The beauty of learning to carve it up
The Sun-Herald: January 14, 2007

Johanna Hegerty overcomes a fear or two at Margaret River.

‘Right there,’ said Blair, ‘that’s your sweet spot.’ The last guy who said that to me got slapped, but this was different. I was head to toe in neoprene, prone on an eight-foot piece of foam, toes dangling over its edge.

The sweet spot – it’s where you should be positioned on the board to catch a wave. This was the first thing we learnt at Redgate Beach on that beautiful Monday morning. As we paddled the sand and practised our pop-ups, I knew I wasn’t the only one wondering what on earth I was doing there. Oh well, it beat being in the office.

Along with seven others, I was spending five days learning to ‘carve it up’ in the glorious Margaret River region of WA. Surfing is one of those things I always thought I should try but knew I was too much of a wuss to commit myself to anything. What’s to be scared of, you might ask? To which I reply: sharks, rips, dumpers, drowning, rocks, seaweed, concussion and now stingrays.

You see, I’m not the bravest of people. On the group’s first night together, we were asked to share the most adventurous experience we’d ever had. ‘This,’ I’d squeaked, then confessed that my adventurous streak had less momentum than Shane Warne on a hot day.

As well as the daily surfing lessons, a range of light adventure activities were planned for us. The prospect of abseiling terrified me, and sea-kayaking conjured up images of Ironman-like escapades in rolling surf.

But I’d underestimated myself and the power of the surrounding environment. This south west corner of WA is the land of ups. Meelup, Willyabrup, Booranup – the suffix on the ancient names denotes that they are a place in which to come together. I was supported by a group of fellow beginners from all walks of life, ranging in age from 28 to 63.

And everyone on staff at the retreat – from the massage therapist, to the chef to the plumber who led the evening meditation sessions – was a surfer. In the water, on the land and around the dinner table, someone was always there to give advice. This was a meeting place for teachers and novices to further the art of smacking the lip on a peeling left-hander.

It was impossible not to embrace nature when it was so ruggedly handsome. Even a city girl like me felt the powerful draw of the wild.

From the moment I saw Redgate beach with its powder-soft sand and aquamarine water I forgot all about sharks and dumpers. I jumped into my sweet spot and Mez launched me onto a wave. I pushed up with the intention of standing but face-planted the water instead. It didn’t hurt. I was still alive – and laughing. A couple of hours later I’d managed to get to my feet (well foot, anyway) and had to admit – I was having heaps of fun.

While mornings were devoted to surfing, afternoons were when our adventurous spirits came out to be tickled. The waters of Geographe Bay were still and clear as we took off kayaking with a local guide. A whale kept his distance out to sea as we paddled along in the sunshine. My fears were forgotten – the swell wouldn’t have knocked a baby out of an ice-cream bucket and the water was like glass.

The setting was equally magnificent for the following afternoon’s abseiling. From Willyabrup Sea Cliffs, the coastline was untarnished by human habitation; one big fun park for crazy people dangling off ropes.

I managed the 11m cliff, but declined to bound down the one called ‘stainless steel’, opting to keep watch for dolphins instead. Nothing at Blue Spirit is compulsory and the idea is to have fun, not go home shell-shocked.

By day three, I was physically exhausted. The retreat is designed to be top-heavy, giving us frenetic city folks the chance to get all that energy out of our systems and enter a deeper state of relaxation. Thursday afternoon’s wine tour felt like a reward – these were muscles that I knew how to use.

For all the ups, there was an equal amount of downtime. Every morning started with yoga, and after our day of fun in the sun we had Redgate Vista to return to, a private million-dollar beach house nestled among native peppermint trees. While the black cockatoos performed their sunset dance everyone gathered on the balcony for a well-earned glass of wine. Evenings were given over to twin-hearts meditation, massage and healthy, gourmet food prepared by Sam the singing chef.

Our last surfing lesson on Friday was another fine day at Redgate Beach. I’d been pretty happy with myself for what I’d achieved during the week, but didn’t feel I’d got that far with my surfing.

I got straight in the water and onto a wave. I stood up. Not for long, just enough to wave my arms around, but I was ecstatic – something had clicked. Five days of yoga had convinced my body that going from lying down to standing up in one fell swoop was possible. Over and over again, I lugged my board out through the breakers and caught a wave in, getting up more often than not.

After a spectacular nose-dive that saw me tossed in the air and dumped in the shallows, I picked my board up and headed back out. There’s something slightly insane about letting the sea give you a beating for the sake of a few moments riding its force, but I have to admit it – I was hooked.

When I got home to Coogee after the retreat, I went to the beach and looked out at the waves and thought, ‘I could catch that.’ Gnarly, dude.

Trip Notes

Fly to Perth with Qantas from $229 each way.
Blue Spirit surf and adventure retreats run between November and April in WA’s Margaret River. There are mixed and women’s-only retreats.
The cost is $2,200 per person and includes transfers from Perth, all meals, accommodation, lessons and activities and the wine tour. [SUBS they were thinking of changing the price, pls call 0427 333 664]