Western Swell in Autumn in Crete
- Kalo Surf
- Sep 25, 2020
- 2 min read
Day two of the western swell in Crete. Today the intermediate course was scheduled in the morning and the beginner course in the afternoon. Both times we surfed the beach break of Falassarna with nice clean sets of waves.
The intermediates first met with surf coach Andy for a spot check before he decided that the beach break is the better option. All in the group have surfed with us before so the modus operandi was well established. Our participants got into their wetsuits, received their boards and leashes, and headed to the beach! Easy going. After the warm up Andy moved on the the theoretical part (safety and communication - you know) and the dry runs on the beach. He explained efficient paddling, paddling while looking at the wave and looking out for the direction of the wave. The participants tried visualising through simulation. Today we wanted to learn and practice where to position, which wave to chose and understanding which way the wave will roll. According to that we try to make the turn and surf the wave in the so called pocket. We have some beautiful photos in our photo album of the participants paddling into glassy waves!
In the afternoon it was super cool vibes as well. Most of our participants have surfed with us before and they have achieved so much already in a few days! The lesson started with a warm up and the important safety and communication. Then Andy explained some wave theory, how the wave is breaking and how we call the different parts of the wave. He also covered priority and how to circulate in the water. The important thing is that we take care of each other, not block the way of other surfers and in return we don't catch waves when another surfer accidentally happens to be right in front of us. Then the participants went through a couple of dry runs of the pop up and as well the paddling technique. Just as the intermediate group in the morning they should start learning as a next step to look at the wave to see and decide in which way to turn. Sara worked on both her backside and frontside turn as well as catching the wave at the right moment. For Nico and Anna it was only the third day of surfing lessons and yet there was a new challenge to tackle! The beach break in Falassarna had some steep parts so it was crucial to understand where is the right place to catch the wave and take-off. They were able to catch waves on their own and have rides! Alexandra caught waves on her own and with Andy's help. She was able to turn the board front side AND back side. Chapeau to you all!
