Q & A
Chasing a Wave
Q. A group of friends would like to attend a surfing camp for beginners this summer in Southern California or Hawaii. Are there such camps? -- Jeff Rhodes, Cambridge, Mass.
A. There has been a proliferation of surfing camps and schools, especially in California, in recent years. In fact, the International Surfing Association in La Jolla, Calif., (619) 551-5292, has set up a committee to monitor and set criteria for such camps, according to Pierre Camoin, the association's spokesman. The committee has just begun its work, though, and no offical recommendations are available.
But Mr. Camoin said prospective students should ask about accommodations and safety -- in particular whether the staff is CPR certified and whether lifeguards are always on duty.
Among his personal recommendations was the granddaddy of them all, the Paskowitz Surfing Camp, Post Office Box 522, San Clemente, Calif. 92674. Started in 1972 by Dr. Dorian Paskowitz, it offers five-day sessions from May 31 to Oct. 1, including seven adults-only weeks. The $900 fee includes three meals a day, camping in tents provided by the camp at San Mateo State Park, two lessons a day and the use of boards and wet suits.
Izzy Paskowitz, the director and one of the founder's sons, said all the instructors are former or current professional surfers with at least 10 years' experience. They have training in first aid and CPR, he said. Eight instructors are assigned to a group of 15 to 20 students. And at age 79, Doc Paskowitz still demonstrates.
Information: (949) 361-9283, fax (949) 361-9211, members.aol.com/ SURFCAMP/.
One of the newer schools is Groundswell Surf Camp, Post Office Box 5313, San Clemente, Calif. 92674, established three years ago by Terry Senate. Mr. Senate said all his instructors are certified lifeguards with CPR training. Classes are held at either Cardiff Reef or Silver Strand beaches, near San Diego, and students camp in San Elijo State Park, just off the beach. There is a large common tent with carpeting, television and VCR.
Sessions start every Monday from June 14 to Sept. 5 and cost $650 for lodging, three meals a day, equipment and about two and a half hours of instruction each morning. Adult-only sessions will start June 14 and July 26. Phone and fax (949) 364-2262; www.surfcamp.com.
A possibility in Hawaii is the four-year-old Hans Hedemann Surf School, 2947 Kalakaua Avenue No. 105, Honolulu, Hawaii 96815. It offers two sites, at the Diamond Head Hotel near Honolulu and on the North Shore at Pupukea. The fee of $150 a day includes four hours of lessons, equipment, lodging at the hotel or in a six-bedroom house in Pupukea that sleeps 10, and daily breakfast ($185 a day for three meals). Kayaking, snorkeling and biking are offered.
The school runs all year, said Howard Hart, the manager. All 15 instructors are certified lifeguards and most are professional surfers; (808) 924-7778; www.hsurf.com.
Other camps are listed on the Web at this address: www.surfvideo .com/portal/instruc.htm.
Visiting Bilbao
Q. We plan to visit Spain, arriving and departing Barcelona. Are there tours to the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao from there? -- Elaine Skoler, Hyannis, Mass.
A. It's not difficult to make a day trip to Bilbao by air from Barcelona.  An agency that can book such a trip for you is Tecnic Viajes, 78 Gran Via de Hortaleza, 28043 Madrid, telephone (34-91) 388-1636, fax (34-91) 759-7879. It has a Barcelona office, but bookings should be made through its Madrid office.
Tecnic offers a day excursion of a flight to Bilbao (about an hour) from either city in the morning, a bus or car tour of the city, a tour of the Guggenheim with an English-speaking guide and a return flight in the evening for about $190 a person in a group of two to four (about $235 for a single), at the rate of 155 pesetas to the dollar.
You could also book such a trip on your own. There are four flights daily from Barcelona to Bilbao, most on Iberia, (800) 772-4642, with round-trip fares of about $190 to $240. (Figure on frequent airport delays in Spain, which could slice an hour or two from your time in Bilbao.)
By train, the trip is about six and half hours ($83), so you'd probably want to stay over. Information: (34-91) 328-9020. If you drive, Barcelona is 385 miles from Bilbao. (Madrid is 245 miles from Bilbao, so rail and air fares from there are a little less.)
Admission to the Guggenheim -- which is open 10 A.M. to 8 P.M. daily except Monday -- is about $5, and a 90-minute guided tour in English would cost about $77 total for a group of 2 to 20. Tours must be reserved at least two weeks in advance by contacting the museum at (34-94) 435-9090, fax (34-94) 435-9039 (but call between 3 and 8 A.M. Eastern time to speak to someone in English).
The Top of Australia
Q. I would like to hike up Mount Kosciusko, Australia's highest peak. Are there companies that can plan a trip there? -- Robert Yentel, Dix Hills, N.Y.
A. At 7,310 feet, Mount Kosciusko, in New South Wales about 90 miles southwest of Canberra, is indeed the highest you can go Down Under. But for those adventurers who try to climb the highest peak on every continent, it is the least challenging -- you can even drive a good ways up.
Kosciusko National Park, in the Snowy Mountains, has become a prime recreational and tourist area in the last couple of decades, with its caves, glacial lakes, forests and ski resorts. In summer, it is a fine place for bushwalks and wildfowers. From Charlotte Pass, the peak is about a five-mile hike, though there are longer trails, too.
Two West Coast companies offer a seven-day hiking package from Dec. 1 to March 31 (the Southern Hemisphere summer) with five days of hiking in the area, including the fairly comfortable trek to the peak. Accommodations are in alpine chalets in doubles or shared rooms, and most meals and a guide are included.
Australia-New Zealand Down Under Travel, 1328 El Camino Real, Los Altos, Calif. 94022, (800) 886-2153, fax (650) 969-3215, anztravel.com, said the package would be about $725, not including air fare. At Down Under Answers, 12727 N.E. 20th Street, Bellevue, Wash. 98005, (800) 788-6685, fax (425) 895-8929, www.adventour .com, the estimate was $930. Mary Lou Serr, president of Down Under Travel, suggested waiting till after the millennium for better air fares.
RAY CORMIER