Review: Spot X Surf n Stay

Seriously one of the most unreal 4 days I’ve had on the coast so far! That’s saying a lot seeing as how my stitched up wound re-opened on the first day of my 4 day surf n stay.

Initially I was a little hesitant to spend 500 bucks on a 4 day camp, but I’d say it was money very well spent. First, on topic of my knee, they were awesome about it! Had this been any other company or anywhere in North America in general I would have been S.O.L. with my injury. Mojo Surf transferred my remaining 4 surf lessons to Sydney (my next stop) without hesitation while still letting me carry out my 4 days of accommodation and food at Spot X (located in Arrawara close to Woolgoolga). They were awesome at helping me up pre-surf, and even more attentive at cleaning me up post surf and checking up on my condition for the next 4 days!
So why did I have such a great time if I was only surf-able for 1 day?

The one day of lessons I did was UNREAL and I got to live the next few vicariously through my friends. There was a great instructor-student ratio, and the instructors were super helpful and encouraging. They made sure every person was able to stand up and gave one on one coaching to every single person based on how they were picking up surfing. All the staff at camp are awesome as well. Super accommodating for any dietary needs, always making people feel at home (Lots of people only do a one day stay) no matter how long they’re around for, answering questions, and making sure everyone feels included and has a sick time. If you can only do one day-STILL DO IT! I even feel way more confident about practicing basic surf after a hour lesson. If you can do the 5 or 7 day stays…do them too! You basically learn more advanced skills with each day, so it’s not like it gets boring or coaches become less valuable/important. At the same time, as mentioned, you can get a lot out of even a short amount of time…especially if it’s one of your first stops in Oz, you will get the tools to practice all the way up the coast!
Food was great. There was a good selection of cereal, bread, spreads and fruit every morning for breakfast. Lunch was pretty much the same daily, but my favourite meal for sure. They had all cheese, veg, and sandwich meat necessary to grill wraps or sandwiches as well as tons fo salad options. Dinner is the same on each day of the week each week, so some people who were in the academy (1-3month stay/instructors in training) were a bit sick of stuff, but 7 different meals is probably more variety than what I eat when cooking for myself. I had Bolognese, Steak and mashed, roast beef, and Thai chicken curry…all were really good in my opinion. The food is cooked fresh daily, and always has healthy options which is good when you’re doing so much exercise. There was always opportunity for seconds, I don’t think anybody goes hungry! And there’s always free coffee, tea, and cordial.

Dorms were clean…a few girls did have a possum in their dorm…but welcome to Oz? The bathrooms were a bit of a trek…but by that I mean a whopping 2 minutes. Bunks were comfy and had duvets—no complaints from me here.

Nights weren’t as wild as I thought they’d be but It’s a good thing because you get super tired surfing, and the earlier you surf, the better it is…so you’re best not to be hungover anyway. There was live music a few nights, and the events coordinators were always up to something for the people who wanted to get involved. There’s a nightly bottleshop run and tons of fridge space for those who wanted to drink. As for me…I’m pretty sure the reason my knee didn’t heal the first time was because I was dancing on tables at cheeky monkeys every day of my ‘don’t sweat, get it wet, or exert yourself’ recovery so I sat out on the goon. We still had a great time mingling after dinner talking about the surf for the day and our upcoming travel plans. I met a great group of 10 girls that I will hopefully be meeting up with again in Sydney this holiday season.

Also totally sweet was watching a surf competition (pipeline? In Hawaii?) with other surfers and instructors. You understand how unreal they are in a whole new way, and you get to see laid back surf bums get totally amped up about something!

Overall an unreal few days, I’d do it again for sure. I’ll definitely keep you posted on Anika learns to surf round 2 in Sydney when my knee heals. As much as the price tag is daunting, its totally worth it to be immersed in the surf culture and environment of spot x and have instructors that know what they’re doing. Also, with the surf academy there as well you can get extra instructors at your lessons that are basically in training which is a sweet addition. I’m a person that hates being helped because I think I’m not doing well, but I accepted all of their coaching with open arms because it comes with such great intention and experience. And the fact that it includes unlimited, well-cooked food is actually hugely important to having a good surf. Yeeeewwwww.

It’s all in the cards

Travel Injuries, NO FUN. At first I just thought my fall would yield a nice scar and a good story…but its also costing me weeks in the sun and water, the cost of bandages and disinfectant, and has gotten me nowhere near enough pity.

I’ve been eating out WWWAYYYYY too much, and going to tarot card readers and solo movies because there`s NOTHING else I`m allowed to do .

On that note, I went to a tarot card reader and got the disturbing news that I already know my future husband…vomit. Obviously I don’t really believe this…it’s a massive party trick. But it makes you think…surround yourself with awesome individuals….cause one day you’ll marry one of them….double vomit.

She also said I’d have a career involving media…with social media’s constant evolution I don’t see how that could ever not be true…but whatever…what else…oh she said 2013 would be a year of dramas in my love life…but that she wanted it because it was so passionate. I just want Marissa to teach me how to knit and never leave my house again if that’s the case…I’m all drama-ed OUT. Jesus. Travelling with mostly people in their early 20s that have dropped out of school to travel is dramatic enough. Its’ like first year lister drama on heroine, wasted on goon. The best part is NOTHING is going to work out because you don’t meet people in ‘real life’. You meet them in ‘I’m drunk, you’re drunk, we’re both half naked (swimsuits), and you look alright, I can’t keep upping my ‘number’ want to be together’ land. Once you’re back to ‘I’m going to use my brain, go to my job, pay my rent, and cook more than sandwich tuna on rice cakes land’ which I will add is probably a different continent….let’s see how that goes for you.
All of this angst because I was running away from 19 year olds on rocks while drinking goon. And also because the doctor didn’t want to use glue or dissolving stitches.
Then I walked down the street of Nimbin, where I forgot to bring my camera like a total genius. Basically it’s a drug filled hippy town of grannys trying to sell you special cookies…not because they’re made with love ;). There was a palm reader…best 10 bucks spent so far (I paid him even though he said I didn’t have to)! He started by telling me he knew what I wanted to know. I was confused, palm readers aren’t psychic or typically very descriptive future clairvoyants, they mostly stick to the personality trait stuff. But Peter came out guns a blazing “you’ll be married by 35, you’ll probably be with him a solid decade though because of your intense trust issues. By the end you’ll have anywhere from 2-4 kids to show for it…it is somewhat unclear, maybe 2 pregnancies, and more children?” My thought: Frick that’s old, I better deal with my trust issues…and THE STRETCH MARKS WITH TWINS….but if I’m 35 I could afford a surrogate, “continue”. He got very excited just as Alberta, the tarot reader did, and said oh my! I will read you forever without charge. At first I thought, sweet Jesus…then I figured, I have one life to live…might as well be a sick ass, complicated, exciting, passionate one, right? He continued to say I have a gift for writing and that I was boundlessly creative. I continue to find it hilarious when people tell me to be creative. Mostly because Ms. Wheatland told me in grade 12 that I had terrible writing and a lack of imagination. I have always held on to that and believed I was just inherently a terrible writer. Anyway, back on point, he told me that a day without creativity must see intense adrenaline, and a day without that results in binging on sugar. I feel like the man knew me. I’ve been eating this damn passion fruit chocolate daily in Byron because I can’t run and I’ve yet to really figure out this ‘creative power’ people seem to think I have. This ‘gift’ as they call it. He said I am self-disciplined, mildly irrationally anxious, and appreciate beauty. I feel like that’s traits of a Libra? I ruin every relationship because I always think long term and can’t handle accepting a fling or short term commitment. I love to present in front of people, being the center of attention gives me a thrill and I have the energy to project and share so I might as well. I’m witty. I am competitive and driven like one parent and reserved to keep harmony like the other. Then he started talking about the beauty and purity of my skin and how they would have hid me in the hills and taught me tapestry until they found me a worthy mate to keep my beauty pure…I think he saw me tune out to ‘dude how many shrooms have you had today’ land. He brought me back by saying that I have a busy brain. He told me to discriminate between thoughts, to smile at every thought that wasn’t sound. Somewhat like what Anna told me, and this will be my mission for the next month. The other thing he told me was to give and take instead of compromise….but I feel like that one will be a good long read after some introspection so I’ll leave it with you to contemplate for a few. He said I’m strong, but too strong sometimes as I can give and give and give and receive none in return until I’m so far exhausted that I break. That I’m compassionate but only if I find it to be a worthy cause, if I don’t I have no empathy at all because I believe it was ‘their fault’. My emotions run at extremes; I’m elated or irate, not happy or mad. I relate strongly to young and old, but the group in between I judge severely. Probably because I only want to associate with people I find to be equally as brilliant as I, and that doesn’t leave many people. He said I don’t enjoy much of life because I’m too busy moving to the next bench mark, which is probably the most true thing he said (next to the busy brain thing….if you haven’t realized how jumpy this post is…I didn’t actually take drugs in Nimbin, promise). What else…that I’m serious. I have a great smile, but it takes a lot to earn a genuine one. ….all based on the wrinkles in my hand. For those who know me…CREEEEEPY…for those who don’t, you now know me better than I know myself.
Oh Byron, it’s been a slice: A lot of introspection, way too much time with my busy brain, way too much junk food, not enough running, and a lot of rain. Either way, since being here I’ve felt ok with leaving Australia, and I have started to genuinely believe that this next little while of not having a clue what I’m doing might just work out in the end. Even without counting all the psychic, hand reading, commune party stuff, I had a hell of a time, and as promised, you will always have a special place in my heart. Namaste.