Taster sessions in the sun

Thames Ditton and Molesey

21st April 2019

Easter Sunday dawned cool and clear. It was going to be a good day. The forecast was for wall to wall sunshine. Perfect for our first Taster Session of 2019. We had 5 booked in for the first session and 3 for the second. We can manage 8 in each.

We arrived at Ditton Beach and apart from the odd dog walker, it was very quiet. Pumping up 7 boards can take a while, but with 2 electric pumps on the go, and Coco working overtime on the Titan pump, the job was soon completed. Just in time for the first students.

The first group was mixed, 3 ladies and 2 guys. The sun was now well up and was warm, with the river being quite, it was perfect conditions for a taster session. Forms completed and buoyancy aids handed out. It was time to teach. Coco, is excellent at this, you can see the years of experience coming to the for. She put the students at ease and makes it fun. But gets the safety message across well.

So now it was time to get onto the water. We started on our knees and got everyone used to maneuvering the boards. Then it was time to stand up. This is a students biggest challenge, the brain really isn’t used to the body standing on a very wobbly plank. Eventually, all the student managed to stand after a few false starts.

The session continued for the rest of the hour, with the Newbies, getting more and more confident. Coco, even had them doing some 360 turns by the end.

The second session, was made up of 3 ladies and followed a similar pattern. All the students had a good time, even the ones who went for an involuntary swim. Yes, it can and does happen, even to the best of us. That is why a change of clothes is essential. Some I think were hooked and will be buy a board very soon!