Beach culture ....

Manly beach

Growing up in Tasmania (read - cold!) as a horse mad girl, I never had the inclination or time for the beach.  Hence, the beach culture in Manly has been somewhat of a shock to the system, albeit a pleasant one.  In my one week here, I have already clocked up countless hours on the beach walking, running, swimming (okay, just getting wet and then getting out), reading and people watching.  There seem to be some serious beach goers who park themselves in their beach shelter (or not) for the entire day.  I can't quite work this out, how come they don't get sunburnt?  I'm out there for a few hours and I'm done - hot, dehydrated and normally burnt, despite the slipping, slopping and slapping.  My favourite part of the beach is the endless sporting activities you can participate in.  From early morning to late evening, there are people engaging in all sorts of activities whilst the coffee drinkers and the fish 'n' chip eaters watch.  Swimming, surfing, kayaking, stand up paddling, running, walking, boating, scuba diving, snorkelling, beach volleyball are just the beginning, there are so many that I don't know the names of, normally revolving around the surf life saving clubs (three on Manly beach).  So, being a goal setter, I've set myself several challenges for my time living the beach life ....

1)  Swim the (approximately) 1km distance between Manly beach and Shelly beach (without feeling scared of sharks!)

2)  Learn how to do stand up paddling (a great core workout and a lot of fun)

3)  Have a go at beach volleyball (again, a great core workout and it looks fun)

4) Be brave enough to go snorkelling at Shelly beach.

There you have it, the challenges in writing!  But for the moment, it's back to the more sedentary activity of people watching.