Elderly people take part in their surf class in Santos, Sao Paulo state, Brazil March 17, 2016. When work is up, surf is up in Brazil. A group of pensioners take to the waves in keep-fit, keep-young surfing lessons that aim to show age is just a number. Edmea Pereira and Francisco de Aguiar, a retired husband and wife in their 70s, take classes three times a week, for free, at the Cisco Arana surf school in the city of Santos in the state of Sao Paolo. “All our aches and pains stay at the bottom of the sea, we no longer feel pain, and our self-esteem is elevated too”, said Pereira. “When I get out of the sea I feel 10 years younger”. The classes started as a way to relieve another kind of pain for the couple. Their son went blind at 24 and they sought out Cisco Arana for specialist teaching. Seeing their son’s sense of freedom on the board, they decided to give it a go themselves – and soon they were hooked. Arana’s oldest student took to the waves at 80 years young. It’s not the students’ age that ever surprises him but the impact surfing can have on their mood and wellbeing, he said. Learning has been in both directions, said Arana, who founded the school 25 years ago with the aim of promoting social inclusion by encouraging people to try new activities. The silver surfers’ inexhaustible patience impresses him above all, he said. (Photo by Nacho Doce/Reuters)





Teacher Denise, 55, gives a surfing lesson to Maria Ines (C), 69, and Regina Palomares (L), during their surf class in Santos, Sao Paulo state, Brazil March 16, 2016. When work is up, surf is up in Brazil, as a group of retired citizens take to the waves in keep-fit, keep-young sessions at a surf school in the city of Santos. The classes are run for free, three times a week at the Cisco Arana school, which aims to prove that age is just a number. (Photo by Nacho Doce/Reuters)





(L-R) Edmea Pereira, 69, Elsa Rodrigues, 61, and Osmidio Conde, 71, take part in their surf class in Santos, Sao Paulo state, Brazil, March 16, 2016. (Photo by Nacho Doce/Reuters)





Maria Ines (L), 69, Regina Palomares (2nd L), 68, Edmea Pereira (R), 69, and her husband Francisco Aguiar, 71, walk towards the sea before their surf class in Santos, Sao Paulo state, Brazil March 16, 2016. (Photo by Nacho Doce/Reuters)





Teacher Denise (C), 55, gives a surfing lesson to elderly people during their surf class in Santos, Sao Paulo state, Brazil March 17, 2016. (Photo by Nacho Doce/Reuters)





Edmea Pereira (Rear R), 69, and her husband Francisco Aguiar (R), 71, walk towards the sea before their surf class in Santos, Sao Paulo state, Brazil March 16, 2016. (Photo by Nacho Doce/Reuters)





Osmidio Conde, 71, puts paraffin wax on a surfboard to avoid slipping before his surf class in Santos, Sao Paulo state, Brazil, March 16, 2016. (Photo by Nacho Doce/Reuters)





Claudines Garcia (R), 64, puts paraffin wax on a surfboard to avoid slipping as Wagner Barbosa, 67, stands by before their surf class in Santos, Sao Paulo state, Brazil March 17, 2016. (Photo by Nacho Doce/Reuters)





Francisco Aguiar, 71, takes part in his surf class in Santos, Sao Paulo state, Brazil March 16, 2016. (Photo by Nacho Doce/Reuters)





Francisco Aguiar, 71, surfs during his morning surf class in Santos, Sao Paulo state, Brazil March 16, 2016. (Photo by Nacho Doce/Reuters)





Edmea Pereira, 69, surfs during her morning surf class in Santos, Sao Paulo state, Brazil March 16, 2016. (Photo by Nacho Doce/Reuters)





Elsa Rodrigues, 61, surfs during her surf class in Santos, Sao Paulo state, Brazil March 16, 2016. (Photo by Nacho Doce/Reuters)





Teacher Denise, 55, gives a surfing lesson to Claudines Garcia (R), 64, during their morning surf class in Santos, Sao Paulo state, Brazil March 17, 2016. (Photo by Nacho Doce/Reuters)





Regina Palomares, 68, puts on flippers before her surf class in Santos, Sao Paulo state, Brazil March 16, 2016. (Photo by Nacho Doce/Reuters)





(R-L) Sueli garcia, 60, Elsa Rodrigues, 61, Osmidio Conde, 71, Simplicio Zaninete, 65, Edmea Pereira, 69, and her husband Francisco Aguiar, 71, pose for a picture after their school's surf class in Santos, Sao Paulo state, Brazil, March 16, 2016. (Photo by Nacho Doce/Reuters)