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Vince turns hobby into surfing first

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VINCE Hayes, lawnmowing contractor, paper deliverer, has added another feather to his proverbial cap.

It started with his father-in-law, who reckons if you've got a hobby and you're good at it, you may as well make money out of it.

Vince's hobby is bodysurfing - lots of it - and he has become arguably the first man, on Australia's eastern coast at least, to hold bodysurfing lessons on the beach.

With a nod from the Noosa Shire Council this month, Vince will now be coaching swimmers in the three Sunshine Coast Shires - Caloundra, Maroochy and Noosa. "I like to see people participate in the holidays," says Vince, a former Maroochy Shire lifeguard.

"It's good for tourists, and the bottom line is, if I happen to save one person from doing something silly, it's worth it.

"It's not only about teaching body surfing. It's about surf safety and surf awareness."

Vince has been bodysurfing all his life. When Cyclone Betty brought paradise to the surfers, Vince and his bodysurfing mates were out in the National Park swell with the best of the board-riders.
"We're entitled to do what the board-riders do. They appreciate us and we appreciate them - we've both got the same longing to ride the wave."

Vince can't promise that sort of skill straight away, but he says in a half-hour lesson, his students have obtained a skill they can keep and expand on.

"I don't want people to feel threatened in the surf. A lot of people feel uneasy, and I want to build their confidence and self esteem so they can have a good time.

"I just want people to experience what I love."