How To Surf For Beginners

Summer is right around the corner and you may be planning a trip to the coast with a surf lesson on the agenda! You don’t want to ruin your first experience by going out and getting hurt or hurting someone else so check out our updated “How To Surf” video for the beginner surfer to be safe, stay in control and a few additional things to get you started.

One of the first things we show people who want to learn how to surf is a pop-up. In order to even start to practice those, you need to know your natural stance on the board. You will either be a “regular foot” or a “goofy foot” surfer. A regular foot surfer surfs with their left foot forward and the goofy footer surfs with the right foot forward. This video shows you how to figure that out as well as learn how to do a pop-up. Pop-ups can be practiced at home before your first lesson. Our student does a great job popping up, but it is rather hard to go from lying down to standing on your feet (no knees!). So, practicing at home is always a good thing. It’s just like doing a push up, but you push up really hard to a standing position.

The most important thing is to be prepared to go out with confidence. When beginners go out in fear, it is not safe. Watch a lot of “How to” videos and even some surf movies to watch how the pros do it! You may even want to go to Instagram and check out @kookslams to watch What NOT to do! The top 5 things on our list would be:

1. Make sure you have a leash.

2. Some beaches have a clear surf and swim zone. Only surf in the surf zone. Go out where there are not a lot of people.

3. Don’t go out if it looks scary! Ask a lifeguard if the conditions are good for beginners or if there are any strong rip currents to be aware of.

4. The zipper of the wetsuit goes in the back.

5. Don’t wear your wetsuit around town. Put it on before your session and try to take it off soon after especially if you are wearing a rental. You can pick up some interesting things from wearing a non-breathable, wet, rubbery outfit for long periods of time…(think ringworm!)

We hope this video has taught you a few things so you can get out there and enjoy your session safely and confidently! Stay tuned for our next blog on the parts of a surfboard.