Affordable Surf Lessons in Itacare, Brazil - "Paddle, Paddle Paddle!"

When I started surfing the net for schools in a watched-Blue Crush-Endless Summer II-and-Step Into Liquid-one-too-many-times-haze, it didn't occur to me that only 3 months later I'd feel like a bonafide surfer chick. No longer do I stare at the ocean for mere calming purposes. Instead it's “Where's the wind coming from? Where are the waves coming from? How many in a set?” Pretty radical dude.

In finding a school, my criteria were reasonable price and interesting location. Hawaii surf camps at $2K+ were out of the question. California's cold water surf camps did not appeal. A honeymooning couple I'd met in Brazil a few months earlier had raved about Itacaré, an idyllic ecotourist town. Could that be the place? The Easy Drop school seemed to have it all: Glowing testimonials, adherance to the official Australian Surfing Association's program, and extensive safety precautions. The ratio of at least one instructor for each 3 students and training in CPR and water rescue sounded perfect. To boot, Easy Drop's preferred payment method was PayPal, which suited this Internet junkie just fine.

The Training and Prep

A small but petrifying phrase in the Easy Drop contract gave me pause: “The student must be able to swim at least 200 m crawl, 500 m breaststroke.” Their site adds that "For beginners, or persons who do not practice a comparable sport, we recommend two to three hours daily of surfing. Any more can result in aching muscles, strains and exhaustion."

My last swimming training brought to mind a shouting high school PE teacher. But I dove in, alternating swimming with weight training.  Two months later, I felt ready on that joyous day when I paddled my 9 foot long board through Itacare's soft clear waters.

Getting There and Settling In

Most visitors fly into Salvador, Bahia then hop on a flight south to Ilheus which is also in Bahia. From Ilheus, Easy Drop shuttles you to the town, an hour north, past lush tropical plantations. (Unfortunately the region's glory days of cacao growing are over, due to devastation from a fungus.) The drive from Ilheus would about 7 hours; but judging by the sinuey ride out of Ilheus, getting out of town could be the big challenge.

As part of the package, Easy Drop arranges lodging in local pousadas. (Check their site to see the pousadas they currently are working with.) Several fellow students greeted me before a smiling instructor arrived with an orientation packet, making me instantly comfortable. My charming yet sparse room at Pousada Ilha Verde opened on to a patio adorned with hammock and views of the lush property. Each night, exhausted, I'd dream about the next day's carb-rich, home cooked breakfast of cakes, cheeses, meats, breads, homemade mango or banana jam, and strong coffee.

 

Hitting the Beach

Day one. Rogerio, a young instructor with a patient approach and irrepresible laugh, asked our goals. Mine? Simply to find out if I was a closeted hit-the-surf-at-the crack-of-dawn surfer at heart. Or would I find surfing fun, but not addictive? Or, would I be an aquatic Lucy Ricardo out there?

At Praia Concha (Concha Beach) I teamed with a friendly English guy who was starting the same day. We leashed our boards on, and paddled into the bay's mild currents. Within a couple hours we were flipping upside down in preparation for the “turtle dive,” and sitting up in that cool way that surfers search for the next good swell. It felt good. No endurance test as I'd feared and in fact my training had been more grueling than our initiation. Phew.

Day two, at Praia Engenhoca (en-jen-yo-ca) we joined “the others,”

a group of students who had already been surfing for one to two weeks. They'd already bonded in various ways, making for a briefly awkward get acquainted period. In general, Easy Drop says about one third of their students are female. Our group was about 50/50, including a woman firefighter from San Francisco who'd been surfing for 2 years, some students who had tried surfing 3 or 4 times, and others who had never touched a board including a 50-year old Canadian woman. About half the class of 10 were singles from various countries. Many had trained hard, while others suffered from lack of preparation. 

The days began at Easy Drop in Itacare's tiny center, where we'd meet at 1pm after leisurely mornings wandering the town and local beaches alone or with others. Six instructors piled us into two small trucks.  Surfboards strapped to the top, we'd first make a much-anticipated stop at a market at the edge of town. Frozen packets of mangos, plastic wrapped cookies, and ice cream topped the snack list to energize us. I also relied heavily on Energy Gu, which I'd brought from the US, and pineapples shucked deftly by young vendors on Engenhoca Beach for about $.50. Ever held a pineapple by its stem and eaten it like an ice cream cone?

Split by skill level, each group had 1 or more instructors to focus on helping us improve as well as keeping an eye on our whereabouts. I tried to keep my mind off the videographers on the cliff filming my every flip, failed stand up attempt. Soon I became known for my tendency to chuckle at my mishaps. It's the way to go.

My first attempts to stand lent a new meaning to “Brazilian wax.” The roughed up wax scraped against my cold thighs, quickly making them red and raw. Bruised kneecaps on the first day healed and were fine the rest of the time. By day three, the ocean and I were old pals and I'd proudly exceeded my goal of standing up for 5 seconds at a time.

Easy Drop refers to the action of dropping down the front of a wave, a move I saved for my last day. I paddled along cliff, where the current pulled us out, trying to allay my fear of getting smashed against the rocks. The constant watch of several teachers helped no end. In fact their suggestions to “om” and stop the mind chattering saved me many a time.

The big one comes. It's mine! I “paddle, paddle, paddle!” The wave's power shoots my board out in front of me after I stand for a second or two. Shaken but not stirred, I congratulate myself and see a distant “thumbs up” from the group on shore. But I decided that was enough and retreated to the familiar foam to practice turning into the waves on my board. The nice thing was, I knew no one would question my own judgment or push me beyond my comfort zone.

Delicious Refueling at Local Restaurants

Our trucks pulled back into Itacare around 6pm daily. (Depending on time of year, classes could start as early as 6am or as late as 1pm.) Then the decision: Wait to eat till after Easy Drop's nightly 7:30 surf video review, where we get tips on our surfing style? Or rush to eat after returning back, before the video, and sleep well having digested?

A La Carte, a typical Bahian place, is a popular choice where each $10 dish is fit for two. Exhausted from the days' surfing we focused on the fish steaks. “Avoid dende oil,” an instructor had warned us. That meant no fish stews which run heavy on palm oil (“dende”).

On night #2, I discovered Sapucai, a simply elegant French owned restaurant. $5 for a salad? Luckily the urge for a salad won me over. Densely green leaves packed into a small bowl, drenched with the most flavorful herbes des provence dressing I'd ever had revealed the chef's Cordon Bleu training. Against my instinct to sample local fare, Sapucai became my regular hangout. And soon our whole group was hooked on their Sapucai's thai chicken stirfry, an Indian fish curry, the salad, and the creamiest slab of passion fruit mousse imaginable.

Exploring Itacaré

Several white-sanded beaches sit a short 5 to 10 minute walk from Itacare's colorfully painted center. Some require a walk through a jungle trail (where at times Easy Drop holds class….so being in shape is critical.) Food stands line Praia da Concha, the closest beach and site of our first lesson. Reclining each morning, sipping water through a freshly drilled green coconut, white sands meeting the gently lapping, waveless water, it couldn't get any better.

Itacaré felt safe both day and night. Stick to the main town area, avoid looking like a wealthy tourist, and you should be  fine. The center is very small and charming, with 2 main streets for shopping and restaurants. For more specifics, check out www.itacare.com.

Had I achieved my goals?

I left Itacare happy and satisfied -- but for unexpected reasons. First, large waves no longer petrified me. And, the fact that I, lazy by nature, looked forward to each day of training- rather than feeling fear or dread - thrilled me as did the comraderie, the experience of hiking through a jungle with a surfboard, the knowledge that I was there for me.

Most of all, no matter how bad I am, it is so "alucinante" that I am a surfer chick. (That's ah-loo-see-NAHN-shee -- "awesome dude!")

My hat and purse have a home at DaLata Designs. You can also peruse my 1998 Brazil travel journal!