CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Surfing is one of the most popular sports in the Coastal Bend.
On the first episode of "Beach Blitz - Summer Sports Edition," one expert with decades of experience riding waves explained why that is the ultimate feeling.
"The feel of riding a wave, is one of the finest feelings you'll ever have, and once you get that feeling, you're hooked," said Cliff Schlabach, Texas Coastal Bend Surfrider Foundation co-chair.
Schlabach said that is what brings surfers to the beach and keeps the sport growing. While he has the hang of it now, it took some time to get there.
"I've been doing this for 61 years. It probably took me 10 years to stand up and learn how to ride decently," Schlabach said.
Harper Simmons is eight years old and started surfing when she was about two years old. Her dad taught her, and she explained what her favorite part of the sport is.
"It's like riding a roller coaster, and it gives me a workout, and it's just really fun," Simmons said.
Six-year-old Daisy Craft learned to surf when she was four years old. She described what it was like when her family first started teaching her.
"I was a little scared," Craft said. "But then I got a little more confident."
After a few years of practice, Simmons and Craft already have the hang of it.
Schlabach started surfing when he was 15 years old. Back then, he said there were no surf camps or private lessons. Instead, he was inspired by watching more experienced surfers and movies like Gidget Goes Hawaiian.
He is 76 now and still loves surfing enough to do it every week. He explained that he wants to surf for the rest of his life and that every day on the water is unique.
"You can't wait to come back the next day and catch waves again, and they're always different, that's what makes it so much fun," Schlabach said. "No wave is the same, no surf day is the same."
Schlabach said a common love for the sport is what brings everyone together to surf.
He said surfing is difficult to learn on your own and recommends taking private lessons or a class—like Texas Surf Camps in Port Aransas and Padre Island.