No Wrong Turns: How to Surf, by a Wannabe Surfer

by Kelsey Mulyk on

I believe the time people put in working, running errands, going to the gym and all the other daily stuff we feel we have to do starts to take its toll on how we live and think. This is a big reason why Tom and I decided to pack up and leave for a little while…to put things in perspective, do a bit of work on the road and to surf (ok…learn to surf for me).

My surfing experience is limited to three times…once in New Zealand, once in Australia and one time in Costa Rica where an encounter with a jellyfish put my surfing attempts on hold. But now, since we have stopped in the Baja and there are some good learning beaches, I have decided to dedicate a few months to surfing, though the extent of my abilities so far is to stand up on my board. I’m working on it.

A few things beginner surfers need to know and remember: it is not as easy as it looks. No matter how athletic you are, expect to fall over and over and over again; practice makes perfect. Coordination, decent physical fitness and sheer determination (stubbornness…call it what you will) to get back up and keep trying are ideal traits if you want to learn how to surf.

Get the right gear

Extreme beginners should rent a foam long board. These range from 9 to 10 feet long and are wider than most surfboards, which provide more stability allowing more opportunity for “newbies” to pull themselves up. Make sure your board has a leash to prevent it from getting away from you or from maiming some poor innocent bystander — drawing blood isn’t a good way to make friends.

You are going to be out there for a while so a wetsuit is vital. Keeping warm while you are battling the waves helps you focus on learning to surf instead of wondering why you can’t feel your feet.

Figure out your lead foot

Your lead foot is the foot that feels most comfortable in front when you are standing on the board. If you snowboard or skateboard you won’t have any trouble figuring out which foot feels more natural as your lead foot; if you have no clue ask for assistance at the surf shop. Or have a friend stand behind you and, when you are not ready, give you a little push…whatever leg comes out first to prevent you from falling is your lead foot. “Regular” stance is left foot front, while riding “goofy” refers to those who prefer their right foot forward. If you still cannot figure it out you just have to get out there and see what feels best to you.

Take a Lesson

From my meager experience it is valuable to either take a lesson or have a seasoned surfer walk you through the motions of surfing on the beach. Walking into the ocean without any idea of what you are supposed to do is a waste of your time and the surfboard rental fee.

How to stand up on your board

(Explaining this definitely makes it sounds much easier than it is.)

  1. Lie down in the center of your board with your feet just hanging over the tail end and your head facing the top (the “nose”) of the board.
  2. Grip the “rails” (the sides) of the board and push yourself into a “push up” position and drag one knee through your arms so you are in a crouching-lunge position.
  3. Use your front foot and push yourself up to stand.
  4. Try and stand with your feet about hip distance apart with your lead foot in the middle and you back foot closer to the tail end of the board.
  5. The most important thing you can do to keep your balance is to try and keep your feet around the center of the board.

Walk through these steps a few times on the beach before hitting the waves. After a couple run-throughs, pick up your board, strap on your leash, imagine yourself catching a wave and get out there. Though I would never call myself a “surfer,” in the past few weeks I have managed to stand up on my board. I am definitely not consistent but with a bit more practice I can only get better. I should warn you: once you start to get the hang of surfing it’s hard to think about anything else but getting back in the water. Oh yeah and one more tip from this wannabe surfer: keep your mouth shut when you wipeout.

Largest swimsuit photo shoot ever in Miami Beach

by Jamie Rhein on

If you’re between ages 18 and 34 and want a free Old Navy bikini, it’s yours–if you are female. All you have to do is show up at Nikki Beach in Miami Beach, Florida this Friday, April 18, and be prepared to hang out with hundreds of other bikini clad women as part of a Cosmopolitan magazine promotion. Oh, yeah, you’ll be getting your picture taken.

The magazine wants to break the Guinness World Record for the largest swimsuit photo shoot. Last year’s record breaker was 1,010, so this year’s aim is 1,200. Along with a free bathing suit give-a-way, there’s a day of frolic in the sun. You do need to come with your own bathing suit and gussied up with make-up. Here are the details, and registration information. Don’t forget sunscreen.

Okay, as much as this sort of thing sounds like an event that would get on my nerves, it might be fun and a fairly easy afternoon of entertainment if one doesn’t think about the tiny bit sexist and ageist quality about it. At least they didn’t say which body type is eligible. I’m more of a Spencer Tunick photo shoot type person where anyone and everyone can show up for the occasion.

This photo was taken at a store in Miami Beach in case you’re looking for a bathing suit in a pinch.

No Wrong Turns: Surfers Give Cars Away in Baja Road Race

by Kelsey Mulyk on

A few weeks ago I overheard a bunch of locals chatting about a group of American surfers who drove down to the tip of Baja California Sur and gave away everything they came with including their cars. I decided to do a bit of research and find out what this was all about.

A group of guys, who affectionately refer to their vacation time together as “TGT” (The Guys Trip) decided to switch up their rather typical surf vacations for a new kind adventure — a trip that would jar them out of their middle-class comfort zones and, as they put it, “require balls.” The trip was dubbed “The Baja 3000”.

“The Baja 3000” challenged the surfers to choose a teammate and a vehicle that would get them to the tip of the Baja in seven days. Each team had a budget of $3000 which had to cover the purchase of a vehicle, car insurance (US and Mexican), permits, food, fuel, toll charges, and their accommodation. The maximum budget that could be allotted to the car purchase was $1500, leaving the other half to cover the remaining expenses. I want to know where they found decent cars to drive in Mexico for $1500!

As if that wasn’t already enough of a challenge, they created a complicated contest, based on a point system, with a list of activities that had to be completed along the way. Each team was given a camera and film as well as journal to document their contest accomplishments. Points were given based on the activities completed. One of the top ways to earn points was to have village children paint the car (earn 5000 points). One way to lose a serious amount of points was to receive jail time (lose 100, 000 points…though I think losing points would be the least of your worries).

They even had a “Baja 3000” trophy along with a prize for the winning team. The prize involved never having to buy beer for the rest of the trip and well-deserved bragging rights.

And, though the trip was all in fun, these guys also wanted to give back to the community where they have spent dozens of years surfing. Teams donated cars, school supplies, books and much more to low income families as well as to local organizations like Classroom on Wheels and Communidad Biblica de Cabo San Lucas.

Sounds like a fun and socially responsible vacation to me…I wonder where they will head to next year.

Check out their website for more information.

“No Wrong Turns” chronicles Kelsey and her husband’s road trip — in real time — from Canada to the southern tip of South America in their trusty red VW Golf named Marlin.

Read all of outdoor magazine Wend online and for free

by Anna Brones on

If you are an outdoor aficionado, you may already be familiar with Wend. The outdoor magazine based out of Portland, Oregon fills its pages with stories from around the globe that peak the interest of not only outdoor enthusiasts, but anyone with a wanderlust. The latest issue covers a trip through Iceland, volunteering in Indonesia, trekking Afghanistan and surfing the Great Lakes; that’s what I call good reading material.

Being the eco-friendly souls that they are, the Wend crew finally put the magazine online, making all of the articles accessible via your computer. You can still buy the print version, but if you are out traveling — or just want to save on paper consumption — the new online version is just as satisfying. And it’s free.

Check out the virtual version of the latest issue here. And if you are feeling truly inspired, shoot them an email and pitch a story.

The First Family of Surf: A Documentary

by Kelsey Mulyk on

I think people, even those who aren’t big travellers, wish they could just pick up and leave it all behind — the mediocre job, the boring classes and the never-ending bills….just disappear into the horizon to find something bigger than everyday life. Some people refuse to accept the mundane and, like Dorian “Doc” Paskowitz, they step out of the norm and into something else altogether.

Dorian “Doc” Paskowitz, a successful doctor and serious surfer, decided one day in 1956, after suffering from anxiety and insomnia, that enough was enough, packed up a 24 foot camper van with his wife and nine children and set off on the open road in search of the “perfect wave”. For the next 20 years he and his family traveled far and wide, ending up in destinations like Pensacola, Florida and the beaches of Venezuela. And now, the 85-year-old surf patriarch and apparent sex guru, has a documentary about his life and family to be released in theatres this May. Aptly, named Surfwise, since he believes “there is a wisdom in the waves”, the documentary brings together the “first family of surfing” to try to catch a glimpse of how they managed to live the dream and how one man’s choice affected his whole family. You can check out the trailer here.

Or even better, you can learn to surf from an actual Paskowitz. The family has been running a surf camp for the past 33 years and their motto is “we don’t just teach people to surf—we create surfers.” After watching the trailer, I checked out their site and was excited to see they are a running a surf camp in Cabo San Lucas from May 4th to 10th…but the camp costs $2900 US (yikes!) so unfortunately I won’t be attending. Looks like living in a van and learning to surf has worked out pretty well for these nomadic surfers.

Watch the trailer for the documentary after the jump: