Lilac – Surf Training Australia

Lilac - Surf Training Australia

First steps

I arrived at Spot X on April 1, 2022 to take the "Become a surf teacher in 3 months" professional training course.
I remember a surf lesson in France, 18 students for 2 instructors. Many people take a surf lesson, many never do again. The instructors' aim is to get the students up as quickly as possible, so that they experience this wonderful feeling, have a good time and get a great souvenir photo.
Here at Spot X, the instructors' aim is not only to teach students how to surf, but also to teach them another philosophy of life: "be cool in the water and out of the water". Being a rather stressed person by nature, this was a promising experience.

My experience

From the very first session, I was standing on my board! Nate, the founder and main instructor, and Rhys, his second-in-command, were really there to observe us and give us individualized advice. They also filmed us so that we could all analyze the videos together and see our shortcomings. Nate always says it's amazing because in surfing, "you learn as much by surfing as you do by watching other people surf".

On the beach, it's already different, the technique is made to last. Nate's speech promised a healthy body in a healthy mind. On paper, surfing, fitness, yoga, stretching, theory and first aid classes are offered. In reality, it's so much more. It's waking up with a smile on your face as you watch the sun rise over the ocean in a bungalow with your three roommates and friends. It's setting off for a morning session with manta rays, then an evening session with sunset and dolphins. It means gathering around a campfire and a speaker, only to fall asleep in bed and dream of the day when you'll master your board. Cliché as it may sound, this is our reality here. A week has gone by and I can already feel the knots in my body fading away and being replaced by aches and pains and "healthy fatigue".

At Spot X, you'll meet a team that's smiling, enthusiastic and patient, but also ready to share their wildest anecdotes over a drink, or to take you on a road trip in the van with no specific destination in mind. It's also about meeting people from England, Holland, Sweden, New Zealand and so on. As the adventure progresses, some people leave to make room for newcomers. Not everyone completes the three-month program.

Some people only come for a month or two, which helps to make encounters and makes them so enriching and ephemeral. All the sensations here are multiplied tenfold: the joy of being in the water from evening to morning, the pleasure of preparing a delicious curry and eating it as a "family", but also the sadness of seeing your new friends already gone....

One session in the morning, another in the afternoon, in the company of the wildest animals, breathtaking sunrises and sunsets, a dedicated team of backpackers from all over the world whose sole aim is to surf, be happy and meet different people.

Welcome to paradise.

Lilac Hampe