Goat vibrations: animals teach surfers in California
- In the ocean, the animals and their balance on the surfboard are a calming influence for first-time surfers
- The idea came a decade ago when surfer Dana McGregor took his goat into the surf, a challenge the animal met brilliantly
On an inflatable surfboard in prime California waters, first-time surfers Rebekah Abern and Elizabeth French paddle out to catch a wave under the watchful eye of their unusual instructor: Chupacabrah, a small black goat.
This one-year-old ruminant is an integral part of their lesson on Pismo Beach, effortlessly demonstrating the relaxed stance necessary to ride through the churning foam.
“The goat surfed way better than I did,” laughed Abern. “She had the positioning and you can tell she had done it before … you could tell she was digging it.”
“Who gets to surf with goats? It’s like out of this world,” said the 41-year-old tourist from Montana.
Chupacabrah’s presence on the surfboard is the brainchild of two-legged instructor Dana McGregor, who decided a decade ago he would give goats a go.