PHOTOGRAPHY ( THIS PAGE ): COREY FAVINO ; LITTLE COMPTON SURF CAMP / MAUREEN AZIZE . ( OPPOSITE PAGE ): SPEARFISHING RHODE ISLAND ; WATCH HILL CONSERVANCY / JANICE SASSI PHOTOGRAPHY .

STAND-UP PADDLEBOARDING Ready for a cardio , ab and leg workout all in one ? This one ’ s for you . SUP is like an outdoor gym session and requires a fair amount of balance as you go from a kneeling paddling position to an upright stance . Don ’ t worry if you fall , though — it ’ s bound to happen at some point . Just recenter yourself and get up again . Grab your gear : Rhode Island Paddle Sports , 1 Water St ., East Greenwich , 864-0403 , ripaddlesports . com ; The Kayak Centre , 70 Brown St ., North Kingstown , 295-4400 , kayak centre . com

SCUBA DIVING AND SNORKELING Take a look below the surface and see what ’ s in store for your underwater adventure . You never know what you ’ ll come across : fish , coral or maybe even someone ’ s missing GoPro . Hit up places like King ’ s Beach fishing area in Newport , Fort

Wetherill in Jamestown or Block Island . Grab your gear : Dive on It Scuba , 1000 Mendon Rd ., Cumberland , 333-0002 , diveonit . com ; Kalipso Dive Shop , 375 Putnam Pike , Smithfield , 231-3483 , kalipso dive . com

SKIMBOARDING The sport is making a comeback ! A skimboard is more portable than a surfboard , making it easy to catch a wave or glide across a low-tide area . The best places to practice before graduating to the waves include Misquamicut State Beach in Westerly , the north end of Narragansett Town Beach and Charlestown Town Beach . Always check your local beach rules about skimboarding : some areas have designated spots for surfing and water sports away from large crowds , while others may not allow it . Grab your gear : Warm Winds , 26 Kingstown Rd ., Narragansett , 789-9040 , warmwinds . com

A writer discovers her flair for hanging ten at a female surf camp . By Aiden FitzGerald

On a misty summer morning , while my children and husband sleep , I sneak out of the house at dawn . Eager to do something for myself and to embrace the challenge of learning something new — how to surf , at Little Compton Women ’ s Surf Camp — I meet two of my girlfriends and nine other women at Little Compton ’ s South Shore Beach .

Feeling revitalized is something I expect : an ocean swim always uplifts me . But the meditative therapy I feel from riding even the tiniest wave — and falling plenty , too — is a surprise . Turns out that the tenets of surfing — overcoming mental blocks , being present , looking up and forward — are a metaphor for life .

“ In life , we tend to want to control things , and in surfing , too ,” instructor Ana Barend tells our class , seated in a circle in the sand . “ Let go and have an amount of abandonment . Let it go !” Barend sings the tune from the Frozen song and we all laugh . “ It takes a lot of courage to trust yourself and trust the process .”

Barend , a psychotherapist and two-time Brazilian national surfing champion , started Little Compton Surf Camp with her husband , Chuck , and the Kinnane | | CONTINUED ON PAGE 102

46 RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY l JUNE 2022