For eight Ohio University students, spring break meant a week of surfing and camping in Cape Hatteras, N.C., where the offseason allowed for better deals and a less crowded beach.
“It’s spring break, and it’s always nice to just relax on the beach,” said Jake Brown, the student manager who organized the trip.
Ohio University’s Outdoor
Pursuits hosted the eight-day trip, which Brown said filled up more quickly than he originally imagined.
“I was kind of nervous,” said Brown, a junior studying outdoor recreation and education. “I didn’t know what kind of turnout I would get, but within two weeks the trip was filled.”
Brown and his co-instructor, Ryan Scott, taught participants rip-current identification, basic surfing skills, surfing edict, hazards to look for when surfing, how to duck dive, and surfboard terminology.
“I think surfing has a lot of appeal to a lot of people,” he said. “You look at it and think it looks fun but people don’t realize how hard it is.”
The trip carried a $250 fee, which covered transportation, surfboard and wetsuit rental, camping fees, dinners, and instruction.
Laura Kahle, a junior studying exercise physiology, said she felt the trip was well worth the price because of the skills she picked up during the week.
A typical day started early with breakfast and was followed by surfing until lunch, with more surfing afterward if the weather was nice.
Despite the forecast’s original prediction for rain, the group lucked out with good weather.
“Everything is dictated by the waves. If the waves were good we would surf,” Brown said.
Kahle added that the trip was a great opportunity to surf that doesn’t come around often living in Ohio.
“I was a little nervous because I hadn’t done it and I didn’t know how difficult it would be,” she said, adding that by the end of the trip she was able to ride a few waves.
When the week wrapped up, every student was able to at least stand up on the board and ride a wave, said Evan Fenstermaker, a junior studying creative writing who made the trip.
“It was very memorable and a good experience,” Kahle said. “Something to cross off your bucket list.”
gm220908@ohiou.edu
