The time's ticking by, and we've been fortunate enough to have plenty of sunshine, aswell as nightly rainfall to keep the humidity levels to down. With the courses starting on Monday we've been taking advantage of having our own piece of paradise to ourselves and have inividually gone through the course syllabus with all the group making sure that everyone stands the best chance of tackling the awards to their highest standard.??
The Surf Instructor Course requires every individual to give a talk for 10 minutes on a topi of surfing that they have been designated by the course assesor. This could range from -Wave Prediction and Weather Forecasting- to -Surfboard designs-, everyone has to show not only that they have a depth in knowledge, but that they can also engage a group of people for an extended period of time, as ultimately that is what Level 1 surf coahing is all about. There are 4 further criteria including a surf assesment, written exam, a pre-prepared course booklet, and a lesson demonstration. which we are all working hard towards.??
The second course is the Surf Lifesaver, which covers ocean water rescue, and first aid response. The main preparation for this course has been building up fitness levels, as well as some pool time to prepare for the much anticipated timed swim. We've had the fortune of using the local pool which has been a great help, Tom has set the new TTRide record, and is the first to break the 6 minute mark. He's followed quickly by Sarah with Gabby (temporarily out of the water) Jack and Triccia not far behind. Alex, Frosty, Charlotte are all sub 8, with Rob, Max, and Johnny hot on their heels. Ollie, Millie, JT and Harry are getting quicker by the day, with Harry shaving a record 2 minutes 10 secs off his previous time. (Jonty's already got his award which is why he didn't get a mention.) All the group have reacted extremely positively to this hard work, and genuinely seem to be enjoying pushing their own fitness levels above what they previously knew, which is grea for Sam and myself to see.??
Even in amongst all this hard work we still managed to spend the majority of the day surfing in the presence of the great and mighty Ant Brodowicz who is a former 1978 World Champ and is still highly involved in the S.A surf scene.??A very busy week here, and in The Spot we've got our own secluded piece of paradise which has proved the perfect setting for everyone to knuckle down, and ge the business side out of the way.??More lifesaving tomorrow, with an early morning surf, and the Oribi gorge in the afternoon, so time to get some sleep (I've recently heard that 7 hours is the optimal amount, which is a good thing as I'm still on schedule!)??Until next time….??L