Outdoor aficionados can hang ten

The board rentals came free with free surfing lessons out of Island Water Sports at Deerfield Beach on the Broward-Palm Beach County Line.Sophomore Kyle Noblett holds a surf board over his head as members of CORPs walk from the surf and skate store (Island Water Sports) to Deerfield Beach. Courtesy of Montalvo, Sandra Michelle
Sophomore Kyle Noblett holds a surf board over his head as members of CORPs walk from the surf and skate store to Deerfield Beach. The board rentals came free with the lessons.Sandra Montalvo// The Miami Hurricane

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step… let the adventures begin,” reads the cover of the Canes Outdoor Recreation Programs’ (CORPs) fall trip schedule.

Last weekend, that journey started at 5:30 a.m. On Saturday, 18 members of CORPs, a club sport offered by the Wellness Center, made the trip out to Deerfield Beach, on the Broward-Palm Beach County line, for free surfing lessons.

The lessons were given by certified surfing instructors out of Island Water Sports, a surf and skate store near the beach. Members were only asked to pay $5 to cover the cost of gas for those who drove.

Upon arriving at the beach, the club sat through an hour of safety instructions, along with “Ground School” with Kali “ Da Big Kahuna” Montero, a nationally accredited surfing instructor. With Montero, the group learned how to stand up and turn on the surf board by practicing in the sand. Then, it was off to the waves.

There was perfect weather for the beginner surfers. The cloud cover kept the sun out of everyone’s eyes and the winds coming straight out of the east made for a light rip current and nice waves.

“You have to go really fast,” said senior Sara Michalski, who was out first and stood halfway up on the board on her first try.

The rest of the club followed with the help of instructors and two members actually stood up on their first tries.

“The waves look so much bigger when you’re actually out there in it,” sophomore Amy Christofferson said.

Surfing lessons was the third CORPs event of the semester. They’ve already hosted a paddle-boarding event and snorkeling at Biscayne National Park.

“We cater to different ability and comfort levels,” CORPs President junior Jennifer Riley said.

Every trip is different and left up to the creativity of the site leaders. Michalski led the surfing trip.

“It’s super easy being a site leader, everyone in CORPs is really helpful,” Michalski said. “We love when new people want to get more involved.”

This semester, two new members are site leaders.

“We have some events that we do every year,” said senior John Farrey, who joined CORPs as a freshman and has been leading events ever since. “Joining CORPs is a great way to get off campus, it’s not just trips, there are a lot of other activities.”

Farrey is heading up the next event, an Everglades airboat ride and tour, Saturday. The member cost for the trip is also just $5.

“If I knew a club like this existed last semester, I would’ve joined a lot sooner,” sophomore Kyle Noblett said.

Sandra Montalvo may be contacted at smontalvo@themiamihurricane.com.