Boarding school: surf camp helps get you into the swim

Muscle & Fitness/Hers, June-July, 2004 by Daryn Eller

Day two began with a lesson on how to paddle "outside" the waves, where you see surfers sitting on their boards waiting for something catchable to rise up from the sea. We also learned how to do a protective measure called a turtle roll. Performed when a wave is about to break over you, it entails rolling over and pulling your board on top of your head. I nodded as though it were a real possibility, knowing that La Jolla would have to freeze over before I ever tried it.

Despite my earlier confidence, once I got in the water, things weren't exactly coming together. My pop-up was pooped; I simply wasn't getting up. I had decided not to venture outside the waves, where surfing requires more strength and dexterity and quick thinking. Instead I stayed comfortably close to shore as I had the day before, but this time I took a few moments to just relax and marvel at the beauty of the swelling waves around me. I watched the teenagers, who were alternating between shaky but triumphant little rides and falls worthy of Kramer's classic Seinfeld pratfalls. And they, too, seemed to be taking in the whole experience, not just the surfing. "Did you see the sea lion?" the one with braces on her teeth asked me excitedly. It turned out, she had come all the way from Michigan.

By the time the call came for last wave, I had recovered sufficiently to start popping up again. On the final wave, I stood up and steadily rode that baby all the way to shore. It was my best ride yet--by my standards, a perfect wave. One hot shower and a pile of French toast later, I stopped at the school's store to buy a T-shirt. I picked one with the words "Surf Diva" splashed across the front. A bit of an overstatement, perhaps, but who would know?

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SURF CAMP: Izzy Tihanyi (above, left) spent a long time toiling in the back of a surf shop before she finally convinced her male bosses to hire her out as a surf instructor. She was a hit and, in 1996, parlayed it into Surf Diva, a surf school for women and girls that she co-owns with her twin sister Coco (above, right). (Two-day weekend clinics at La Jolla Shores beach, $130; five-day weekday clinics, $320; 858-454-8273; www.surfdiva.com.) No experience is necessary; you just must be able to swim and feel comfortable in the ocean.

WHERE TO STAY: There are tons of motels in the upscale town of La Jolla, but if you're up for nicer right-on-the-beach accommodations, I recommend the Sea Lodge (800-237-5211; www.sealodge.com; from $169 per night offseason) or its sister lodgings, the La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club (800-624-2582; www.ljbtc.com; from $139 per night), both of which are just a few steps away from where Surf Diva sets up camp.