He tried to explain that she needed to balance her weight on her stomach, instead of gripping the board with her hands. She seemed a little confused and a little irritated that he would tell her to do something a little out of the norm for her. When she likened the action to a seal, he nodded. "Exactly like a seal. It's easier than you think." Once she would just relax and let her body do what it was designed to do, she might be pleasantly surprised at what she was capable of doing.

Finally, they made it out to a little deeper water. Ashton stood on a sandbar, the water coming up to his waistline. He was thankful that it was hiding the problem he seemed to be having trouble getting rid of. Most importantly, it allowed him to be able to help stabilize her on the board. He promised her he would look after her and he had every intention to do just that.

He watched as she explored the art of balancing on the board. Her hands moved out to her side, playing in the water. At least she was getting more and more comfortable in the ocean, which was more than enough to make him happy. This allowed him to relax a little himself, allowing his eyes to wander. Unfortunately, instead of wandering to the beach or to the sky, they wander directly to her breasts which were right in his line of sight. He tried to look away quickly, but she had caught him.

He shifted nervously, trying not to draw attention to the fact that he had been caught looking at her breasts. Even though she was clothed in a small bikini, this was more skin than he was used to seeing so up close and personal. It only made his desire for her grow, something he was trying very hard to keep in check. She commented on his tense behavior and he offered her a smile, hopefully trying to brush off her concerns as nothing. "I'm okay...I just..." He wasn't sure if he should admit to her that he didn't usually see people so close in bikinis. He was used to most of his people being men or women in wet suits. "...I'm just not used to teaching young women. I'm trying to keep professional." There, that was tactful. Perhaps she would just leave it be. Something told him she might ask him further questions. He had learned that Malia didn't quite understand social norms amongst humans.

He mentioned that he used to come to the water and surf every morning. She smirked, asking if he did so before the skating rink opened up. He couldn't help but chuckle. "You could say that. I grew up in a small town, there wasn't many options for fun." If he wasn't surfing, working his farm, or helping out his family, he would try to have some fun. The town only had one restaurant, a bowling alley attached to a skating rink, and a bar. There just weren't that many options.

Ashton kept a look out behind him, noting that there was a wave building. It would be a smaller wave, the perfect wave for Malia to learn with. He turned to her with a smile. "There's a wave coming. You're going to paddle forward on your belly and when the wave begins to break, you're going to try to stand up on the board. You're going to fall in many times before you are able to stand. It just takes practice. I'm confident you'll get it. Ready?" And before she had time to answer, he was giving her a gentle push forward. He would be close by so when she did fall, he would reach down and grab her.