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As the first few waves of frigid, salty Pacific Ocean water crashed over my braided head, the only thing I could think was that surfing was better than sex. Really. It’s been close to a decade since I last set foot on a surfboard, and even then I was no good. This time I wanted to do it right and signed up for an afternoon session with Tofino’s legendary Bruhwiler Surf School [website]. While there are a handful of schools on Vancouver Island’s West Coast, it seems to me that the Bruhwiler crew teach simply for the reason that they want to share their passion and way of life with others.

It’s all about the love of the wave.

We arrived at the shop a bit early in time to sign in, and were happy to hear that our wetsuits were already loaded onto the truck for us - one of the many advantages of sending in your body specs by e-mail prior to arriving.

Raph Bruhwiler and Dave the Moustache Man (who gets props for wiping the snot off my face) were our instructors for the day, and I can truly say that both did a stellar job. After a quick 15 (or so) minutes of chat on the sand - including important safety rules and basic theory - we grabbed our boards and headed out. In the words of Johnny Castle: “the best place to learn really is in the water.”

Snaking is definitely not allowed. Catching a “double up” is also not recommended.

Jenny and I hoped to ride another day without instructors, but due to less-than-favourable weather (more about that in the next post), we were forced out of our campsite earlier than we’d hoped.

To say that I can’t wait to head out again would be the understatement of 2008. The boys of Bruhwiler were phenomenal teachers and the encouraging vibe in our small group gave me the get-up-and-go that I needed. After about half an hour in the waves, I was actually standing up on nearly every other wave that I caught, and the feeling was simply euphoric. Like I said, better than sex.

I’d like to catch one of Bruhwiler Surf School’s two-day Roxy surf camps next summer with some girlfriends (and I think they know who they are). To find more information on the sport, the instructors, rates and camps, visit Bruhwiler Surf School’s site by clicking their logo in my sidebar.

To view all the photos from our ultimate surfing experience, click on over to my Flickr.

Not long ago, I thought July 30 would never arrive. It seems, however, that is has. After weeks of planning, packing and mostly just anticipating, I’m slinging on my oversized backpack, grabbing my laptop and boarding the Coastal Renaissance with Jenny in less than 24 hours.

First stop on Keira-Anne’s long weekend: the We(s)t […]

While talking with a friend, he mentioned a gem of a site he found that’s simply perfect for wasting time. People from all over contribute photos, love notes, to-do lists, break up letters, kids’ drawings and whatever else they can find in some of the most obscure places. Found Magazine [website] is where […]

Photo: Mercury Records
In 1997, there was no escaping “MMMBop,” either on the radio, MuchMusic or from yours truly’s JVC three-disc stereo system. I spent countless hours that summer sitting on the roof outside my bedroom window listening to Hanson’s debut album, “Middle of Nowhere.”
Fast forward 10 years: 2007 saw the release of […]

Before I typed these words, I sat here staring at a blank screen. I haven’t written anything new in close to two days and, truth be told, I still don’t have much to say.
[more staring…]
I guess the only difference between this post and any other post I’ve written before is that I’m […]

What could be better than hot sunshine, cold beer, sweaty and dirty men, insane mountain biking, friends and a summer day spent on Mt. Washington?
I know, I couldn’t think of anything either.

Only a month from now, the mountain that’s home to my favourite powder riding in the winter is now opening up its bare hills […]

Tonight marks the opening night of Vancouver’s Celebration of Light, sparking over the waters of English Bay. It’s the annual event at which, over four nights, 1.4 million Greater Vancouver residents cozy up together to take in fireworks displays from around the world. This year’s competition boasts colourful presentations from Canada (July 23), […]

You don’t have to like the music of ABBA, you don’t have to like glitter…you don’t even have to like musicals at all. Anyway you slice it, however, “Mamma Mia!” is certainly “a trip down the aisle you’ll never forget.” When you have a superb cast helmed by Meryl Streep, there’s nearly no […]

I am tired. In fact, I am so tired that I am near ready to cry from the struggle of keeping my eyes open this morning. The chorus from Riley Armstrong’s “Sleep” keeps looping through my head. On my desk sits a very strong Americano being used as a chaser for the […]

This past weekend I sighed and lamented over how much longer I’d have to wait until my planned trip to Tofino with Jenny, until I realized that the trip is, in fact, happening next week! Though we have only two nights in my little homeslice of heaven, both us girls plan to make the […]