Surfing
This guide to surfing for beginners gets you one step closer to diving into your adventures with confidence.
The sound and sights of crashing waves. The warm sun beating down on your skin. It only makes sense that surfing is so popular — though it does come with a learning curve. That’s never intimated the pros, though, as Red Bull surfer Kanoa Igarashi attests: “I’ll do whatever I can to be the best,” he says.
With this guide to surfing for beginners, you’ll learn what it takes to get closer to mastering this sport. Read on for surf tips ranging from finding the best board to taking on your first green wave.
01
Getting started: essential gear and equipment
Choosing the right surfboard
For your introductory surf lessons and experiences, start with a foam or soft-top board — these surfboard materials offer the most stability. Look for thick, wide boards with a length of at least seven feet for more stability.
These criteria are great for your first surfboard, but they feel limiting as you progress to more advanced techniques. You may eventually want a hard board ideal for handling sharper turns and faster speeds. Ask an expert at your local surf shop for help finding the right one.
Wetsuits and rash guards
If you’ll be surfing in warm climates with notably warm water, you can skip the wetsuit, but otherwise, you’ll absolutely need one. A wetsuit keeps your body heat in, which makes all the difference in, for example, cold Jersey Coast or Bay Area waters.
Ditching the wetsuit, though, doesn’t mean saying no to apparel entirely. You’ll need a rash guard since direct skin contact with a surfboard often causes intense discomfort. Plus, many rash guards offer UV protection that trounces the average sunblock.
Other essentials
As you start practicing your wave riding skills, you’re inevitably going to fall off your board. Use a leash attached to your ankle to guarantee your board won’t drift away. You’ll also want surf wax that match for your surfing conditions so that your board experiences more friction with the water. With a properly waxed board, staying upright as you catch waves is much easier.
Of course, no outdoor sport is complete without sunscreen. Sure, a rash guard can offer more protection than sunscreen, but it doesn’t cover your whole body. Apply sunblock to your face, neck, arms, and pretty much everywhere else, and reapply every couple of hours for maximum protection.
02
Understanding the basics of surfing
Surf terminology
Some key surf terms to know include:
- Lineup. This is the spot where surfers await and catch incoming waves. Look at all the other surfers itching for a turn to pinpoint where waves are breaking and how quickly — and in what direction — the waves are moving. One of the best beginner surf tips is to target a main peak’s outskirts from your spot in the lineup.
- Whitewash. This is the foamy part of the water that approaches the shore when waves break. It’s a great spot to put the best surfing tips for beginners into action since it’s gentler than a wave face.
- Paddle out. This is the act of paddling past whitewash and up to a breaking wave. It’s how you start most surfing tricks.
- Duck dive. This step follows paddling out unless you’re doing a trick. It’s how you get your board under the wave and move through the wave’s force. As the wave begins to fall down atop your board and body, grip your board’s rails firmly. From there, send the board’s nose and your body under the water, then push the board up out of the water.
Ocean awareness
Whether you’re reading beginner surf tips or advice from experts, you’ll see warnings about the dangers of rip currents. These strong currents, which run perpendicular to the shoreline, could take you far out from the shore.
Common signs of rip currents include water that’s darker than its surroundings, an unusually small number of breaking waves, and sand, debris, and murky patches far from the shore. If you find yourself in a rip current, paddle parallel to the shore to escape. You’ll know you’re free once you don’t feel an intense current pulling you into the ocean.
Speaking of ocean forces, you’ll regularly see groups or series of waves that are more powerful than others. The lulls between these wave sets, which often comprise three to six waves, are a great time to paddle out. This way, you aren’t trying to reach your surf spot or return to the lineup amid high-force waves.
Surfing etiquette
You’re not the only surfer eager to ride the wave, and some wave peaks are large enough to split with other surfers. If you’re not ready for that yet, stay in the lineup until you see a wave you can confidently take. Feel free to encourage others to take a wave that isn’t right for you.
The more often you surf at your spot of choice, the more you’ll get to know all the unwritten rules and customs there. If you start trekking out to other spots, you’ll probably pick up on how the rules differ there. Respect the rules of each surf spot.
No matter where you surf, remember a few basics: Safety comes first, respect is key, and giving someone else a wave means you’ll eventually get one that’s right for you.
03
Key techniques for beginners
Paddling
One of the most fundamental of all surfboard techniques, paddling requires proper form so that you’re moving quickly without overexerting. Lie stomach-down on your board as you arch your back, place your hands under your shoulders, and lift your head. Find a position that’s not so far back on the board that you can only paddle slowly. Push your chest into the center of the board.
Once you’ve aced your position, resist the urge to flail your arms. Instead, use them to make steady, smooth movements as you kick with your legs and engage your core.
Popping up
After you paddle toward a wave, you need to pop up onto your feet to catch it. While in paddle position, move into push-up position but with your hands near your ribs. Without using your knees, pull your front leg up and bend it, keeping your knee roughly below your chest. Bend your back leg as well, keeping your feet just more than shoulder-width apart.
Balance and stance
Proper surf stance means keeping your feet centered along your board’s width. Standing with your knees a bit bent and pointed toward each other, with your shoulders their usual width apart, is best too. Keep your arms down to your sides but outward so that your hands extend beyond your board’s rails. Look toward where you’re going rather than down at your feet.
Your stance also affects whether you accelerate or brake. Putting your weight into your front foot gives you more speed, whereas putting your weight into your back foot pumps the brakes. Practice shifting your weight in the ideal surfing position to slowly but surely master your balance and stance.
04
First time in the water: practicing in the whitewash
You’ll have much more control over your movements in the whitewash than in actual waves. Practice here to make perfect. There’s also a confidence element to becoming a great surfer, so you may want to master small waves to start.
Paddle as hard as you can toward one, and kick your feet to boost your speed. Once you’ve caught your small wave, lift your arms, move slightly forward, and stay upright on your toes, centering your body over your board. As you master small-wave riding, you’ll get more comfortable in the water.
05
Tips for progressing as a beginner surfer
It bears repeating: Learning how to surf involves nailing down the basics before progressing to challenging waves. Try setting some major goals, with smaller goals along the way. For example, the major goal of riding a green (unbroken) wave may be easier if you set the smaller goal of mastering your board stance first.
How will you know you’ve mastered your stance? That’s where surf lessons or practicing with other surfers comes into play. Get regular input from those who know their stuff, and you’ll improve quickly. If you can’t quite make it to the shore with other folks, out-of-ocean surfing practice can make a difference.
06
Common mistakes to avoid
Incorrect stance or positioning
Newcomers often incorrectly bend their upper bodies downward when standing and moving forward. Proper form involves keeping your body upright as you bend your knees and shift your weight between each leg. This stance will help you stay balanced.
Beginner surfboarders are also known to use their heels or toes for turning, but turning is a whole-body affair. As you turn your feet and legs, rotate your head, shoulders, and hips toward where you’re trying to go as well.
Speaking of your legs, never point your knees in opposite directions. Both your knees should be facing outward, roughly perpendicular (though maybe a bit pointed toward each other), from your board. Keep your knees in this position while shifting your weight between your legs for speed control.
Skipping warm-ups
A surf sesh is more likely to go well if you warm up. A good warm-up increases blood flow and makes your muscles more limber. You’ll both perform better and decrease your likelihood of injury in the water.
Exposing your surfboard to too much sun
Waxing your surfboard is a must, but it also won’t be worth the effort if the wax melts. Sunlight is powerful enough to completely melt surf wax. You can’t keep your board out of the sun while you’re riding the waves, but you can keep it in the shade out of the water. Bring a beach umbrella or cover your board with a beach blanket when not in use. Then when you hit the waves, all wax is still intact.
Riding the waves: final tips for beginner surfers
From choosing the right board to mastering your board stance, learning how to surf is entirely within reach. That’s especially true if you stay committed to the journey and keep having fun. The joy of it all is important. As Kanoa Igarashi says, surfing is a conduit to pure expression.
“There's something about surfing and being on a wave and you have this freedom, sort of like an art, like a painter and his tool,” Igarashi says. “It’s my blank canvas to paint whatever I want on, depending on the day and how I feel.” With enough practice, you too can become artful on the waves.
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