Adrian Garcia Perdigon is a sociologist who spends the summer teaching surfing on the north coast of Tenerife. I’ve always dreamt of riding the waves, so Adrian offered to give me a beginner’s lesson with his school.

On the way to join the other surf students, he tells me that surfing is for any level and any age: “It’s an easy sport that's not hard to pick up." he explains.

So I grab a big foam surfboard which, I’m informed, is very buoyant and so picks up waves really easily. Another bonus is that if (although unlikely) it ever hits you it’s not going to hurt like a fibreglass board would. We begin our lesson at 9am, starting with a weather-check and theory session about the environment, history of surfing and materials. This is followed by a warm-up and lots of stretching. The surfing world is male-dominated, but more and more girls are taking to the water. This is reflected in our group, which is also mixed in terms of nationality and age.

Staying on solid ground, we’re instructed to lie flat on our stomachs on our boards and learn how to paddle – arms very straight, reaching out and back. Once we’ve got the flow, we’re taught how to jump onto the board in one fluid movement. Pushing up with my arms, I hop eagerly on board. I soon discover that the knack is to do this motion as smoothly as possible.

Now it’s time to hit the water to get the feel of the board in the sea. We lie on our boards and bob around, simply letting the gentle waves lap us about. As the group’s confidence grows, we venture further out. Within an hour, I’m up and balancing on the board, if only briefly. But I feel triumphant, if a little exhausted! I’m now getting an idea of why surfers are so passionate about their sport. It really is quite exhilarating.

Adrian says he doesn’t ever see a time when he won’t surf: “I would love to surf for the rest of my life because it’s really good for me. When I finish work I head to the beach and surf. It’s really important for me,” he explains. “When you’re stressed from work and study and then you go in the water, you feel the best, really happy. When I’m riding the waves it’s a really good feeling because I’m with nature, with friends and it’s really, really fun.”

Now it’s my turn. I pick up my board and head south in search of that perfect wave.