It’s that time of year again for beach lovers to hit the shores, enjoy good weather and the ocean. For those looking to do something exciting, the Richmond County Recreation Department will be offering surf lessons and surf rentals at Point Michaud Beach for the eighth straight summer.
“We expect to see a lot of people from past summers. They’ve been waiting all year to get back out and ride the waves. They will be bringing family members and friends to share their excitement and love of the activity,” says head surf instructor Michelle Richards.
The surf program has grown immensely every year since it’s start in 2002. This year will be no exception. With the increase popularity of Point Michaud beach the Richmond County Council past the motion to have life guard service in place for the summer; $15,000 has been funded to build a lifeguard station and operated this lifeguard service.
There will now be designated surf and swim zones. Point Michaud has 3km of usable beach for surfing and swimming. The majority of the people enter the water in front of the parking lot area. Only this area will be sectioned and designating accordingly.
“This will be a good thing,” says Richards. “We really don’t want swimmers getting run over and hit by the surfboards. The boards have large fins on the bottom, which people forget about. Surfboards also have up to 20 feet of reach from the surfer when control is lost.
“Swimmers can now go in the safer swim zone if they choose to be supervised by a trained lifeguard. They also have the option of the remaining long section of sand beach.”
The lifeguards for oceans need more training then other lifeguards. The county has hired three lifeguards, whom have been on duty since July 1. This date also coincided with the start of the surf program.
For anyone wishing to participate in the surf program offered, lessons are 1.5 hours and include a wetsuit, board and surf instructor. The registration fee is $35 for each person. Alternatively, individuals can sign up for a package of four lessons at $100.
For those just looking for surf gear they can rent a wetsuit and surfboard for $15 an hour or one of these items at $10 per hour.
The Department of Natural Resources constructed a 12 x 20 wood platform in addition to the Life Guard Station for this summer. The platform is located at the end of the parking lot beside the boardwalk, showers and change rooms. This is where all surf registrations will be received.
It is advised to call the Surf Report line (902) 227-1230 before driving to the beach. Classes will run everyday from July 1 to August 31 but are cancelled on days of extreme wind, lightning and/or heavy rain. .
“If the message says tell your boss you need the day off because you have surf fever, that means the surf is pumping and you better get to the beach,” says Richards.
Joining Richards this year will be returning surf instructors Matt O’brien and Christopher Oake. Also helping in the surf tent will be Nicole Boudreau.
The program has lowered it’s age to anyone five years of age or older.
“I’ve really master the technique for getting small children to ride waves,” says Richards. “I ride on the back of the board with them. If they are progressing then I let go of the board once they are balanced. I’m close by if they do fall and will scoop them up quickly to place them back on the board.”
Point Michaud is one of the best spots to learn how to surf in Nova Scotia. Because of the shallow sandy bottom that rolls with sandbar after sand bar it produces mellow waves and provides ideal and consistent waves for everyone.
Michelle Richards is a professional surf instructor. In addition to running the surf program for eight summers at Point Michaud with the Richmond County Recreation Department, she has been surf instructing in Sayulita, Mexico during the winter season for the past four years.
“I am fortunate to guide a lot of surf trips when in Mexico. I take people to unique beautiful places to learn how to surf. Many places we travel to by boat, as you can not drive right to them.”
Richards was a big winner in Sayulita this year winning the local Sayulita Surf Contest in women’s longboard. She also placed third in a Pro Event hosted by Punta Sayulita.
“Those contests were exciting. It was a great way to end my season in Mexico before returning home. The large trophy was a bit tricky to pack.”
Point Michaud will also host a surf contest the last weekend of August. The two-day event will be the 7th Annual Point Michaud Surf Classic for 2010. It is a fun event that encourages everyone to participate.
Divisions are offered in everything from skim, body and surf boarding to kayak and body surfing. Saturday night the rock band Double Overhead will entertain with a rock show.
“We are happy that Double Overhead will be performing for their third time at the surf classic. They truly do rock,” says Richards.
The band is quickly becoming one of the most popular bands of Richmond and Inverness County on Cape Breton Island.
Band vocalist and guitar player John Kennedy is one of the original surfers of Point Michaud and still loves to hit the beach for some waves. You can find a photo of him and his family surfing online at in the Cape Breton’s Heritage Coast Visitor’s Guide. The Guide has lots of other activities and events happening in the area.
“We have been very fortunate to have the Richmond County Department of Recreation, Tourism and Culture support the Summer Surf Program at Point Michaud Beach. We now have many surf enthusiast in the area because of it,” says Richards. “See you at the beach.”
