Media about SwellWomen:
Your complete Hawaiian Islands Vacation
SwellWomen Day Retreat
Debbie Blyth
Reprinted from Maui Weekly: May 12th-18th, 2005
Original Article posted
here
It was a Hawaiian Islands day vacation that left me feeling totally
blissful-which is exactly what SwellWomen’s founder Me-Shell
Barnas, my hostess for the day, had intended.
Barnas has been running week-long SwellWomen Hawaiian Islands surf
and yoga vacations for more than a year. And now she is offering day
spas for those who don’t have the time, or the money, for the
full seven-day Hawaiian vacation experience.
I joined other SwellWomen guests for a morning’s surf session
at Thousand Peaks, with Maui Surfer Girls instructors Dustin, Kelly
and Barnas herself.
As most of the others had already had their first taste of the surf
the previous day, they paddled into the ocean with Dustin and Kelly.
That left me and fellow “day girl” Holly to have a surf
session with Barnas.
First up was a pep talk on safety and rules of the waves. Then we
got our first experience riding a board- on the sand! Practicing “pop-ups”
on dry lands seemed easy, but I doubted that would be the case in
the water.
As we paddled out with Barnas toward the white water of the surf,
I was a little apprehensive. It didn’t help when my first attempt
saw me nosediving and falling off my board. But as instructed by Barnas,
I did my “beauty pageant wave”- covering my head with
one arm and putting the other arm out of the water to check that my
board wasn’t directly above me- and popped out with a relieved
smile and a determination not to give up.
It wasn’t long before Barnas’ soothing manner calmed
my nerves and I was ready to try my Hawaiian Islands day vacation
surf experience once again.
I didn’t have to wait long, and with a cry of “go, go,
go” from Barnas, I paddled hard and caught the wave. The acceleration
was exhilarating, and gave me the boost to try standing up. It may
not have been the most graceful of “pop-ups” but at least
I did it and rode the wave for a good few hundred yards. What a thrill!
Next, it was Hawaiian Islands vacation day guest Holly’s turn.
With far more grace and poise, she caught a wave, popped up and was
riding like a seasoned surfer. Her achievement was accompanied by
much cheering from the other Hawaiian Islands vacation guests around
us.
After almost two hours of paddling, more paddling, standing up, and
plenty of falling, it was time to head back to the beach for a much-needed
yoga class at SwellWomen headquarters.
Our yoga teacher, Laura, soon had us stretching out and relaxing
our tired muscles, and building up even more of an appetite for lunch.
Later, as we dove into a fresh veggie salad and homemade curry, discussion
turned to the morning’s surf session with the Hawaiian Island
Vacation guests.
“I’ve tried surfing before-in Washington where I’m
from-but that was the very first time I’ve managed to stand
up,” said a delighted Holly.
Helena, who’s from Great Britain, was just as enthralled with
the whole Hawaiian Islands vacation experience, saying, “ I’m
loving it, and it had helped me become much more aware of the power
of the ocean.”
And Annie from San Francisco has not only fallen in love with surfing
but Maui itself. “It’s my first time here and I think
it’s amazing,” she said.
While the weeklong Hawaiian Island vacation guests come from all
over, Barnas emphasizes that the idea of the day spa is for locals
to experience a mini-vacation on Maui. They can come and do all the
events and get away from their day-to day routine. Where else can
you go on Maui to have a break from it all and have great fun at the
same time?”
Hawaiian Island vacation day spas are available throughout the year.
To find out more information call SwellWomen at 800.399.MAUI or on
the Web: www.swellwomen.com.
Contact: 800.399.MAUI or visit www.swellwomen.com
