Bikini Bandits

By Lynne Dickinson

Images by Steve Dickinson

If you have not yet seen the movie ‘Ice Age’, then the following description may be lost on you. But for those of you who have and remember the scene where the Sloth tries to get comfy on the rock will have a good idea what it was like travelling 10 hours at night to Singapore. Emma, although only 5ft could not get comfortable and wriggled around like the Sloth for hours trying unsuccessfully to find a position that would allow sleep! However, despite the lack of comfort, that was all we could complain about on Singapore Airlines. The food was excellent and the in-flight entertainment system meant that we all had our own on- demand movie screens to prevent us from becoming completely stir crazy.

In Singapore we met up with the Aussie team, meeting some of the girls for the first time.

Travelling with 14 girls and two guys could be a challenging experience for some and our team was made up of a fairly eclectic group of people. The bikini bandits (named after the fact that at every break we would arrive at, there would be 14 of us bikini clad girls paddling into the line-up and taking over the break) were made up of five Kiwis – Emma Punter, Megan Piper, Paige Hareb, Airini Mason (yes we are still claiming Airini!) and me as well as nine Aussie girls – Sarah Hansen, Paige Houden, Yasemin Maksut, Jessica Horin, Genevieve Travis, Tara Ryan, Amanda Ryan, Rebecca Oakley and Laura Enever. The group ranged in age from 15 to 42 and our surfing ability ranged from impressive to simply entertaining. Braving this oestrogen-fuelled group was our photographer, Steve Dickinson and ‘Line Up’ boss and tour organiser, Wayne Ryan.

THE BOAT

We flew together to Male and arrived at our boat late evening. I could not have been happier when we climbed aboard to find a large dining area, a good lounge and plenty of places to rest and relax. We were then taken to our air conditioned rooms that although compact, provided a comfortable place to relax and get some much needed sleep. Our boat, the Asmas was to be our home for the next ten days and held everything we needed – a TV and DVD, a stereo system and a bar. The only thing really lacking was a good selection of CDs, although we had a few laughs singing and dancing to Britney Spears and some good oldie numbers such as “Incy Wincy Yellow Polka Dot Bikini” which in many ways was quite appropriate for our bikini clad group.

One thing you soon learn on a boat is that there is no such thing as sleeping in. A series of anchors were raised by hand each morning around 5.30 – 6.00am within feet of where you slept so this became the daily alarm clock. Each day began the same – bikini on, tea and coffee drank and then a surf before breakfast followed by another surf before lunch followed by another surf before dinner! Our early morning surfs were always followed by a huge and much anticipated breakfast. I had thought that maybe on this trip it would be a good time to shed a little of that winter layer and come home both tanned and slimmer. However, the meals on board the Asmas basically put that plan to rest. We were served huge meals three times a day with snacks available every time we came in from a surf, so we never went hungry. In saying this, when travelling with an all-girls group, chocolate becomes an essential food item. Most people brought with them a limited supply, which ran out fairly quickly. The Asmas could have made a fortune selling chocolate bars – that’s for sure!

As I sat down for breakfast on that first day, I wondered how the rest of the week was going to pan out. We had a mixed group in both ability and ages made up of mainly girls and I wondered how we were all going to get along. As with every group the various personalities came to the surface fairly early on. Emma proved in a very short time that not much in life should be taken seriously and after only a few hours of meeting everyone, gave her sloth impersonation on the front deck of the boat. It also didn’t take long for us to change our cinematographers name from Sarah to Squirt (after the baby turtle on ‘Finding Nemo’), due to the fact she said “dude” at the end of every sentence. To top that off, half of the boat were Kiwis and half Aussies so the accents varied considerably. The Kiwis spent most of the time talking in exaggerated Aussie twangs or taking the mickey out of their own “monotonous” sounding accents. My initial fears were soon put to rest. Being on a boat meant we all developed extremely close friendships, way quicker than we would have on land. It’s strange how a sport like surfing seems to cross so many social barriers. Age, skill and personalities never really mattered. We were all there to enjoy the surf and we seemed to spend most of the week laughing and becoming the best of friends.

One of the upsides of being on a boat meant that every day we woke somewhere new so we could optimise the conditions and be where the surf was at its best. It also meant that we could create our own piece of paradise anywhere we wanted. We would often come back from a surf, park up the boat and spend the final hours of the day jumping in off the side, swimming and snorkelling. Not a bad way to pass the hours. We even had duck-diving lessons one night. Being a longboarder, duck-diving is not a requirement but I was keen to get back on a short board. The last time I was on anything shorter than a 7.2 was when I was 15 – many years ago. So under the fine tutorage of Laura, Airini, Rebecca, Paige and Jess I learned to duck-dive. I spent half the time laughing at myself. Laura could not understand why every time I came out of the water my hair covered my face and made me look like a complete drowned rat.

Along with Asmas, came the donhi, another boat designed to carry all our surf gear and take us right to the breaks. The donhi gave us closer access to both the surf and the islands and was a great way to store all our extra surf-related gear. It also provided us with one or two memorable moments. On our second to last afternoon, we headed back to Male where Laura and Paige Hareb both surfed Male Beach – a break that turned out to be the gruntiest on tour.

The rest of us were dropped off in town for some last minute shopping. When we all met back in Male later that afternoon a storm had hit and the donhi (along with every other boat) was having problems getting in to pick us up and we had to make a quick getaway. As we backed the donhi out of the harbour the wind and swell threatened to push us back into the dock. At one stage a mini tsunami rushed over the back of the donhi soaking us all. The twenty minute trip back to the Asmas turned out to be a highlight for some with waves rocking the boat and crashing over the front and through the sides. The whole trip home was peppered with squeals of laughter and the occasional shriek of fear mixed with the constant chatter of Emma and Becs as they entertained the rest of us with their slightly warped humour. Laura, who has absolutely no fear in the water was only concerned about Tara who was scheduled to catch the midnight flight home. Laura didn’t mind being stuck on the ocean in the storm but didn’t like the idea of Tara having to fly home. The night ended in laughter (once we were back on the Asmas) with the always funny and highly competitive game of Spoons.

THE SURF

 

“In the lineup a male surfer who thought he was charging was overheard speaking to his friend. “I thought I could surf till I saw these girls – they look like there are 14! I think I better go home and practice.”

Surfing in the Maldives is relatively new so you will not find a large surf industry to support the exceptional surf the Maldives has become known for. It was not until 1973 when Australian surfer, Tony Hinde, was shipwrecked on the shore breaks of Male that surfing was discovered internationally. He married a local lady and opened his own surf agency and surfing holidays to the Maldives have continued to grow in popularity.

The surf season in the Maldives runs from February through to November. The early part of the season offers the most stable weather but the big swells can be found from June through to August. Although there are over 20 natural atolls and around 1200 islands, the most accessible area is North Male Atoll. We spent quite a lot of our time here, surfing the well known breaks such as Cokes, Sultans, Jailbreaks, Honky’s, Ninjas and Tombstones.

The first and most essential part of the surfing day had to be the suntan ritual. The weather in the Maldives, although not always sunny, was definitely harsh. Those who went out on the first day uncovered definitely suffered. We had been sent some SPF 70 by Neutrogena which proved to be a real hit so each morning began with the girls plastering themselves with Neutrogena and zinc.

Surf sessions would always begin with the cruise by, in the dohni, to check out the best break, followed by a loud call of, “Setto!” from Wayne (said in a strong Aussie accent) to indicate an incoming set. This was followed by the constant click of the camera and the occasional yell of “you’re nothing but a bunch of panzies!” from Steve, our photographer. This last saying had developed from Emma, who became well known for her cartoon impersonations. Steve hooked onto this one from Madagascar and yelled it to us repeatedly, accent and all, throughout the week.

Our first day surfing was at Tombstones, sometimes known as Full Moon due to the fact that it is right next to Full Moon Resort. It’s a small right-hander with a couple of sections and plenty of channel to sit in. One of the really interesting aspects of this trip was the fact that not only were we a relatively large group, we were all of such varying levels of ability. Being one of the least able in the group meant it was a fairly humbling experience sitting in the line up with so many accomplished pro surfers. A few of the team hung on the shoulder testing the waters a bit, while the more experienced of the team enjoyed the playful outer break before moving inside to the sucky and dry inside section. Most of us were in the Maldives surfing here for the first time. Regardless of the conditions we were all stoked to be in the sun, surf and picturesque surroundings of the Maldives!

Later that day we headed further south to Sultans, another right-hander breaking around 5–,6 feet. Sultans boasted large peaking rights with a fun takeoff that met a fast inside section. Although slightly shifty, the girls had a great session and got some good waves. There were only a couple of guys out but the girls dominated. They were surfing so well a couple of guys drove over to our boat to ask if it was Claire Bevilacqua or Melanie Redman-Carr surfing – quite a compliment for girls still in their teens to be compared to some of the world best.

The first part of the week was spent surfing Sultans, Tombstones, Ninjas, Jailbreaks, Cokes and finally for the goofy footers, Honkey’s – a hollow, fast and fun left-hander. Having mainly natural footers on board meant Megan, Becs and Paige Hareb had limited opportunities to surf their forehand. After the end of every day we’d watch the surf footage and check out the pics only to see photo after photo of Paige Hareb’s bum! Needless to say she was stoked any time we found a left for her to show her talents. On the days that it was too big or messy for me to surf I would sit on the boat and enjoy watching everyone else. Paige Hareb and Rebecca shone at Honkey’s, whereas Laura ripped on the rights. I really enjoyed watching Jess surf. Her feminine soft-style approach was great to watch. Where others ripped, Jess managed to kind of fit into the wave. Airini was always in true form, giving it heaps no matter what the conditions. Paige Houden powered in the rights and like she had been starving for months gobbled up more than her fair share of waves. Local knowledge was a real advantage to Tara who had been to the Maldives a couple of times before. This meant she knew where to sit and how the waves worked which gave her a definite advantage at certain spots. It was also great to watch Emma and Genevieve back out surfing after a fairly close encounter with the reef. Megan and Yaz went out, regardless of the conditions and both improved heaps by the end of the trip. Try hard as we could we could never quite knock the snowboarding “poo” stance out of Megan.

One day while surfing at Cokes, we knew that a storm was approaching and were told to get out of the water should it get any closer. We surfed while watching the darkening clouds coming in from the distance. It’s quite an amazing experience being in the water when the storm hits. We were all sitting in the lineup when the clouds came over and the sea darkened. Within seconds the wind had picked up to squalling and we were all paddling frantically back to the shelter of the boat

For most of our time in the Maldives we surfed the breaks of North Male Atoll. Unsettled weather mid trip meant we were unable to get to the South Male Atoll until the last couple of days. This area also has a large number of breaks and due to it’s slightly more remote location meant the breaks were less crowded. When we did finally reach the South we headed straight for Riptide, one of Tara’s favourite breaks in the area. We watched for a while from the boat, waiting for the call from Wayne, “Setto!” There was no one else out and while we were all watching from the boat to see what the waves were like, we all thought, “hmm….someone needs to go in and suss it out.” So we sent in the grommet, Laura and watched to see what she could get. Laura managed to transform into a surfers playground what looked at first to be a small ripple in the middle of the ocean. It didn’t take long for us to all join her in the water. As the tide went out, the rips started to kick in and the wave size went up. It was great to see everyone getting some wave time. Sarah brought back the grace with some stylie longboarding, while the rest of us relished some surfable waves that were not too scary. It was the only place we surfed that if you got washed inside, you didn’t end up getting pounded on the reef. In saying that, it was here that I got a few reef cuts and also chopped my toe on my fin!

Most of the surf breaks in the Maldives are reefs and for the uninitiated can be quite a challenge. The sight of the water sucking up from the bottom of the ocean to reveal what appeared to be a very close looking reef was quite daunting. Being in the Maldives, where the water is considered to be one of the clearest in the world, meant it often looked much shallower than we thought. On one day when Sarah had been videoing the girls from the water we went to swap gear. I was going to swim her video equipment back to the boat and she was taking my board for a surf. Sitting on the shoulder we dropped Sarah’s bright blue belt that held her video equipment on. We both saw it clearly as it settled on the bottom of the ocean, what looked only metres below us. However, after numerous attempts by both of us to swim down, we were unable to reach it. When we got back to the boat the driver told us it was more likely 30 metres deep there – not three! It just showed us how clear the water really was.

Needless to say the reef taught some of us respect quickly. If you are used to surfing a beach break, where the worse case is you get washed onto the sand, the first lesson you learn surfing the reef can leave a lasting memory and an equally lasting scar. The way the surf wraps round the islands means that at some spots, if you do get caught on the inside, getting back to the channel can be a bit of a challenge. On one particular sizey day, we rescued a British body boarder (who wasn’t one of our crew!) She had paddled out with her boyfriend from the resort they were staying at and had pretty much run out of breath after numerous poundings and could see no way back into the shore. We plucked her out of the rip and up onto our boat to catch her breath. “My boyfriend said I should give it a go. He said the ten foot barrels over reef are PERFECT for beginners but then left me to fend for myself. This is my first time in the surf!” (okay I’m exaggerating a little – but you get the idea) Her boy was still out there having the time of his life….Girlfriend? What Girlfriend? You hear this kind of story so many times. Ten foot barrels over reefs are NOT okay for beginners and this poor girl found out the hard way that even the tamer waves we were surfing were enough to cause her some serious grief. We gave her plenty of encouragement, agreed with her that her bloke was an arse and then dropped her off into calmer water for the long paddle back to her resort where we were sure the boyfriend was in for a frosty reception.

Saying that, the reef breaks in the Maldives were a lot friendlier than those found in other well known locations, such as Tahiti and Fiji. There seems to be a lot of conjecture as to why this is – from where the waves generate from to the nature of the reefs. One of the things we noticed was that most breaks had a couple of sections, some suckier than others. This depended on swell direction, tide and size. However, the fact remains that for a reef break these waves are definitely not as aggressive here as can be found elsewhere. Whether the Maldives is a surf location for all levels was definitely debated on board. The more experienced girls got plenty of wave time, however, the thing about being less experienced is that you need some time to get to know a break to feel confident. Therefore there were many times where we didn’t go out because we lacked the confidence to know where to sit and what the dangers were. Note; none of the experienced girls got up close and personal with the reef. This was due to a mixture of both superior surfing ability and wave knowledge.

SURFERS STAPH! The article below that finally prompted Emma to get her hand to a doctor! The things highlighted in bold were the symptoms she was suffering from… If you do get a coral cut it pays to take it seriously!

By Dr. Stuart Watson, surf doc to the Globe WCT Fiji
Staph, or staphylococcus, is the name given to a clan of single-celled bacteria that can cause disease in humans and other animals. It most commonly attacks surfers through fin chops or reef grazes, causing infected cuts, which oftentimes lead to septicemia (blood poisoning) and, fairly rapidly, death-if your immune system doesn’t mount a quick and effective response.

The signs of staph attack: Local redness, local swelling and pain, pus formation, red lines traveling up from the infected area, fever and feeling unwell, swollen or tender lymph glands upstream from the area, especially in the groin or under the arms.

Most of the Top 44 surfers in the world currently have, or in the past have had a staph infection and all of them will have a horror story for you. While a small reef cut may not be a big deal to you at the time, down the road, it can ruin your life, so don’t mess with staph.

GEAR LIST AND ADVICE
When it comes to surf gear, you need to make sure you take everything you need as well as spares. There is hardly any surfing equipment available in the Maldives. As for board size, it comes down to personal choice, but it is wise to bring boards for all conditions. We had one day when the surf was really small and the Mals were put to good use. Having spent a stint on the reef and coming up with a piece of coral stuck in my toe I wish I had actually worn the booties that I had brought with me. If you are good enough you probably don’t need them but if getting stuck on the reef is likely then booties are a must. No one came more prepared for this trip than Yasemine. It didn’t matter what you were after, Yaz had it. Here’s her comprehensive gear list. When it comes to medical supplies, do not skimp, especially if you are onboard a charter boat as you really want to make sure YOU have everything you may need.

Yasemine’s Gear List

Clothing

Bikinis

Boardies

Hats / sunnies

Singlet tops

Skirt / dress

Thongs

Underwear

Something modest to wear on land ie tshirts and long boardies

Jumper and pair of socks (even to tropical places)

Personal

Toothbrush / paste

Deodorant / soap / face wash

Shampoo and lots of conditioner / brush / elastics

Tampons, razors, wax strips, tweezers (if required)

Moisturiser / Aloe Vera (lots for body and face)

Sunscreen / zinc (lots!!!)

Mozzie repellant

Surf Equipment

Boards (in board bag)

Wax

Fins / fin key

Legropes (bring spare)

Booties (for reef)

Snorkel / mask / fins

Other

(Underwater) camera / computer / chargers / plug converter

Ipod and portable speaker / phone / dvd / books / mags

Any beauty equipment you may want

Stupid wigs, dress up stuff

First Aid Kit

Stingoes, panadol, coldral – even if you don’t normally take it

Band aids and gaffa tape (tape can be put over dings or over bandaids so you don’t get sea or tropical ulcers).

Antibiotics and antibiotic ear drops

Splinter probes (beats using a rusty fish hook!)

THE MALDIVES

Location: south of India and around 700km south-west of Sri Lanka.

Language: Dhivehi

Climate: Tropical

Average daily temperature: 25 – 29 degrees Celsius (77 – 84 degrees Fahrenheit)

Religion: 98% Muslim

The Maldives is one of those places that we have all heard about but know very little about. We arrived at the airport in the middle of the night and suddenly realised that we had no idea what the local people would look like or what the local language was. We realised we were coming rather unprepared and slightly ignorant of what lay ahead. When I said I was coming to the Maldives, most people didn’t even know where they were. It is believed that the original inhabitants of the Maldives were Buddhist until Islam was introduced in 1153. Visiting such a predominantly Muslim country did offer its share of challenges.

The capital, Male from the distance is a fairly strange sight. Tall office type buildings seem to rise straight out of the ocean with a large golden mosque visible from the sea. But when you arrive in the town of Male itself, it seems like all tropical towns with that slightly run down feeling. Despite some very new buildings that are not showing the usual signs of disrepair the majority of the island was lacking the general upkeep of most westernised cities. Small shops scattered the streets and the first thing that struck us were the men. At first we saw no women and the stares from the men were somewhat intimidating. Their main goal seemed to be to get you to go to their shop, above all others. A smile or eye contact guaranteed you would find it hard to shake your new found friend. One man followed us round the streets for around 20 minutes hoping to convince us to turn round and visit his shop. We had been advised before visiting Male to dress conservatively, advice which we all followed to the letter. Shoulders, chests and knees covered we all suffered heat exhaustion but were all pleased to be at least covered up. Not all tourists to Male did so however, and the more scantily dressed you were the more unwanted attention people got. It was not surprising when we did come across the women, as they were all covered completely from head to toe, some wearing the full burka. The island of Male has a beach, however, swimming in anything resembling a bikini would see you removed from the water.

On our trip to Male we spent the day discovering the trinket shops and hunting out the ice-cream parlour, which provided an excellent escape from both the heat and the stares. Emma, Megan and Jess were in one supermarket stashing up on chocolate and lined up behind a local woman to pay. Much to their amazement a couple of guys came in and went straight to the front of the queue. The local girl just stepped aside and let them through. These were not people she knew, they were just men and it seemed that is what women are supposed to do in the Maldives.

On another day we had the pleasure of visiting one of the resort islands, Paradise Island Resort, which turned out to be a complete contrast to Male. Arriving there you can see where the Maldives gets its reputation for being a 5 star plus holiday destination. We were treated to an amazing buffet lunch followed by a tour around the resort. The place was spectacular. We all got to experience the amazing spa in the resort and had a taster of one of their massages, incredible! The rest of the afternoon was ours to do as we wished. Most of the girls went out on the banana boats for what turned out to be a great thrill, followed by jet ski races. It was quite scary sitting on the beach watching 15 year old Laura racing Genevieve and Yaz. Some of us simply chose to swim and relax in the sun with a cocktail! The evening was capped off with pizzas in one of the resorts many restaurants followed by a dance off at the evening’s disco. The band were great but no one had started dancing when we got there so once again Laura ran on the dance floor and started dancing all by herself. It didn’t take long for us and the rest of the resort guests to join her. Laura also was the one to get the dance off going between us and a group of Japanese tourists. Don’t think I have ever laughed so much. It was like watching a scene from “Napoleon Dynamite!” with the girls trying hard to match the less than stylie dance moves of the Japanese. It turned out to be a great night and we were reluctant to head back to the boat that night.

One of the strange things you notice when cruising through the Maldives is how flat it is. It actually holds the record for being the flattest country in the world. It was not surprising that the December 2004 tsunami devastated much of the Maldives. However, this was not overtly visible from our view point as a tourist. Waves of up to 5m high surged over the Maldives and many of the islands had to be evacuated. One island we visited had been spared complete devastation and 250 people were relocated there after the tsunami.

When the ocean is calm and the skies are blue you get to witness the “real” Maldives, the place that tourist brochures rave about. It is easy to see why it is described as one of the most beautiful places in the world. The diving and snorkelling are world class and there is plenty to do here even if surfing is not your thing.

Memorable moments

Memorable moments from Jess and Emma

The delectable delights we ate in Singapore….. all I can say is it was brown, squidgy and smelt a little bit like compost and old socks. Last time I, “just get what Paige Hareb is having – that sounds yum.” Maybe those huge frogs in plastic containers weren’t just there for the kids to look at…..

Saying “Hey Megs!! Wow it didn’t even beep” loudly as you go through customs in Singapore is not a good idea. “Excuse me ma’am, random security check – come with me please”

Jumping off the top of the “higher than it looks” boat in which your bikini bottoms almost have to be surgically removed and fingers crossed the bikini top isn’t whipped up your neck like a flagpole – remember the water is crystal clear. Nothing much can be hidden, especially not your lily white nether regions that never get to see the sun.

Megan paddling past Steve in a “bummer for you!” kind of way while he flailed around with cramp, and then feeling slightly guilty so spreading the word around the line-up that he might possibly need a bit of a rescue if anyone was interested. (He’s just a Pansy really!)

Laura falling asleep on the couch around 9pm DURING the Pirate Party, flat on her back – still holding her plastic gun which made cool zap zap noises. Of course, this was just asking for a Pirate Flag to be jammed in her armpit and a photo taken. Aww so cute.

Lynne’s personal paddle stroke, called The Turtle. This is best used when you are so incredibly tired from paddling. You rest your forehead on your board and do a half-hearted breast stroke paddle. You could even close your eyes for extra effect and catch up on a few winks while you’re at it. Works a treat!!

Getting up close and personal with the reef and not particularly enjoying the next few minutes of eating coral, choking on walls of sea water and leaving half my DNA scraped on the rocks for the fishies to munch on, combined with intermittent and blood-curdling screams of “I’m going to diiiiie”.

Ahh the beautiful “Jong Ball” invented by Yaz and I which will take the world by storm one day (you read it here first – don’t forget that!). This consists of a “Jong” (An Aussie Thong and a Kiwi Jandal – thus giving birth to the Jong) a ball of some sort – and a few loosely applied Tennis Rules. Wahla. Jong Ball.

Chocolate. Chocolate? Chocolate! Did someone say chocolate? I thought I heard someone mention chocolate. I dreamt about chocolate last night. Hmm I smell chocolate. I need chocolate. Who has chocolate? Don’t touch my chocolate. That’s MY chocolate. Can we go get chocolate? Where can I buy chocolate? Oh my gosh are we going to get chocolate? Yeah sure I’ll come with you, can I buy chocolate there? Wow, Chocolate is so cheap here. I will buy 155 bars of chocolate to make sure I don’t run out.

The daytime Storm. The storm where for a few seconds you would see sky….then you would see sea….then Sky…..then sea……then Sky….then sea. And so the rocking would continue. Chair slides left…..chair slides right……chair slides left.

Let me set the scene for this one: big waves, guy caught on inside section resulting in half the skin missing off his back and another beefy guy caught inside, washed up on the reef leaving him no other choice but to get out and stand on the deserted island while he wondered how the hell he was going to get himself back to his buddies on the boat. (By the way, if it was you and you are reading this, how did you manage that? It resembled a scene out of Lost). Enter Laura. The girl who weighs barely as much as a lemon, paddles right up to the reef, right into the inside section and then as soon as she’s gone into what looks to be the rocks she turns around and paddles back – skilfully dodging sets. Big smile, big wave and then she shouts “had to get my hat” – we sat there in awe. As I assume so did those guys.

Male: “Come into my shop” “Come into my Brothers shop” “Come into my friends shop” “Come into my Brothers friends shop” “I will take you to a shop” “Are you the girls on the surf trip? Ahh perfect. Come into my shop”.

Lynne going pale and retreating into her “quiet place” during our night time Tsunami experience on the Donhi. Whilst you could hear shouts of “we’re all going to diiiiie!!” Megan whips out the video camera to capture our last moments Blair Witch style.

101 ways to kill time in a Male airport. Find the kids area. Build forts out of ALL of the equipment, the foam cubes, ramps and stairs work the best. More points if you can make doorways and windows and bonus points for creating a peak on the top. Take a huge run-up and single-handedly destroy your creation – similar to Human Bowling. Make like haste when security marches over. And I mean haste. These guys mean business and are not to be messed with.

Paige Harebs’ butt in every surfing photo….it became an identity card for her until we got to a Left-hander! Also, trying to throw Paige (who has the strength of Xena) overboard is sooo much harder than it looks as I think a few of us found out. Don’t be deceived – she may be trim and innocent looking but she has super powers!

Realisation of the ongoing MADAGASCAR joke –

“But they’re all Pansies”

“I love them, I love them, you hate them compared to how much I love them”

“Ssshh, who’s making all that noise, sshhh, oohh it was me, I said ssshhh!!, Oh wait it was me again!”

Killing off the storm boredom with a riveting game of Celebrity Heads. We show how mature we all are, the main theme = cartoon characters.

Strange signs posted around town – “A man’s best friend is his ten fingers”

Surfing out at Donny’s following Gen’s run of unlucky events, sitting as wide on the shoulder as you can get… makes the announcement – “I’m just going to be in the aquarium” – before sticking her head in the water…

Lynne gets amazing wave “a little too good, because I didn’t want to get off it” even though could see the wave was about to close out. Ended up on reef with coral jammed so far into big toe all under the skin!! ouch.. . Hoped on to Donhi only to have the captain come over with the creepiest, rustiest, old fish hook to help dig it out (due to lack of firstaid kit..) ha tetanus alert. Crazy thing is she used it!

“People pay good money for an experience like that. Oh, that’s right, we did.” Emma commenting on the boat ride back from Male in the storm.

Acronyms for the word RICE due to the fact that rice was served with EVERY meal in every way possible.

RICE = Really! In Cakes Even

RICE = Reconstituted In Cooking Everyday

RICE = Remember It Came Eternally?

RICE = Required It’s Ceaselessly Eaten

RICE = Really Is Consumed Everyday (or every meal).

RICE = Reused in Curry Enormously

RICE = Randomly In Cakes Even

RICE = Reapplied In Chocolate Enticements

RICE = Reappears In Custard Eventually (my personal favourite!)

RICE = Really Interesting Charter Experience

RICE = Ramadan Is Celebrated Escape (from rice!!!)

Sarah’s funniest quote of the trip made to one of the airhosts Singapore to Sydney – after telling me of her Fruit and Vegetable craving…

Sarah: “Excuse me, my ears pop when we (the plane) takes off, do you have anything I can chew?”

Air host: “Like a sweet?”

Sarah: “Nah I was thinking like a fruit or a vegetable?”

Air Host: “No sorry, But I can get you a sweet if your ears are going to hurt?”

Sarah: “Oh nah man it’s alright… I’ll just chew air..” (followed by Sarah performing a chomping motion as the flight attendant slowly backs away… haha it was hilarious!!!)

Gen and Hareb sweet talking two gents into swapping seats with them for the plane trip to Sydney, which allowed our group, after 10 awesome days on the boat, the chance to spend the last couple of hours we had left together as a loud, rowdy group on an otherwise peaceful 8 hour flight! Best trip, best people, we have all made some friends for life….

We had so many great memories that in writing this up it has been difficult to fit everything in. One of the memorable occasions on the boat was Yaz’s 24^th Birthday Pirate Party. She had sent out invitations prior to us leaving home so we were all prepared. We awoke to the lounge area decorated with birthday paraphernalia wishing Yaz a happy birthday and when we got back from the last surf of the day it was time to celebrate. Everyone disappeared below decks and reappeared as pirates, complete with patches, swords and scars. After a beautiful dinner, including cake and singing we were treated customary songs and dances from the local people. Quite an experience!

It was with great sadness that the ten day trip was coming to an end. It was incredible how well this group had gelled. From the fourteen individuals who had all met on the first day we had grown into one big happy family. I know that sounds super corny but it was true. We had so many great moments that I know I will have missed, the many crazy dinner conversations, Yaz and Sarah’s strange dietary cravings to Emma and I singing to the Eagles and Crowded House on the front of the boat, oblivious to everyone else.

However, amongst everything that happened during the week, the thing that really stood out for me was the level of support and encouragement everyone showed one another. It was funny because everyone, no matter what their surfing ability, had something to offer, whether it be surfing advice, first aid supplies or simply friendship. During one session, where the waves were slightly smaller, some of the more experienced girls came out into water in flippers, just to offer help when needed. One of my favourite sessions was with Paige Hareb. She would get me to lie on my board while she paddled me into the lineup, holding onto the back of my board and kicking. Then she would give me a shove, I would ride the wave squealing like a 5 year old and she would swim over to me and paddle me back out! Perfect!

It is hard for me to express my gratitude towards all the girls we travelled with. We could not have gone with a greater group. During our surf at Riptide, some of the girls were sitting deep and close to the breaking point while I was enjoying sitting a little more on the shoulder. I paddled for a wave to cheers from the rest of the girls. Strangely enough as I rode the wave, the cheers seemed to follow me. I looked over my shoulder only to find Laura, right on my tail, (yes I had dropped in on her!) cheering for me with her arms raised high. That basically summed up what was so great about this trip.

HUGE THANKS

Our warmest thanks and appreciation goes out to Wayne Ryan, from Line Up for putting together such a fantastic trip.

Huge thanks also goes out to all the following people who helped make the trip such a success:

 

The crew of the Asmas

Paradise Island Resort

Neutrogena

Hive Bikinis

Chixstix Surfboards