Madeline Hertle ’27
Staff Writer
The Claremont Surf Club hosted its annual beginner day event in collaboration with the Pomona club People of Color Outside. The event took place on Sunday, April 13, at Doheny State Beach in Laguna. Around 20 students, made up of beginner surfers and surf club staff, gathered supplies from Pomona’s Outdoor Education Center (OEC) and headed off for their hour drive to the beach.
The Claremont Surf Club began in 2019 but was revamped post-COVID through events like casual beach days, camping trips, on-campus events, and beginner days, like this one, that are geared towards students with minimal surfing experience.
Once on the beach, the crew handed out wetsuits for people to try on before their first lesson, which was led by Sarah Paper ’25, a member of the Claremont Surf Club executive board.
Much like the students she was teaching, Paper joined the club as a beginner.
“I joined the club at the end of my first year on campus, after having surfed a handful of times up in Northern California during high school and in Hawaii over my gap year. The group of people was so friendly and encouraging; even though I was a beginner, I felt completely welcomed,” she recalled.
Paper’s lesson began on dry land where she instructed the beginners to lie, stomach down, on their board and imitate the motion of paddling. Once a surfer is ready to catch a wave, she explained that they should prop themselves on the board and lead with their dominant leg while keeping a relatively low stance.
One of the leaders mentioned that the leash should be placed on the non-dominant leg, whichever one is closest to the back of the board, so that surfers are able to get up easily without having to wrangle with the leash. The students did some practice runs and were then ready to hit the water.
While the first wave of people started paddling out into the ocean, a few stayed back, as there were not enough boards and wetsuits. During that time, people played frisbee, tossed around a football, and played volleyball. The whole event functioned as a fun way to learn to surf as well as a great way for 5C students to meet people from different schools.
Paper emphasized that the social aspect of the club allowed her to form a strong community at the Claremont Colleges.
“Through Surf Club, I’ve met wonderful people from Claremont who enjoy the outdoors, traveled to beautiful parts of Southern California, and gotten more comfortable in a challenging sport that involves full immersion in the elements,” she said. “I’ve had some of my best memories in college with the Claremont Surf Club and made amazing friendships that will last long after my time in Claremont. With the support from the community, surfing has acted as a transformative journey for me and grown my confidence in navigating challenging environments and situations.”
While students were having fun on the sand, it wasn’t too long until everyone took a turn trying to catch a wave. The water was a little bit shallow and rocky when students first walked in, but eventually, the water rose to hip length, and surfers were ready to hop onto their boards.
Making sure to keep their chests propped up, the surfers began paddling out to the ocean. When a wave would come straight towards them, they leaned back on their boards and tried to stand in a sturdy position so they wouldn’t be taken out by the roaring ocean. As the surfers kept paddling, the ocean sprayed its chilly salt water onto their faces, and it became a little more difficult to navigate where to paddle.
When the beginner surfers reached one of the leaders, they were instructed to shift their board towards the shoreline in order to be prepared to catch the next wave. As the wave crept closer, the leaders told the beginners when to start paddling in order to maximize their chances of catching a wave and to avoid being trampled by the moving water. As they began paddling as hard as they could the wave either took them down or helped propel them forward.
As the speed of the wave and the board began to increase the surfers would prop themselves up on to their feet, keeping a slight bend in the knees. Before they knew it, they were standing up on the board and heading straight for the sand, finally catching a wave for the first time.
By the afternoon, most of the surfers, beginner or expert, packed up their supplies and headed back to campus, completely exhausted from the day’s fun.
Paper reflected on the success of the event and the club as a whole saying, “Throughout the last four years, I have watched our community grow and expand, inviting new and seasoned surfers who want to access the community we’ve worked to cultivate. As I pass on the leadership of the club, I am extremely proud of the impact we’ve had and hopeful for our organization’s bright future.”
Photo Courtesy of Madeline Hertle ’27
