You have seen the video clips, the Instagram shots, the commercials, the surfer girls and dudes at the beach. How hard can it be? You just jump on the board and the wave takes you where you want to go, right? Wrong! You could not be more wrong. Surfing is unfortunately (or fortunately) one of the more demanding sports that you can get yourself into. It takes years to get any good (depending on how much you surf off course) and even then, some people say if you don’t start as a kid you will never be really good. So why do it? Because it’s fun! It is fan right from the start, even when you have no idea what you are doing. And to help you with that (with the no idea what you are doing), here are four tips to help you get started.
It Helps a Lot if You Are Fit
If you can not do a push-up then maybe this is not the sport for you. People get sucked into the allure of surfing without realizing what it takes to surf. And there is nothing wrong with that. A 10 day surf camp is a great experience even if you will never surf again after that. But if you are serious about learning how to surf then some workout prior to starting with lessons will help you a great deal. Nothing really complicated. 45 minutes per day a few days a week is great. What are the surfing “dry land” exercises? Push ups, pull ups, swimming freestyle and running. In that order. Swimming is actually best, but not everybody lives next to a pool or sea so push ups and pull-ups are so much easier to do at home.
The Gear You Need
Depending on where you will go surfing and what is the water temperature there, surfing can be as simple as picking up a surfboard and going into the water. Or it can require loads of neoprene. So lets start with the surfboard.
A Surfboard
Surfboard is the thing you put under your arm (fins to the back, wax to the ouside) that makes you look like a surfer:). Picking the right board to begin with is important. Very important! Picking a wrong surfboard usually means picking one too small for you and can break your surfing career before it even starts. So we did a whole guide on how to pick your first (and second) surfboard. Check it out here – Picking a beginner surfboard. In short – you want length and volume. They bring you more stability and catching waves becomes much easier. Of course this also depends on your weight and size. Board size also depends on your experience, but since this is a guide for beginner surfers I will assume you are a beginner. So stay away from shortboards.
Wetsuit
Surfing would be a pretty obscure sport if it wasn’t for wetsuits. These neoprene suits made it possible for people to surf all over the world. Did you know that in water that has 40–50° F (4–10° C) degrees you will be unconscious in 30–60 minutes and dead in 1–3 hours? Try surfing then without a wetsuit. So picking the right wetsuit is almost a matter of life and death:). Obviously summer and warmer water mean you can use a thinner wetsuit and winter and colder water mean thick wetsuits, booties, gloves and a hood. Since picking the right wetsuit is a small science project we did a couple of guides that will help you out. First check the water temperature and wetsuit thickness guide and if you are buying a new wetsuit then also go through our Ultimate wetsuit guide that will teach you everything you need to know about wetsuits. Apart from shielding your from cold water a wetsuit also protects your from minor cuts and scratches from the rocks and your own surfboard. And one more thing – make surf the wetsuit fits! If it is too big water gets in and then even the best wetsuit doesn’t help you much.
Wax
You need to wax your board so you don’t slip off when you stand up. By using logic you can figure out which side of the board needs to be waxed but just in case here is another guide with full waxing instructions. One more thing you need to remember about wax is that there are different waxes for different water temperatures, so get the right one.
What Else You Need?
Apart from wetsuit, if the water is cold your will also need neoprene booties, gloves and hood. But only the most hardcore beginners learn to surf in water as cold as that. Then a waterproof watch also comes in handy. Surfing is addictive and you will be late for work, meeting, anniversaries, weddings… you have been warned. So at least you need a waterproof watch to keep time. A Jaeger-lecoultre is a decent choice for instance. Or you need a full blown surf watch that shows tides, counts waves and things like that. Check Rip Curl, Nixon etc… for watches like that.
Take Lessons
These days we take lessons for everything. People used to be more stubborn and wanted to do things by themselves. But today it’s almost useless to say that you should take surfing lessons. You need someone to explain to you all the dangers, show you the basics, and tell you where and when to go surfing. Picking the right spot takes some knowledge and experience and it is best not to do it on your own until you know what you are doing. You can get in over your head fast. Also, you will need some surf buddies.