Old dog new tricks: Surfing

Tackling the Texas breaks

I have a sore right nipple. I also have grazes on my knees. And on my elbows. Oh, and my entire body aches.

I'm 34 so I'm not quite the oldest dog, but I'm old enough to know that you're often at an advantage learning a new trick like surfing when you're a teenager, simply because the bumps, bruises, scrapes, cuts – and rashes – don't seem to hurt as much. Plus you can get up the next day and do it all over again. Not so when you're 34. Believe me.

I've come to Port Aransas, Texas, to learn to surf. Each summer, Texas Surf Camps runs week-long courses in which you learn the ropes (if you're a beginner like me) or hone those skills, from 8.30 in the morning until 2pm. This isn't just a couple of lazy hours over a weekend – this is surf boot camp, Texas-style, in the Gulf of Mexico. If you can't get up on your board by the end of the course, well, you must be pretty hopeless.

I'm the oldest student here by far but I'm not going to be deterred – or bettered – by these young whippersnappers. My dad learned to surf (in the freezing waters of Cornwall) back in the 1960s but he'd never taught me. It was now time for me to follow in his footsteps.

Ironically, I discover that I'm about to be taught to surf by a fellow Englishman: my instructor, Tristan, is from Cornwall (although he's lost almost all of his accent).

The water on the Gulf coast at this time of year is warm and the waves at Port Aransas are fairly small, but they're consistent – perfect for beginners. Don't be fooled though; there are pro surfers round these 'ere parts as well. Texas Surf Camps was started by Morgan Faulkner, a former amateur state surf champion from Corpus Christi who is now a pro rider for Quiksilver. When the surf here isn't up to scratch, Morgan and his friends simply ride on the wakes of the huge oil tankers instead. During the summer he teaches (mostly kids) surf lessons here near Horace Caldwell Pier.

Tristan and his fellow instructors demonstrate on the beach how we're to lie face-down on our surfboards along the centre line, our feet just poking over the back (or 'tail') of the board. We're told to paddle with deep strokes, one arm after the other, and then, once we've turned the board around in the water, to face the shore and wait for the right wave.

'I'm sure I saw sharks landed here last year,' I tell Tristan as we head for the water.

“No, no, definitely no sharks. You just have to watch out for the Portugese Man 'O War jellyfish and the rays – they have barbs and can really do you some damage.

“Just shuffle as you walk into the ocean with your board,” Tristan tells me. “That way, the rays will swim away and you won't step on them.”

It's amazing how easy it is to get up on your board when you've been shown how to do it on dry land first. “Do a push-up on the board once the wave is underneath you,” Tristan says, “then slide your legs underneath you and stand sideways along the middle of your board.”

I stand up on my first attempt, albeit not for long, but later manage to put in a turn and surf parallel to the wave. This is known as 'surfing down the line' and the adrenaline rush is incredible.

Next morning I realize why all the instructors are wearing polyester Rip Curl, Billabong or O'Neill t-shirts. Surfing gives you rashes – mostly on your knees, elbows and nipples – due to the board rubbing. And although I've re-applied the sunscreen several times, my face looks like a lobster.

I ask Tristan again about the sharks. I've been thinking about it overnight, I tell him, and I definitely remember seeing fishermen hauling them up from the pier last year.

“Yes, but we don't tell the kids that,” he says, laughing. “We saw a five-foot-long Tiger Shark here last year. But they won't hurt you – there are far too many fish for them to eat.”

Despite the sharks. Despite the jellyfish. And despite the rays with their dangerous barbs, I'm hooked. Like nine times world champion Kelly Slater says, surfing is like the Mob – once you're in, you're in. I couldn't agree more.

WideWorld would like to thank Texas Surf Camps; www.texassurfcamps.com, (361) 749-6956 (individual lessons, $45 per hour per person) and the Port Aransas Chamber of Commerce and Tourist Bureau; www.portaransas.org, 00 1 361 749 5919