To me, surfing is something that has always seemed like the epitome of cool. This thinking is probably (definitely) influenced by the 2002 movie Blue Crush, which stars Kate Bosworth and Michelle Rodriguez as cool and hot surfer chicks who live in Hawaii and are just trying to get by. Blue Crush has a 61% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and after watching this movie with my friend Hannah last year I'm surprised that it’s even rated that high. But, as bad as this movie is, I probably watched it a total of 20 times between the ages of 10 and 12. WHICH leads me to my point that Kate Bosworth surfing was cool and I wanted and still want to be as cool as her.

So this weekend I put thoughts into action and signed up for my first surf lesson.

I was surprised to learn that Puerto Rico is actually somewhat of a surf Mecca for people all around the world. Rincon, on PR’s northwest coast, has been rated as one of the best places to surf in the world and draws in thousands of surfers (new and old) yearly. So naturally, I needed to find a way out to this surf paradise to really do it right.

Google Search (my travel BFF) lead me to my guide, Ramse, a lifelong surfer and instructor based out of Rincon. Communication was brief before we officially set a time for the lesson, but Ramse did a really great job of making sure I knew what I needed and where to go before we got started.

I left San Juan for Rincon at around 6am on Sunday morning and made it out to our meeting spot, Playa Jobos in Isabella, around 7:45am. Tired from a long work week, I was surprised that I could rally that early for something that was guaranteed to wipe me out both physically and mentally. But, thoughts of Kate Bosworth pushed me (and my inner twelve year old) to get on that board! follow my dreams! and give up my job as a hotel cleaning lady to marry the vacationing NFL quarterback!

Playa Jobos is a wonderful beach that was fairly busy for a Sunday morning at 8am. Situated on the edge of a cove off of the Gulf of Mexico, Jobos has the perfect makeup for good surf. The cove has big, eroded rock formations that cut into the choppy gulf and prevent the waves from getting too extreme. That being said, the way that the current flows in past these rocks still sets the beach up for some pretty consistent swells that make for exciting rides.

The lesson itself was standard. Learn the basics of surf safety, balance, and coordination on land and then head out to the water. I was fortunate enough to score a one on one lesson, so our time on the shore was brief and we were out and paddling pretty quickly after the intro.

Now, I’ve had some experience with a paddle board up on Middle Bass, but a surf board is a little smaller and more fickle, which became apparent after falling off once or twice on the trip out.

A fitting sticker that I found walking around near my hotel. Additional insult above.

When we finally made it out to the surf there were about ten other people (locals, seasoned surfers) floating at the edge of the cove. Being the only newbie and non-Spanish speaker in the group I was expecting to feel like an outsider in this big surf family, but I was totally wrong. True to form, the surfers of PR were all smiles and completely supportive of my several failed attempts to stand up on my borrowed long board. It’s humbling to have the support of a group of people when you have absolutely no idea what you’re doing, even if it’s just from a few big smiles and “esoooooo”’s here and there. What could have been a rightfully embarrassing experience turned into an experience that was still a little embarrassing but mostly carefree.

I did end up successfully riding a few waves into shore after some impressive collisions with the reef and the board itself (Dad, if you’re reading this my teeth haven’t fallen out yet) and was the the best feeling in the world. I’ve had friends over the years tell me that surfing is like nothing else. It’s hard but it’s worth it. Addictive. And they are all right.

I eventually lost stamina around 10:30 and had to call it quits for the day, but I really wish I could have spent more time out in the water. I am thankful though that I wore myself out because the sunburn that I have earned from the back of my neck all the way down the the backs of my ankles has been brutal. Anymore time out there and I would have most definitely singed my own skin off.

My body took a beating this weekend and I’m still aching from everything but it was so worth it. The twelve year old in me can’t wait to do it again nor can the twenty five year old. And just in case you were wondering, I’m totally going to watch Blue Crush this week and it’s going to be bad and I’m going to love it.

Plan your own surf adventure here: http://surflessonspuertorico.com/