I have only tried body boarding once. In Devon, several years ago. I spent an afternoon hanging hopefully, half on and half off the board, as the waves crashed me into the sand. I was covered in bruises the next day. So when Gabi’s aunt appeared at her third birthday part, in March, with a board covered in bright fishes, I had my doubts.
Gabi loved the board from the start. She jumped on it, dragged it along the kitchen floor, threw in the air. And she brought it to Trefalen each time she came to visit. But it was always too cold or too wet or too windy and the board stayed in the cottage.
Then last weekend the sun shone. We all went to the beach .and the body board was dragged towards the sea. The pictures tell the story. Doubt, hesitation, then after a few false starts she was swooping into the beach.
Yes, of course we were lucky with the sea conditions. The story would have been different with waves just a little higher. It also helped that Gabi has been splashing in this sea since she was a baby. And that she had had several successful rides before a wave eventually broke over her.
But she is not alone. During the holidays the sea here at Broadhaven is full of children jumping over waves, swimming, body boarding. When they are tired of the sea there are sand castles to be built, holes to be dug and balls to be chased after. And its rarely too hot. What Mediterranean resort can compete with this?
