Gotta surf when you're in Hawaii!

Learning to surf must be on just about everyone's 'must-do' list when they come to Hawaii. It was on mine because my Dad surfed in California while he was with the Marines.

I rented a board in Waikiki and went out on my own. Paddling is great exercise but I wasn't even able to stand up. I found an ad for Girls Who Surf in the Army MWR magazine and called them. At my first lesson, I was able to stand up and ride on a half dozen waves!

I went for another seven lessons over the next five months progressing from using a 12-foot board to being able to surf with a 7-foot board. I wanted to progress fast and the instructors at Girls Who Surf gave me the skills to do it.

Through Girls Who Surf, I gained confidence, strength endurance in my upper body and have improved my balance skills. My first lesson wore me out paddling for waves. Eight months later, I was able to paddle a mile to a surf-break then surf for an hour-and-a-half and still had energy to spare

My friend Jackie wa