Surf Lessons with Steger’s

There’s a lovely quote from Lord Byron that says, “Roll on, thou deep and dark blue Ocean – roll!”

I love this quote for its mystery and the epic way it portrays that vast pool that sits so close to us here at the New Jersey shore. And I love the Atlantic. Or should I say, I used to love it before I had kids. 

Now, that great big swirling ocean is more of a monster than a mystery, set to tumble over my boys, knock them off their feet or swish them out to the point of rescue. Okay, I’m clearly a worrier and a dramatist, but living close to the ocean has both its advantages and its concerns. And the best way to handle these concerns? Get out into the swell with a professional. That’s just what we did on a fine summer day with Steger’s Surfing Lessons.

My boys Salem and Finn love the ocean… gone are the days that they would jump the flat platform of wave that reaches out to its furthest spot on the sand before sweeping back in. Now, they want to go all in, to where the white foam is, no matter how far over their heads. Perhaps because they are coastal kids, the natural progression is to want to learn to surf. 

And a-surfing we shall go.

Though it had been around for centuries in Hawaii, it was 1779 when Lieutenant James King penned the earliest written account of surfing. Surfing stayed relatively quiet until the 1960s, when it exploded into the popular sport it is today, all over the world and in our own backyard.

The Cape May waves were a bit quiet when my husband Bill, Salem, Finn and I first stepped onto the sand at Queen Street Beach. As Bill voiced his concerns that there might not be big enough waves, I quietly cheered the surfing gods for keeping things calm. After all, I was sending my five and six year old out into the water on purpose (!), into that rolling deep dark ocean. Thank you, Lord Byron.

After a few minutes of playing on the beach and looking quite adorable in their little wetsuits (a must-have for the sheer cuteness of them, plus the Atlantic can be a little cold), Salem and Finn spotted instructors Jason Reagan and Steve Steger walking down with a few boards. After a small intro, Jason had the boards down on the sand, and began teaching the first lesson of the day: how to paddle and pop up on the board. This was done out of the ocean and, surprisingly, seemed natural for the little ones. I stayed out of the surf that day, but couldn’t help but wonder how well I would have done. Jason has been teaching for more than ten years and has been a pro surfer for over twenty His style was no nonsense, his words few and it worked. Luckily, Steger’s teaches all ages, so I made a mental note to come back for my own lesson. 

It worked well. I was musing on how cool surfing is when all of a sudden, the boards were off of the sand, and the boys were walking toward the water. I jogged after them, “are you sure they can do this?” I asked Jason.

“Yes.” 

After a few deep breaths, I was ready to let them go. It’s a natural instinct as a mom to not allow your kids to head into a potentially dangerous situation. And here I had invited it. Of course, I had also made sure they had one of the best instructors in the area, but still, it wasn’t easy those first few minutes, as Jason pulled each boy (that’s right, he took both out at the same time) into the waves. They were lying on the boards as he had showed them. I was like a bull with my right foot scraping the sand below, ready to take off into the water should one slip off the board. There were a ton of “what ifs” that day, but I tried to only pay attention to the one that said, “What if they love surfing?”

Now you may be wondering where Bill was during all this? Was he standing sentinel with me along the shore, also ready to run in should something go wrong? Was he out in the surf even closer to the boys?

No. He was out on a stand-up paddleboard with Steve, so far out that I could barely see them. And they were having a blast. Steve has been paddle boarding for many years all around Cape May. He took Bill out for about 45 minutes on a relaxed tour. They even saw dolphin frolicking in the ocean. 

I, however, was not even close to the frolicking dolphin. I was still a nervous mom… but that was all about to change. 

As Jason held on to Salem’s board (Finn was floating nearby), he turned him toward the shore, pushed him into a wave and … let go. It seemed like it was in slow motion. Salem was hurdling toward me, gripped his hands on the board, with what I was sure was a scared look on his face. Then he squinted in concentration, pressed up, popped his feet into place and bam, was surfing! The concentrated look broke into a smile as he neared the shore. I was smiling too.

When it was time for Finn, same thing. He popped up, rode that wave in like a pro, and went back in for more. Jason continued to work with them for another half hour as they kept heading in and out. Finally, they were stepping back towards me, arm around their board, smiles on their face, hair dripping wet against their skin.

It was truly amazing, how after just about a half hour, the boys were able to surf. I was so proud of them. And proud of myself for letting them go into that deep and dark blue ocean. Though I had relaxed as the lessons progressed, I still exhaled in relief when my guys were back on land and holding my hand. 

Ready to learn how to surf? Steger Beach Services offers surfing and stand up paddleboard lessons in private and group settings. Give them a call at 609-675-4978 or visit stegerbeachservice.com for more information.