Have you ever thought about escaping your everyday routine and doing something totally different? Ever wanted to feel so free that it felt like you were flying? For Anantara’s resident surfing guru, Kym Everett, surfing is a magical ride, an exciting world of exhilaration and freedom.
After spending time travelling from one amazing destination to another and getting to know the best secret surfing locations around the globe (although he’ll never share where they are) to getting someone up on a surfboard for their very first wave, Anantara’s own surfing guru has not only found his true vocation but also the world’s most perfect backdrop to share his passion.
“Who could ask for a better classroom,” shares Kym Everett as he gestures towards the crystal clear azure ocean and pristine white sandy beach of the postcard ‘picture perfect’ island of Dhigu in the Maldives.
“Apart from the fact that I now live in the most beautiful place in the world, teaching guests to surf gives me the opportunity to meet people from all walks of life who come to share my one true passion.
It’s that passion that Kym makes look easy as he stylishly carves through the breaking waves. A beach boy from a very young age, he first learnt to surf in his home town of Noosa on the east coast of Australia over thirty years ago and the feeling of catching his first wave as a ten year is a memory he will cherish forever.
“You can ask anyone, whether they’ve been surfing for twenty years or twenty minutes, they will always be able to remember the sense of accomplishment and shear exhilaration when they stood up on the board for the first time and rode their first wave in. I can remember mine so vividly and that feeling is indescribable.
“From the moment one of my students feels comfortable and experiences the thrill of standing and gliding across a wave – to see the initial look on their faces not only reminds me of my first wave but it gives me such a sense of fulfillment that I’m here to share that special moment with them.
“The best example that I can think of that sums up the emotion of catching the perfect wave was when I taught a young boy with cerebral palsy how to surf, he was unbelievable in the water, so alive, like he was a different person. His parents later sent a heartfelt letter thanking me for filling their son with so much life and joy again. I wrote back saying there was no need to thank me, its surfing that changed him. That’s what surfing does, it fills you with such joy and I’m the luckiest guy in the world to be able to teach and share that experience with everyone.
As the sun starts to set Kym grabs his board, “Sorry mate, I’ve got to go, you’ll never see a more beautiful sight than catching a glimpse of the Maldivian sky while riding the perfect wave.” And with that statement he’s already paddling out into his own surfing nirvana.
