On Thursday 18th of November, all Year 7 and 8 students jumped in the vans to drive to Saint Clair beach for a Beach Ed day. After days of rain it was a relief to be setting off on a fine sunny summer day.

The life guards met us at the surf life saving club and we explored the club while 20 odd students went for a surf lesson and caught some waves. On our tour of the club house we saw lots. There were paddle boards, an IRB boat, a first aid room and fantastic views of the beach. After the tour the life guards taught us about beach safety and in particular how to spot a rip. We learnt things like slip on a long sleeve top, slap on some sunscreen, slop on a hat and wrap on some sunglasses. All good lessons in these days of global warming!

While some of the syndicate were getting a tour of the surf club and learning about beach safety another group had a surfing lesson. The surf instructors took us close to the water and taught us how to hop on the board and catch a wave. Once we had a lesson on the sand it was time to get into the water. I was excited to try out what I had learnt and catch a wave. When we got into the water it was really cold at the start but once we got used to it the water felt warm. We struggled to catch a wave at first but once we got the hang of it it was really fun. When we were surfing a seal was swimming around us and jumped onto Daisy Wenden's board to play with her. She got a fright and started running away to the beach but the instructor helped her and Kaylee Smith, who was beside her, to safety. When I finally caught a wave the water was rushing really fast and I had to focus and stay balanced but I managed to catch it all the way to the shore. I was so proud of myself.

Once we finished the talk and surfing lesson we went out to the beach and played a couple of beach games together. We made our own rips in the sand by creating two small mountains, one big wall behind it and a deep hole in between. After building up the sand we waited for the waves to come to create a mini rip. It was so cool to see the mini rip created in the sand and we all enjoyed watching the water move in and out like a current. It helped understand what was happening in real life in regards to how and what a rip looks like. We then got to play a massive game of octopus on the sand. We had so much fun especially with the whole senior syndicate involved. It was nice to be together.

At the end of the day we got to go for a swim. The water was freezing but we were having so much fun that we didn't think about it. People were diving into waves, catching waves into shore, doing cannonballs and making big splashes. Everyone had a big smile on their face and sound of shrieks and laughter was everywhere. Everyone was having an amazing time with their friends.

After we dried up and got changed. We were back into the vans and back to school just in time for the 3 o’clock bell. A great day!

By Jayla, Aira, Manahi, Hussein and Caleb