I want to learn how to surf

[Roland32]

Title says it all. I just moved to Orlando from Detroit. So my questions are, how do I start? What kind of board should I buy etc. I would really rather not get lessons if I dont need to. If it helps I used to skateboard years ago. (im 26 now)

[Surf]

Hey Roland,

I'd suggest checking garage sales(check your local newspaper) etc and seeing if you can find a used board, preferably 6"-24"+ longer than you are tall...the bigger the board(and wider, a high-performance shortboard is usually ~18" wide, you'll want wider than that, and at least 2.5" thick) the more stability you will have during your learning phase. You shouldn't pay more than $150 for a used board, though if you go to a surf shop they'll charge you significantly more for second-hand stuff even if it's not in great condition.

Once you've got your board check out www.surfline.com, they provide daily updated surf reports / webcams. Keep an eye on the local beach in your area for a good day to get out there, you want to start out on a day where the waves are no bigger than waist high (knee to thigh is probably best) with not too much wind - when it gets really windchoppy(strong onshore/sideshore winds cause this - in central florida that would be gusting east/south winds) it can get surprisingly rough near the shore despite poor surfing conditions.

Now that you've got a good day picked out, head over to the beach - make sure you've got sunblock! Stretch out first (like you were going to play soccer, legs in particular but also torso too) - and strap your leash on whichever leg is your back foot in skateboarding, since that will be your surfing stance. If you are right leg back you are "regular," left leg you are "goofy."

Walk out into the water carrying the board to one side - you can jump over the smaller whitewater, but DONT put your board out in front of you - it's all too easy to have a wave whack it straight back in your face, keep it to the side. Once you're in deep enough water climb onto it laying on your stomach and paddle(one hand at a time) away from the beach until you are past the breaking waves.

Once you are in calmer water, orient yourself on the board. When you are lying on your stomach arching your back looking forward the nose of the board should be *just* out of the water...if you lean your had down it should go under a bit...practice bringing the nose of the board out of the water further by arching your back more, and paddle around a bit to practice changing directions.

If you're feeling particularly ambitious you can try sitting on the board, though unless it's a big board you'll probably end up falling off your first few times - don't worry, it doesn't take long to get the hang of it, once sitting let your legs draw slow circles in the water to maintain your balance.

Okay, now lets try some actual surfing! For your first couple waves you'll want to catch one thats already started to break, it'll probably be easiest to find a spot where the whitewhater is rushing by where you can stand, spot the wave coming in and paddle towards the beach and let the whitewater rush up behind you and propel you towards the beach. You can try standing up if you've got enough room before you meet up with the shore, though it will be a bit tougher than otherwise because you wont be moving that fast.

Once you get the hang of the board a bit try catching a wave before it crests and breaks... Make sure you've got good conditions for it, though - keep an eye on how the waves are breaking that day, if they are curling and breaking hard with a thick "lip" (the top of the wave crashing down) it might be best to wait for a slightly more sedate day to try this. If the waves are "crumbling" where they kind of crest a little and then mush into whitewater without a curl, you've got yourself a good day.
So, ready to try it out? Paddle back out to about 3-5 feet past where the waves are breaking, and keep an eye on the horizon, watch how the waves approach and then watch them go by as they break so you get a feel for when they break and how much time you have. When you're ready, pick a wave that looks like it's going to crest a little further in than where you are, turn and paddle with it. You'll feel the wave start to surge under you and the back of your board will rise with it, at this point arch your back a bit more to keep the nose from submerging ("pearling" as it is called) and hang on tight. If you've timed it right the whitewater will begin to break behind the tail of your board and you'll feel the wave propelling you down the face - if the wave is too steep you may eat it no matter what you do, but congrats, you've just caught your first wave!
Don't be afraid to go head-over-heels a bunch of times until you get the right feel for how the wave breaks, assuming you're at a sand bottom break the worst you'll get is some water up your nose and some sand in your boardshorts.

Once you are catching them, work on standing up. Grab both rails at about hwere your shoulders are and push yourself up off the board...as you do so, plant your back foot in the rear of the board (centered in between the rails, perpendicular to the direction you are moving) and bring your front foot forward, again perpendicular to the direction you are moving and right across the wooden stringer in the middle of the board. If your feet are off the center of the board you'll flip over...too far back and you'll lose speed, too far forward and you'll nosedive. It takes practice but you'll get a feel for how your board moves and where you can stand. You can practice this on the beach, too. Trace an outline of your board in the sand, then lay down on it and practice standing up quickly, placing your feet centered where I described before. Once the motion becomes familiar you'll find you can stand up while you are taking off down the face of the wave, which will help you avoid pearling and gets you that much closer to true surfing. The first one of these you catch is lots of fun.

Okay, got that all down? Once you're taking off comfortably and standing up without too much trouble, try taking off "down the line" - so you are moving along the wave instead of in front of it. You want to find a wave with a peak and a shoulder - the peak crests and breaks first, the shoulder kind of walls up and breaks later - you want to paddle for the wave, heading towards the shoulder, so when you take off you are going away from where the whitewater is breaking, riding along the face of the wave. This is where surfing gets *really* fun, the first one of these you catch is a serious thrill, I can still remember my first one, over a decade ago.

Good luck, and have fun! Surfing's a great way to stay in shape and enjoy nature, and meet cool people. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions - I don't visit OOT much so i probably wont check this thread.

Surf

[Roland32]

Wow thanks for the reply! [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[cbloom]

Surf's post is great.

Get a teacher or a friend who surfs. It will take you forever to get on your own with out some help.

Also, like Surf mentioned, I highly recommend practicing the "pop up" on dry land. You need to *quickly* pop to your feet and be in a stable/balanced position, not slowly fumble your way up. The whole pop from lying to standing needs to take about 2 seconds.

If you haven't skateboarded, you may want to just practice balancing as well. Some ways are to - skateboard, stand on a big ball, stand on one of those upside down half-balls, stand on a board with a big dowel under it so it rolls.