Long have I fantasized about realizing my Blue Crush/Rocket Power dreams and learning how to surf. Living on Long Island Sound in the USA meant, yes, we had the beach, but unless a particularly hefty individual cannon-balled, you were unlikely to see a wave that would crest above your knee. Thus, when the opportunity arose for me to go on a surfing trip here in Ireland, I jumped at the chance.

Bundoran is a town on the very upper tip of the west coast which borders the Atlantic Ocean and is known as a surf haven. We went through TurfnSurf, which is a company based in the town that provides hostel stays and surf lessons. A very nice woman met us in City Centre and boarded us onto a pre-booked coach bus. The bus took us from Dublin, all the way to Bundoran, which was about three and a half hours. Little did I know the quickest route is through Northern Ireland, so when I started seeing Union Jack flags scattered about the countryside, I was a bit confused. While this detail may mean little to you it does mean that if you have an Irish sim card, TURN OFF YOUR DATA while you’re passing through (learn from my mistakes, for the sake of your mobile bill).

The trip was quite easy, with the bus driver making stops for bathroom breaks and snacks (which ended up being more of a curse than a blessing as for the rest of the trip there were various scents wafting thorough the bus ranging from cheese and onion crisps to coffee). We arrived at the hostel, which was in a choice location, with the shore right across the street and the town just a short walk away, and were taken inside by an employee of the company.

In the week leading up the the trip, we’d been emailed by the organizer giving us more details about the schedule. They also said we’d be greeted on arrival with a glass of complementary wine (yas yas yas yas). However, there was no wine in sight by the time we had all moved into our rooms, and when I was voted to be the emissary of those waiting for free alcohol, the Hostel employee told me that the bus was late so they cancelled the free wine (???????). In my opinion that would be a reason for more wine not less, so after that initial disappointment we retired to our room so we could rest up for the next day.

The rooms were quite nice, we got a double and it had two beds, a TV and our own bathroom with towels. Granted, the TV only showed Irish soap operas, but that was as entertaining as anything else I’ve seen on Irish networks to be honest.

The next morning we woke up and headed downstairs for breakfast (which was included, cue my wallet breathing a sigh of relief) and consisted of cereal, toast and some tea/coffee. Afterwards we headed back to our rooms to change into bathing suits and head down to grab wet suits.

The surf instructors chatted with us and sized us up for our wet suits, laughing as we timidly took the body-conforming garments.

Cue the worst part of surfing: putting on a cold wet suit. Honestly though, the biggest downside of this trip was tugging that freezing slab of fabric over my limbs. If there were ever a time that I’ve felt like a sausage, it was that moment as I was zipped into the casing that would keep me warm for the next three hours.

It was then we were loaded into the car and zoomed over to the shoreline where we unloaded the boards and plopped them down on the sand. The instructors were really funny and nice, constantly making jokes and giving helpful tips. They showed us the technique for popping up on the board on land and had us practice a few times. After a little safety brief (always protect your face when you fall, save the money maker!!) we strapped on the ankle cord and made our way into the surf.

The water wasn’t too cold and the wet suits, despite my misgivings at the beginning, kept us really warm. Soon enough I was standing and falling on a loop, I was even the first person to stand and surf a wave (cue victory dance). While I’d expected it to be really difficult, it was actually pretty easy to pick up, especially with the instructors around to give you little tips and tricks. The best part was no one was an expert, so any time anyone stood up on the board or surfed for awhile, the whole group cheered and got a little thrill out of it. The weather was mildly sunny too, which elevated the mood.

Surfing turned out to be one of those things that is fun even when you’re bad at it, which can’t be said for a lot of water activities.

After about three hours, we lugged our boards back onto the beach and set off back to the hostel. Hanna and I grabbed lunch at a little cafe down the street (which was good because after three hours of surfing I was SO HUNGRY) and then spent the rest of the day walking along the beach and exploring the town. There’s a nice little walking path that goes along the cliffs that you can access from the downtown area which is good for your free time after surfing.

We then headed back to the hostel, where they were hosting a little barbecue. Though we’d been told they were going to have the barbecue, they didn’t tell us that in order to attend it cost ten euro, which we happily paid, but the one thing that could be said about our booking was there were the little surprises (see *wine) and inconveniences that could’ve been avoided if we’d just been a little bit more informed, but that’d be my only complaint about the trip itself. The BBQ was pretty cool, with all you could eat burgers, hot dogs and salads. It was BYOB, but one of the surf instructor’s bands played, which was pretty entertaining. People started dancing towards the end (once they’d had a few drinks in them) and then the whole crew went down the street to a pub called Chasin’ Bull to continue the party.

The next morning we woke up (a little bit more sore than previously) and made our way downstairs again for breakfast. The day was so windy that we had to be shuttled to a different beach where the waves were supposedly smaller. And let me tell you, if those were the small waves, I’d hate to see the big ones. We trekked towards the rioting waves which came up all the way to the rocks and left no part of the beach untouched. I must admit, every lifeguard instinct in me was telling me not to go in the water. There was a pretty strong current going and I was (embarrassingly) clinging to the shore with my surfboard lagging behind me.

One of the instructors noticed and came over, reassuring me that, no, I was not going to die a horrible watery death like the mental images I was conjuring. With a bit more encouragement from him, I finally sloshed through the water and gave it a go, riding a admittedly small wave all the way in. With that all my fears subsided, the waves were pretty big, but the water was shallow and it was easy to jump over them if you weren’t ready.

The second day turned out to be even more fun because there was far less waiting around for the waves to come, and thus far less time to think about basking sharks (which you should definitely google because they are hideous and live in the Irish waves).

After another three hours we were driven back to the hostel where we had a few hours to pack up our stuff and grab a bite to eat. We went to a pub down the street called Maddens Bridge Bar, where we were served cold beer and the best pub fare I’ve had since being in Ireland (their chicken was delicious). When we had been thoroughly stuffed, we returned to the hostel and boarded the three hour bus back to Dublin.

So there it is, my surf weekend! I would definitely recommend TurfnSurf if you’re thinking of a weekend trip to Bundoran. Here’s some of the pictures they took to prove I actually did go in the water…