Back in the Water: On Becoming a Better Surfer in My 30s with Annual Surf School Trips

I broke my nose when I was seventeen while learning to surf in Deerfield Beach, Florida.

We had just arrived at the beach, right after 7 AM, and began to paddle out. As we paddled, someone crossed directly in front of me (a no-no) and lost control of their board. The rogue board went up in the air and straight into my face, slicing my columella in half (the tissue that separates your nostrils) and gashing my lip. We immediately went to the hospital, where they stitched me back up. I still have a visible scar on my lip and beneath my nose.

My parents drove down from their work trip in Orlando to pick me up from my friend’s, and I had to face my drama teacher that Monday and inform her that one of her characters in the upcoming school musical (two weeks out) was going to need some serious hair and makeup support.

The chaos of that day never took away from the fact that I was in love with the surfing experience—the magic from being in flow with the ocean, the early dawn effort it takes to catch the swell before half the city had sipped its coffee, the post-surf exhaustion from soaking in the sun, the challenge not to panic underwater—it all romanticized me.

The following year on a family trip to Hawaii, I had my first real surf lessons and vowed not to give up on my newfound love. I even bought a skim board.

But I didn’t keep my promise to myself.

I looked up the local surf club as soon as I arrived at Florida State University for freshman year. Tallahassee is landlocked, sitting about an hour away from the Gulf of Mexico, and the Gulf isn’t known for its waves. In researching and checking out the club, everyone was experienced, and I got intimidated. They all had their own boards, preset friends, and cars to take road trips, and I couldn’t afford to participate without access to beginner rentals (or a car.) So I let it go.

When I returned to South Florida after college, I popped into lessons when I could and even took up standup paddle boarding, but I didn’t chase surfing with the same fervor I had as a teen.

In 2022, I decided my phrase of the year was “do it for the 16-year-old me,” so I audited all the things I let go of in place of adulthood—and surfing was one of them.

I decided that 2022 was the year I got back in the water for real. So I booked a trip to Rincón, Puerto Rico, for my birthday.

Then in 2023, I headed to Playa Mizata in El Salvador.

Both surf spots are among the best in the world.

Surfing in Rincón, Puerto Rico

Rincón is such a revered location that on our first day of lessons with Rincón Surf School, they canceled on us. The January conditions that day were at the pro level, and veteran surfers were breaking and losing their boards on the powerful waves.

My friend and I decided to watch the spectacle from Cam Carretas (413). This road overlooks Tres Palmas (and a cow pasture), and when the waves are raging, photographers and spectators sit on top of their cars to watch the vets take their rides.

On the second day, the swells had died enough for the school to let us try. We packed into our cars and drove down another break, walking through unpathed terrain to arrive at the shore to receive our lessons.

While the waves weren’t beginner-friendly, the instructors had enough confidence in our athleticism to try them out. My friend and I stayed with the business owner, another couple hung with a second instructor, and two snowboarders were assigned to a third. The snowboarders were overly confident and didn’t pay close attention to the instruction, annoying the owner, who muttered, “they’re not gonna last.” We covered the basics—popping up, standing, getting over a wave, resting, letting our eyes and shoulders lead, etc.—and safety cues for 30-45 mins. Then off we went.

The break was about 50 yards from the shore, so there was a lot of paddling: This part can be exhausting and not exactly novice. We got beat up, but we had a blast. We were determined to stick it out and even caught our first head-high rides. We paddled so much that we booked massages to tend to our sore, tight backs after our session.

The two snowboarders quit after about 30 minutes out, and so did the other girl’s boyfriend.

It’s also important to note that Rincón is also primarily a reef break, making it especially challenging for beginners. This is because you can’t stand up if you get wiped out, or you might cut yourself on the reef. There’s also a higher chance of your chord getting caught on the reef, so you must patiently wiggle yourself out of the tangle while potentially getting pummeled by the waves above you and holding your breath. (Both of which happened to me.)

At least 20 experienced surfers were around us, so listening to the guide, paying attention to the shifting conditions, and respecting the order of things were especially important. They aren’t fans of having newbies around, but everyone started somewhere, right?

Despite the difficulty, we made it out the following day for more instruction.

eFoiling in Miami Beach, Florida

In February 2022, I tried Lift Foils’ LIFT3 during their Miami Beach press activation. I wrote two articles about them—one for the Canadian trade publication, Ensembles, and one for Lifestyles South Florida.

Efoils are electric surfboards powered by propulsion and an underwater wing, allowing them to hover over the water’s surface. The dynamic design lets eFoilers hit the water regardless of the swell conditions.

Surfing at Pine Grove Beach, Isla Verde/Carolina, Puerto Rico

I was back in Puerto Rico in March 2022 and decided to get more reps during my stay.

I booked an hour lesson with Pine Grove Surf Club.

This beach has smaller, lighter waves making it beginner-friendly, and its vastness and sand below allowed me to practice without worrying about crashing into anyone.

Surfing at Playa Mizata, El Salvador

For February 2023, I booked a week-long surf package at Mizata by Antiresort, which sits on the black sands of Playa Mizata. This remote, unspoiled beach features a rocky river’s end and cliff edge break at its southeastern end, and then sand breaks along the western cove-like beach.

The rocky break and its proximity to the cliff make it an experienced surfer’s go-to. Every morning I’d see barefoot surfers crossing the rocks to tackle the tough paddle out. Needless to say, I didn’t take my lessons there, but I watched them from the yoga pavilion every sunrise.

I took my lessons over at the less intense beach break.

These lessons (led by Mizata Surf School) were very different from the ones in Rincón, likely because the surroundings were less precarious. My friend and I got a quick, maybe ten-minute lesson on popping up, and then we were in the water. Interestingly enough, we were told to stand with our arms in a different, more turning position than any instructor I’d had before. Still, I enjoyed having a different instructor's point of view.

Our package included unlimited surf instruction, rentals, and a free photo session. Of my seven days, I surfed three (with two knocked out from illness), but it was 100% worth it for reps.

While showing me my photos, the photographer encouraged me to continue surfing because I had developed good form, and that was enough to get me thinking…

it’s time to graduate off a form board and

where should I go next…