went to check the waves at Freights Beach nearby, the four instructors who took us all out piled the long boards onto the roof of an old safari-type jeep and we jumped in and headed to Freights, where the water was an infinite mass of a hundred shades of blue. Before we headed down the steps on the cliff onto the small beach, Junior, one of the instructors, lay all the boards down on the vibrant green grass and assigned each person to a board that suited them best and gave us a quick tutorial on how he teaches and the best way to stand up on the board once you catch a wave – “put your hands on the deck of the board next to your chest with your elbows up; arch your body, keeping your head up; bring the right (or left) knee forward, keeping it straight down; push up onto your fingertips; then bring your other foot straight out in front of you; then bring your back knee out, putting your foot flat on the board; then come straight up, keeping most of your weight on the back leg; and then look where you’re going as you’re riding the wave.”

Shortly after, we each carried our boards down the steps and headed into the water, which was so refreshing, that you almost didn’t feel the heat of the brilliant sunshine. We paddled out, how we were taught, making sure to come up off of the board when a wave came, so it wouldn’t hit us in our faces and we headed out into the big, open water.

Some of the group surfed the waves with such ease, as if they had lots of time to practice before the lesson (even though it was everyone’s first time.) The rest of us took a little longer to get the hang of it, but by wave number 3 or 4, we were all standing up and having a ball! Everyone was able to laugh with everyone and it was such an enjoyable experience. It was definitely an activity that made the body, mind and soul feel so alive and refreshed!

The instructors were patient and good sports, and they too, were having a great time with us, really making us all feel very comfortable and at ease. The lesson flew by, and when it was over everyone felt so happy and proud. By the time we rode our last wave in, and carried the boards back up to the top of the little cliff, everyone realized how thirsty we all were, despite the satisfaction and joy we were all feeling after our session. So we all piled back into the trucks and headed back to Zed’s.

When we got back, we showered off and sat at the picnic benches quenching our thirst, while taking in the beauty that surrounded us – the beach in front of us, the green grass in between the beach and the guest house where we sat, the brightly coloured signs, the swaying coconut trees, and all the happy, cheerful vibes that surrounded us.

We ordered flying fish cutters for lunch, and after our active morning, they hit the spot perfectly! The crispy fried fish and the warm salt breads did not sit on our plates for long, as we simply devoured them – and I think they were some of the best fish cutters we had ever eaten!  We spent the rest of our time there sitting around, talking about what a fantastic experience we shared that morning.

It is definitely something I would do again in the near future – maybe next time I’ll be able to handle myself with a little more grace and coordination! I whole-heartedly recommend Zed’s Surfing Adventures to anyone, visitor or local, to go for a lesson. It is truly so much fun and you’ll want to do it time and time again. If you already have an idea how to surf, you can even go to their shop and rent a board for the day! If you want to base your entire vacation on surfing Barbados waters when you come here, you can stay in their self-catered guest houses – there are so many options! If you want to get an idea of any about the surf lessons, board rentals, accommodation rentals, or watch some tutorial videos, or get some tips, visit their website, here.