East Coast Days #4 & 5 – Surfing in Halifax

Let me start this blog post by saying this is a day I would have never thought I would experience in my lifetime. I have never planned on surfing in my life nor had it ever previously interested me. I am not a fit or in shape person by any means and I was frankly terrified for what my body was about to go through yesterday. My friends are so excited to do this though so it’s making me happy to experience it with them. This has been on Katie’s bucket list for a long time so for that I shall sacrifice my pride and enjoy this adventure with her. I’m bringing my Go Pro and I’m prepared to just paddle on my board and be photographer for the day. I have zero expectations for myself and I’m also extremely nervous to wear a wetsuit. So there’s that.

We booked with Halifax Surf School in Musquodobit, Nova Scotia. It was $70 for wetsuit & board rental for the entire day and a one hour private lesson. The beach we went to was Clam Harbour Beach. We ended up having the most amazing day and the instructor was really great. He made everyone feel very at ease and explained everything very clearly. We practiced on the sand first and learned about some safety things. This beach was nice and shallow so we could touch at all times which I think helped with the nerves. It would have been way harder and scarier if we couldn’t touch. It was also easier to get up on your board because you could push off the sand with your feet for extra momentum. The waves were about 4-6 feet high which was plenty enough for us. The girls stood up on their boards not long after starting and I used the GoPro and got some good shots of everyone. It was so nice being in the ocean the whole day and I was so proud of the girls. The water was cold but with the wetsuit it was fine. I was pleasantly surprised with how much fun I had and I would definitely do it again! I think if we had gone to a different beach such as Lawrencetown, the experience world have been completely different. This one was kind of hidden and not many people were swimming that we could possibly harm with the boards. All in all it was fantastic!! There’s something about the rush of trying something new and getting outside of your comfort zone.

I love how you can tell how happy we are through the pictures! Some things I would add about surfing in general is one, don’t follow what other people say about it. People were psyching us out and saying how hard it was. Make your own opinion once you get there. A couple of us were honestly so nervous and hesitant to do this but once we got into the water with our instructor we felt so much better. Don’t be afraid to do it!! You’ll be so glad you did. Just make sure you get an actual lesson so that you are safe! The instructor knows the beach well and knows all the safe tips and tricks.

After a delicious fried seafood lunch, we drove to Lawrencetown where most people actually go surfing when they come to Halifax. The beach here was so different. We were so glad we chose the company we did because this beach was a lot colder and rockier. The waves were not as nice either. We watched a couple experienced surfers and then headed to the airport to drip Stephanie off. We were so sad to let her go but I’m so thankful for the great few days I had with her.

The day before surfing, Stephanie and I had a relaxing day and did some shopping at a couple of malls here in Halifax. We met up with her cousin for lunch and then walked around the Halifax Public Gardens. It was really pretty!! We also drove to Cole Harbour to a beach and found the sign that says it’s the home of Sidney Crosby! Katie flew in late that night so we dropped our big rental car off and we were all reunited!