Surf School
Getting Wet

Now that you have the right gear, you need to hit the water. Firstly, you'll need a place to actually go surfing, thus you will have to pick a break that is the most easily accessable for you. The reason for this is, that if you pick a break that is hard to get to, you will just stop going after a while, and like we keep saying, learning to surf takes a lot of dedication. Preferrably you have to pick a beach break at first, as you will not get as banged up as you would if you had learned to surf at a reef break.

Pick A Spot

Right, if you have picked a spot, you are now ready to go surfing. Walk down the beach with your board under your arm, up until the shore break (where the water comes into contact with the sand). Decide if you are natural footed (right foot on the back of he board, left in front) or goofy footed (left foot on the back, right in front). This is pretty much just the position you feel most comfortable in. Now put your leash on the foot that is on the back of the board, and start walking into the water, until you are about waist-deep.

Catching Waves

Put your board on the water and hop on. Its a good idea to just hang around in the foamies (whitewash) for a while, just to get the hang of catching a wave. If you see the wave you want to catch, turn the nose of your board towards the shore and start paddling with your arms outstretched, to gain more speed. Its important to start paddling before the wave reaches you to gain some momentum. Now, as the wave takes you, paddle even more furiously, until you kind of "slide down" onto the wave (you'll know what I'm talking about when it happens).
Duckdiving

If you are comfortable at catching waves, you might want to try standing up. This means that you will have to go out in search of bigger waves, and that means that you will need to know how to duckdive. Duckdiving is the way you dive under a wave with your board, so it doesn't wash you out onto the beach. To duckdive, you need to press down onto the front of your board, forcing it into the water. Then use your knee to push down the back of the board as the wave passes over you. The wave itself should pull you through further.
Paddling Out

Paddle and duckdive until you get to the outside (behind the line of breaking waves). Catching bigger waves are just like catching the foamies, only you have to make sure to arch your back (so the nose of your board does not go into the water) and to press your chest flat onto the board (while your back is arched, so the board will stay level in the water).
On Your Own

Standing up is the hard part, and will take some practice. Just grab the rails (the sides of your board) and push yourself up. Remember that the movement from lying down to standing up should be one fluid action, not limb for limb.

Once you've mastered standing up, there's nothing more to teach you that you would not be able to teach yourself. The key is to not be afraid of the bigger waves, but just to go for it. Once you've ridden your first wave, you'll never look back.
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.[ Surf School...Get Stoked ].
Surf School
Getting Wet

Now that you have the right gear, you need to hit the water. Firstly, you'll need a place to actually go surfing, thus you will have to pick a break that is the most easily accessable for you. The reason for this is, that if you pick a break that is hard to get to, you will just stop going after a while, and like we keep saying, learning to surf takes a lot of dedication. Preferrably you have to pick a beach break at first, as you will not get as banged up as you would if you had learned to surf at a reef break.

Pick A Spot

Right, if you have picked a spot, you are now ready to go surfing. Walk down the beach with your board under your arm, up until the shore break (where the water comes into contact with the sand). Decide if you are natural footed (right foot on the back of he board, left in front) or goofy footed (left foot on the back, right in front). This is pretty much just the position you feel most comfortable in. Now put your leash on the foot that is on the back of the board, and start walking into the water, until you are about waist-deep.

Catching Waves

Put your board on the water and hop on. Its a good idea to just hang around in the foamies (whitewash) for a while, just to get the hang of catching a wave. If you see the wave you want to catch, turn the nose of your board towards the shore and start paddling with your arms outstretched, to gain more speed. Its important to start paddling before the wave reaches you to gain some momentum. Now, as the wave takes you, paddle even more furiously, until you kind of "slide down" onto the wave (you'll know what I'm talking about when it happens).
Duckdiving

If you are comfortable at catching waves, you might want to try standing up. This means that you will have to go out in search of bigger waves, and that means that you will need to know how to duckdive. Duckdiving is the way you dive under a wave with your board, so it doesn't wash you out onto the beach. To duckdive, you need to press down onto the front of your board, forcing it into the water. Then use your knee to push down the back of the board as the wave passes over you. The wave itself should pull you through further.
Paddling Out

Paddle and duckdive until you get to the outside (behind the line of breaking waves). Catching bigger waves are just like catching the foamies, only you have to make sure to arch your back (so the nose of your board does not go into the water) and to press your chest flat onto the board (while your back is arched, so the board will stay level in the water).
On Your Own

Standing up is the hard part, and will take some practice. Just grab the rails (the sides of your board) and push yourself up. Remember that the movement from lying down to standing up should be one fluid action, not limb for limb.

Once you've mastered standing up, there's nothing more to teach you that you would not be able to teach yourself. The key is to not be afraid of the bigger waves, but just to go for it. Once you've ridden your first wave, you'll never look back.
Return to the index