I’m taking you along for my very first surf lessons in Canggu, Bali with my Seasters at Haikini Surf Camp (Nov ’23). We surfed 2 hours a day for 5 days straight, and honestly… it was equal parts beautiful, inspiring, and humbling. I came in thinking I’d be fine because I’m a confident swimmer, but the waves, wipeouts, and swallowing water while tumbling with the board stressed me out so much on Day 1. I spent more time paddling than actually surfing, and I was this close to feeling demotivated. Over the week, things started to click—especially once my footing got more centered and I stopped fighting the ocean so hard. We did surf analysis (thank you Jojo for filming everything), and my coach helped me focus on finding the “pocket” of the wave, looking forward (not down), and staying low for better control. We even talked through the mental side: it’s often scarier in your head than it is in real life. By the later days, I could go left and right a bit more to avoid people, felt way more comfortable with currents (literally learning to surrender), and I was proud of myself for not giving up. Day 5 wrapped with everyone tired and a little banged up (one reef incident), but safe—and I left Canggu with a brand new love for surfing.