Recently, 20 students from both the Churchill and Morwell Camp Year 9/10 Outdoor Education classes attended a three day surf camp at Wilsons Promontory. Weather conditions were forecast to be very rainy, windy and cold, however the students were still eager to not let the weather dampen their experience. The surf lessons were pushed forward to earlier in the days to make use of the better weather conditions. Rather than surfing at Wilsons Prom, the group travelled to Waratah Bay for all three surf lessons, as it provided better protection from the prevailing South-Westerly Victorian winds. Every student braved the cold conditions and their wet wetsuits provided a little bit of extra protection from the elements. Despite the unpleasant weather, the group were presented with pleasant offshore waves for all three lessons. The students were taught the basics of surfing, such as paddling out, paddling onto waves and standing up. The majority of students thoroughly enjoyed the experience of learning to surf. Some students nailed the art of standing up, while others were able to kneel on their boards. There were plenty of wipe-outs as well. In the evening, students set up camp and cooked their dinner on the BBQ’s. Cold conditions and a tiring day of surfing meant most students were in bed fairly early. After Thursday’s morning surf lesson, the group decided to pack-up and head back to school, due to the consistent rainy and windy weather forecast.
