There is a wide variety of surfing equipment to purchase and to be honest, it can be expensive. However, once you have bought your essential surfing gear, the surfboard and a wet suit, rest of the equipment is quite inexpensive. If you are a wave worshiper and surfing is going to be your passion for a relatively long time, then buying a high quality gear is worth the money. Remember there are numerous types of brands ranging from local surf shops to international companies with a variety of prices. This article is just an overview for beginners to help them get the essential stuff they will require for surfing.

Surfboards

A surfboard is a long platform used in surfing. Even though it is very light, it is strong enough to support a surfer riding the waves. Modern surfboards are developed from polyurethane or polystyrene foam with a coat of fiberglass, carbon fibers, epoxy resins, polyester and cloth. The new surfboards are light, fast and easily maneuverable. Every year, almost 400,000 surfboards are manufactured throughout the world. Surfboards have numerous sizes, shapes and designs but the most common types are shortboard, longboard, funboard, fish, gun and hybrid. Before you buy a surfboard, consider your weight, age and surfing style. For beginners, the longer the board, the better it performs. This is why many people buy longboards because they allow easy paddling, wave catching, and turnings. Other factors to consider are thickness and width. The thicker board enables easy paddling and gliding while a wider board is more merciful to novices and let them surf steadily.

Wetsuits

The water temperature will help you determine whether you need a wetsuit or not. Apart from tropical areas, in many regions of the world, the water is cold and a wetsuit is necessary if you wish to be comfortable during surfing. Today, you can find a wide range of wetsuits appropriate for your local conditions. They are made of neoprene, a flexible rubber which has insulating properties. A wetsuit must be snug but not tight. They vary in thickness, panels and designs. Wetsuits can be full or steamer. For summer the ideal thickness is 3/2 and 6/4 for winter.

Rash Vest, Leash, Boots, Gloves and Hood

A rash vest is worn under a wetsuit to protect the skin from irritation and rashes particularly in tropical areas. It is made up of soft neoprene and provides further insulation. Boots, hood and gloves may be useful in very cold regions like those in high Northern or low Southern areas. A leash is an ankle strap that attaches your ankle to the surfboard.

Surfboard Wax

Surfboard wax is applied on the top of surfboard to create traction. There are various kinds of surf wax with plenty of colors, fragrance and consistency. Wax should be applied in circular motions until small lumps are formed. After a layer or two, use a wax comb to coarsen up the old wax which produces a better grip. You will also need a surfboard wax removing solution to scrape off old wax build up.

For further information on surfing equipment and gear, visit:

http://www.surfscience.com/topics/gear-and-equipment/
http://www.surfing-waves.com/surfing_accessories.htm
http://surfingnewsdaily.com/129/must-have-surf-gear-for-beginners/

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Surfing is an extremely exciting sport. Catching and riding a wave successfully is one of the most satisfying feelings in the world. Just like all other sports, surfing is very demanding. It requires a great deal of physical strength, perfect coordination and balance right from the start. Paddling out, catching a wave, standing up on a surfboard and performing aerial moves demand exacting effort. Before you go surfing in the ocean, it is necessary for you to prepare for it by incorporating a full body warm up. Many people don’t take the pre-surf warm up routine seriously and end up having severe injuries and cramps. Pre surf workout and fitness are imperative for having a continuous muscular interaction and balanced skills. It only takes a few minutes to prepare and strengthen your body for the upcoming session. After a good warm up routine, the body not only works with more flexibility and mobility but the overall performance is better and steady.

Types of Simple Warm Up Routine

A warm up can be active or passive. Active warm up includes exercising and jogging while a passive warm up can be achieved through a hot shower or a sauna treatment. Both are advantageous and combining them helps to relax and stretch muscles even more nicely. Some of the common pre surf exercises are; Breathing Squats Perform a squat movement. Exhale when the body moves down and inhale as the body moves up while extending your arms upwards. Single Leg Upper Body Rotations Stand on one leg, bend the knee slightly, push your hip backward and place the arms in front of your body. Now, rotate your upper body slowly in a controlled movement while standing on a single leg. T-Rotation Push-ups Begin your push up and extend and rotate one arm upwards. At the same time rotate your body to one side. Now you are balanced only on one hand. Repeat the same motion on the opposite side. Other useful movements are jumping jacks, butt drops, reverse lunge, side to side lunge and warrior lunge. Try to perform your warm up routine continuously without taking any break. A session of 5 to 15 minutes is good enough to increase your circulation, stretch your ligaments and make you energetic. A warm up prior to surfing must be fast and active. It should not include any static stretching, the type where you maintain the muscle position for some time, because it will reduce the elasticity of muscles. This type of stretching should only be performed after you have surfed.

Develop Tolerance

Professional surfers who ride for long duration will need to develop a full body tolerance. Surfing for extended period will require a high amount of energy. A combination of regular swimming, boxing, jogging, jumping jacks, jump ropes and workout circuits will prepare a surfer for difficult times.

Take a Look at a Pre-Surf Warm Up

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Even though there are hit songs about wiping out on a surfboard, it’s not always enjoyable to do it! Wipe out can be defined as ‘an end of a ride’ or more accurately falling off your surfboard quite ungracefully. Surfing is an exhilarating sport but a lot can happen if you are not careful enough. Imagine broken boards, cuts, gashes, rough collisions, concussions, drowning and far worse injuries. Fun to watch but risky to life, no one can be immune from a wipe out. However, don’t be disheartened, with practice anything is possible. You will even find experienced surfers complaining about the horrible wipe outs. Surfing is very easy once you get a hang of a right technique. If you are about to wipe out, do it the right way. Yes, there is an actual way to wipe out to reduce the risks of injuries.

There is a misunderstanding that a wipe out can only happen on a large wave. This is not true. They can easily happen on smaller waves too. Sadly enough, surfers tend to be more cautious when riding on a heavy, powerful wave while they often show a careless attitude on a smaller wave that often results in accidents. Moreover, they typically occur in small crowded beach breaks than large platforms. There are numerous moves that can terminate a ride and hence they are regarded as wipe outs – some of the maneuvers are a slip, fall, pitch, pearl, twist or splat. When wipe out occurs on a large scope, it can be life threatening. Death can take place from a severe head injury. Despite the deadliness and dislike of wipe outs, you will find many surfers carrying out the move terribly. From a professional surfer to a novice, no one is secure from it. For spectators, it can be really amusing watching a famous surfer falls of the board clumsily.

How to Wipe Out

During surfing, you are going to fall sooner or later so why not fall with some grace? Here are some tips that can save you from a horrible wipe out.

– Take a super-deep breath so you have more air and are more boyant. Tuck and cover to protect your face, throat, groin, and stomach. You never know when another surfer is possibly wiping out on top of you and you can get hit by them or their board unexpectedly.

– You need to avoid hitting the bottom or any shallow rocks, so try not to go to deep unless you’re sure there’s nothing down there to injure you, in which case it can sometimes be good to get yourself deeper.

– To avoid injury to the neck and cervical spine, keep your chin down. Basically curling into fetal position isn’t such as bad idea, especially at first until you’re more experienced.

– As you are spinning around inside the wave, don’t panic (obviously) or try to fight the wave too much until you’re sure you know which way is up. Save your energy and get to the surface efficiently when it’s over.

– You may feel your leash wrapping where it shouldn’t, so be prepared to kick out, straighten your foot, or whatever it takes to keep the leash pulling on your ankle and not painfully yanking some other body part.

– When you first come out of the water, protect your face with your arms in case your board is already just about to hit you. Try to keep the board between yourself and the coast so the next wave doesn’t slam it into your face while you’re recovering.

– Try to recover as quickly as possible and paddle into the white-water to duck-dive or turtle roll, not towards the shoulder of the next wave where another surfer may be riding. Always be aware of where you are and who you might be affecting with your wipeout.

Some of the Best Wipe Outs

For further information, visit:

http://www.surfscience.com/topics/surfing-tips/beginner-tips/catch-a-wave-without-a-nosedive-wipe-out/
http://www.surfline.com/surfing-a-to-z/wipeout-history_949/
http://www.ehow.com/how_2581_wipe-surfboard.html
How to Wipe Out Properly – Surfscience.com article

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Surf or wave forecasting is a method of estimating condition of the waves by using offshore swells data. Forecasting of waves is not restricted to surfers. The process is used by meteorologists, news reporters and by the Navy throughout the world. Surf forecasting does not give an accurate result but only a few good elements to estimate the surfs. To forecast, a person should know a good deal about the ocean, waves, how they are formed and some knowledge of bathymetry. Some of the professionals put the obtained data online for others to use.

Offshore Swells and the Data

Waves are made by the wind blowing over the sea and transfer of energy from the air into the water. Swell is a series of surface gravity waves. It is influenced by three factors; the duration and velocity of the wind and the distance it covers. Swells are of two kinds; groundswell (made far away from the shore) and a wind swell (formed by the wind near the surf spot). Groundswell is better for surfing. It breaks the waves nicely and has a more orderly pattern. Windswells are choppy, hard and not large enough to surf. To create a swell data by forecasting the surfs, three factors of swells are analyzed;

1- The direction of the swell which is measured in degrees like on a compass.
2- Period of a swell which is a time between consecutive waves. It is measured in seconds. It indicated the growth of a swell.
3- The height of the swell in deep water

Bathymetry and Prediction of a Surf Break

Bathymertry is a study of waves, tide, currents, and weather. The waves are much more energetic towards the shallow water and hence tend to turn towards it. Here the swell period can largely affect the waves very much. If the swell period is long then the waves are likely wrap into a spot causing inconsistency of the waves.

Types of breaks

The breaks are largely affected by the shape of the oceanic floor. If the ocean floor has a gradual slope, the waves are crumpled and slow (which are great for longboarding) and if ocean floor is steep, it will offer a more hollow and speedy break (awesome for short boarding). Some of the common breaks are; beach break which have sand bottoms (they are very easily forecast), reef break that have rock bottoms and point breaks which are very consistent and regular.

Weather and Tides

Wind, currents and tides play a major role in influencing the quality of the waves. Waves are more surfable when the weather is less windy. However, the waves are also good to surf if the wind blowing away from the shore and towards the water. Tides occur due to a large variety of gravitational forces between moon, sun and our planet earth. Tides can affect the waves between surf breaks. In some places, low tides usually mean excellent breaks while high tide means poor quality waves. In other areas, the opposite is true.

No two waves are similar and only experience will teach a person to forecast the surf.

For more information on surf forecast , visit;

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The most important factors to consider during surfing are the ocean and the weather. Arguably both are unpredictable. Surfing is fun, exciting but not a piece of cake. It takes place in a dynamic, ever changing environment and before you head into the ocean, you must be familiar with the oceanic world and its demands. As we all know that surfing is an act of riding a wave and thus waves play a major role. The waves can induce fear, happiness and even frustration in a surfer. The huge waves are often dangerous and risky but even small waves can hit you with an impact. Water is not solid but one cubic foot of water weighs about a ton! So, you definitely don’t want to be hit by the waves again and again. In short, one of the main things you want to learn in surfing is how to identify and read the waves.

Reading the Waves

To be a highly skilled surfer, it is imperative that you are able to accurately analyze the waves and catch them. If you know how to read the waves, you are going to have a lot of fun rather than constantly watching your step. The following tips for reading the waves will be a big help in the open water.

Be Aware of the Tide

The tides and waves go hand in hand. When the tide is high, the wave shows more energy. When the tide is low, the wave can either become larger, hollow or even close out. Find out about the conditions of the tides on your surf spot i.e if the beach break is affected by the tides, whether the tide is heading in or out, and what kind of water they best work with.

Examine the Shape of the Waves

Before heading out to surf, take some time to analyze the waves’ shapes. It will save you a lot of trouble during wave riding. The shape of waves is influenced by tides, currents, direction of a swell, size of the waves, and rate of development, wind, kelp and bottom contours. A wave can be like a wedge, a bowl or it can be hollow or peeling. Learn to perceive the details and soon you will have a keen eye for scanning the waves.

Be Able to Judge the Consistency

Check if the waves are regular, glassy, clean or erratic and choppy. If the waves are inconsistent and shifty, you will have to move around a lot which can be tiring.

Find the Lumps

Scan the horizon to identify the lumps. They are a set of waves which you want to catch and ride. Catch the wave as soon as the swell passes by you and turn into a wave and eventually break. The waves should be caught when they are near their peak.

Don’t worry, you will get a hang of it soon…

Just like everything else, reading the waves accurately will take time and experience. Keep assessing and it will become quite easy!

How to Read the Waves

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There is no doubt that surfing is one of the most exhilarating and enjoyable sports. There are millions of surfers throughout the world from all walks of life. From celebrities, sport enthusiasts to vacationers and little kids, surfing is widely practiced. However, it is not at all easy to learn. You see a professional riding a wave and you tell yourself that it looks easy. But just as soon as you will hit the waves, you will find out how difficult it actually is. So, before you face the ocean, it would be better to learn the basic tips and later familiarize yourself with the beginner’s moves.

The Essentials

Swimming is the closest thing to surfing and to surf you require excellent swimming skills for your own safety and comfort. Before you begin riding the waves, you need to become a regular swimmer. Make a schedule and stick to it! Where do you swim; in pools, lakes or the ocean? If it is the former you will need to practice swimming in the sea first. Just like surfing, swimming is all about the right technique rather than strength. A good swimmer will have more flexibility and an understanding of the ocean, currents and tides. Take pre-surfing lessons. Join a certified surf school and practice the moves with a professional instructor. Not only you will get to know the tips, surfing with an instructor will also give you a dose of confidence. Buy yourself a perfect surfboard. There are different kinds of boards available, and for first timers, a shortboard is a good option. It is easily maneuverable and has good speed. Once you have your surfboard, practice the right way to lie, paddle, sit and stand on the surfboard for hours. Before entering the ocean, dress up according to the temperature. If it is hot, a sleeveless shirt or a swimsuit will do but if it is cold, you will require a long sleeved short, a jacket or a neoprene or a rubber wetsuit. You should also buy a cushioned plastic helmet and an ankle strap to secure you to the board.

In the Ocean

Choose a Suitable Location

Find a location where the waves are slow, mellow and merciful. On your first surfing trip, you must have fun and for that you need a wave which has a rolling and slow break so you can easily get up on your feet without losing balance. Waves which are steep and hollow will only throw you off your feet making you exhausted and frustrated. Prior to entering the ocean, practice paddling on the beach as if you are floating in the water.

Surfing in the Whitewater

In the water, spend about 20 minutes paddling and sitting on your surfboard without falling of it. Once you get a hang of it, it is time to catch a whitewater wave by bellyboarding. A whitewater wave is a frothy aftermath of a swell heading towards the shore. Compared to the real, raging waves of the open sea, it is very easy to catch a whitewater mass. To catch it, you need to bellyboard towards the shore until you feel the energy of the wave after which you just have to let it take you over to the beach. Practice this with different waves until you are a bellyboarding pro in the whitewater. After belly boarding comes kneeboarding. Kneebaording requires a lot more coordination than surfing on your stomach. Try to catch a whitewater wave on your knees this time until you have perfected the art of kneeboarding. Now it is time to stand up on your feet. It is a big step and you are prone to fall a lot. To stand up without falling off, you need to do a ‘pop-up’. It is a quick motion in which you get up very quickly from your belly to feet. Once you know how to stand up without any struggle, catching a real wave becomes real easy.

Surfing is an addictive sport. On your very first surfing trip, you will either fall in love with it or not. If it is the former one, then you are going to have plenty of fun.

For further information on the basics of surfing, visit

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A surfboard is a long platform used in surfing. Even though it is very light, it is strong enough to support a surfer riding the waves. The surfboards were invented by ancient Hawaiian and were named papa he’e nalu. Hawaiians considered surfing a religious practice and the boards were thought to be sacred. Made from trees, these surfboards were very large and heavy. Modern surfboards are developed from polyurethane or polystyrene foam with a coat of fiberglass, carbon fibers, epoxy resins, polyester and cloth. The new surfboards are light, fast and easily maneuverable. Every year, almost 400,000 surfboards are manufactured throughout the world. Surfboards have numerous sizes, shapes and designs but the most common types are shortboard, longboard, funboard, fish, gun and hybrid.

Shortboard

A shortboard, also called a thruster, is one of the most popular surf boards available. It is approximately 6 to 7 feet long, very thin with a pointed nose and a rounded tail. It features about two to five fins. It is commonly used for shredding, contest style surfing and offers fabulous speed, control and power to the surfer. However, you will have to put extra effort during paddling. Shortboards are great for steep, fast waves, a frames, and barrels. If you want to try out new tricks and moves, shortboard will prove to be really excellent.

Longboard

Longboard is a single finned surfboard with a large squarish nose. It is said to be the most oldest and traditional surf board and is also known by the name of ‘cruizer’ or ‘log’. Its length can range from 8 to 12 feet and width can be up to 20 inches. Longboards are very stable in the water making them perfect for beginners who have just started to practice. Their increased size allows easy paddling, wave catching, and turnings. Once you are an expert on surfing, you can catch a wave on a longboard very smoothly.

Funboard

Funboards are larger than longboards. Their size varies between 6’6″ and 8’0″ in length and 20″ to 22″ in width. The funboard is a superb blend of a longboard and a shortboard. It features great paddling power, turning abilities and more volume which provides stability in the water. It is ideal for novices and surfers who want to switch to a smaller board. Funboards have numerous designs with different kinds of noses, foils and tails.

Fish

Fish is a short, wide and stubby surfboard with a length of 6 feet. It has a pair of fins, a shallow tail and a very round nose. Fish is great to catch medium to small sized waves and boasts impressive wave catching features, improved maneuverability and more speed.

Gun

Gun is designed for big and steep waves. It is a needle like, narrow board with a pointy nose and pin tail. Its length can reach over 10′.

Types of Surfboards

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The first time you heard a surfer speak, you may have become very confused. The people are dudes and brothers (often pronounced as brathaas) and they may do baffling things like kicking out and cutting back. The online dictionary for surfers, Riptionary, will be very useful if you are planning to learn surfing. Here we have explained few of the many words used by the surfers constantly. Some of the terms are slang words created by a newer generation while others belong to the universal surfer’s lingo.

Some of the most commonly used surfing terms are the following:

aerial – the word aerial describes a tricky move where a surfer jumps up from the wave along with the surfboard in the air and lands back in the water to continue riding. The maneuver is very difficult and can only be performed by highly skilled surfers.

A-frame – it is a massive, peak shaped wave with right and left shoulders. The highest point of the crest is in the middle of the peak. Two surfers can ride it at the same time; one on the front while the other on the back.

ankle-breaker – a very small wave which is not worth riding.

ASP – stands for Association of Surfing Professionals. The organization arranges international surfing competitions annually.

axed – getting hit by a crest of the wave when it drops down on you

backside or backhand – it is a position in which the back of the surfer is facing the wave.

backside air – the term describes a surfer jumping into the air with his/her back to the wave.

beach break – beach break takes place when a fast and normally steep wave breaks over a sandy beach.

barrel – a hollow wave that totally covers the surfers. Also known as “tube”.

channel – a design feature on underside of a surfboard. Also, a large gap between reefs.

choppy – a bad, inconsistent surf condition.

clean – smooth, good surfing condition.

cutback – a classic move which takes a surfer back towards the white water by quickly reversing direction twice

dawn patrol – surfing just before the sunrise. The beach is usually secluded at this time.

ding- phrase used when a surfboard is damaged.

drop knee – riding with one knee on the deck of the surfboard

duck diving – diving under an oncoming wave when paddling out

Eskimo roll or turtle roll – maneuver when a surfer rolls a board over to get through a large wave without being washed towards the shore.

flail – losing control or freaking out

far out – a term used to describe an amazing experience.

fin – a warning term used among the surfers.

forehand – surfing while facing towards the wave

glassy – a nice, windless surf condition in which the ocean surface is glass like smooth

green room – the inside of a tube.

heavy – a powerful condition in which surfing can be dangerous.

kick out or pull out – it is an exit from the wave by riding over the top of the wave.

leash – a surfboard leash attached to the ankle.

lip – crest of the wave

macking – conditions in which the waves are enormous (as in Mack trucks)

mushy – condition in which the waves are weak

nose – the front of the board

nose guard – to prevent injury to the nose, a rubber guard is stuck on the front of the board

nug – it is a slang term used to describe a good wave

overhead – waves which are taller than the surfer

pancake style – a wave-less, sitting water

pop out – a surfboard ideal for novices

quiver – a collection of surfing boards

rip current – a channel of water running out to sea.

set – a group of waves coming at a regular pace

shore breaker – a set of waves that break close to the shore

take of – begin to ride a wave

tube – inside of a hollow wave

wipe out – falling off a surfboard

For more on Surfer’s Vocabulary and Slang, visit:

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Appendix:Glossary_of_surfing
http://rippinh2o.com/dropzone/surflingo.shtml
http://krankykids.com/research/surf_slang.html

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Just like swimming, surfing is one of the most practiced aquatic sports in the world. For our ancestors, the wave riding was not merely a pastime hobby but an integral part of their religion and culture. Affluent leaders and chiefs used to have truculent surfing competitions to assess the capabilities and powers. In the eighteenth century, Captain Cook landed in a Hawaiian Island and witnessed the intense wave catching culture among the Hawaiians. It is said that he was the first person to report surfing to the western world. Since that day, surfing has taken a modern turn and has become a central part of the western regions as well.

The Origins…

Polynesian Origins of Surfing

In Hawaiian language, the act of wave riding was referred to as ‘he-enalu’. It was first documented by Joseph Banks in 1769 during his voyage with Captain Cook in Hawaii. In ancient Polynesian civilization, surfing played a major role. The leader, or the Ali’i, was chosen on the basis of his surfing skills and the type of his surfboard. The chief was the one who was the most fierce and skilled surfer and owned the surfboard made from the best tree. The leader and his family lived on the prime beach and had the excellent surfboards. Rest of the community was not allowed to enter that beach and could only gain access if they were able to ride the difficult waves with large and heavy boards. More incidents of the sport were reported by Augustin Kramer and other European visitors. Kramer made prints and even photographed Samoans surfers on wooden planks and canoe hulls. The word traveled that Tongans were also wave riders and their king, Taufa’ahau Tupou IV, was a prestigious surfer. It all changed when German and Scotland missionaries invaded the land in 1821. They discouraged and even banned surfing among the Polynesians and Hawaiians. Because of this invasion, the religious practice of surfing mostly disappeared by the 20th century.

Ancient Hawaii and Surfing

For ancient Hawaiians, surfing was not a recreational sport they played to pass the time. It was more than that; it was an art and a way of life. The act of ‘wave sliding’ would begin way before they entered the mystical ocean. They used to prey to their gods for protection from the water which they feared. Before surfing in the ocean, spiritual ceremonies were held where priests would help the people in creating surfboards from the carefully chosen trees. There were only 3 types of favored trees; koa (Acacia koa), ʻulu (Artocarpus altilis), and wiliwili (Erythrina sandwicensis) trees. Afterwards, upper class pastors, warriors, chiefs and skilled surfers went on to master the waves through which they earned great respect. Two popular ancient beaches, Kahaluʻu Bay and Holualoa Bay, can still be visited.

Surfing in North America and Australia

In 1907 George Freeth, an Irish surfer, was invited in California to demonstrate surfing as a publicity stunt for the promotion of a railroad owned by Henry Huntington. In 1912, James Matthias Jordan Jr. captured the attention of locals by displaying surfing in Virginia Beach. Since then, East Coast has become a central point for surfers in US. Duke Kahanamoku practically exhibited ancient Hawaiian board riding in Sydney, Australia for the first time.

Modern Surfing

The beginning of the 20th century saw the revival of surfing among the Hawaiians. The Olympic gold medalist, Duke Kahanamoku, demonstrated various surfing skills to the world. Jack London, a famous author, wrote about his surfing experience thus increasing the popularity of the sports to the public. Hawaii, Australia, and California were the most popular surfing spots during those times. With the technological innovations, surf music like Beach Boys, movies such as The Endless Summer, and numerous surfing documentaries helped to evolve surfing all over the world.

For further information, visit:

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Almost everyone has heard of surfing. Some folks may call it risky and unpredictable while others call it the most enticing and exhilarating activity. Surfing is a popular aquatic sport in which a sportsman rides the wave with or without a paddle board. This riding of the wave is known as surfing. Such rideable waves are most commonly found in the open ocean but can also be seen in rivers, estuaries, lakes and tidal bores. Many water parks have also created artificial wave pools where you can surf without any fuss! For many people, surfing is a way of life. Surfers, or wave worshiper, have come up with numerous reasons to love surfing. People say surfing is just like flying. You catch a right wave and you are easily carried back to the shore! Learning to surf can be a long journey; from the rush of adrenaline when you first hit the wave with millions of butterflies in your stomach to that moment when you have perfected a wave and have begun to experiment with new maneuvers. The passionate sport definitely requires lots of patience, physical coordination and fearlessness. If you keep failing, don’t give up. Just get up, make up your mind and start again! For those of you who are new to the wavy world of surfing, the following tips will be quite helpful;

The Essentials… Getting Started

Be A Strong Swimmer

Swimming is the closest thing to surfing and to surf you require excellent swimming skills for your own safety and comfort. Before you begin riding the waves, you need to become a regular swimmer. Make a schedule and stick to it! Where do you swim; in pools, lakes or the ocean? If it is the former you will need to practice swimming in the sea first. Just like surfing, swimming is all about the right technique rather than strength. A good swimmer will have more flexibility and an understanding of the ocean, currents and tides.

Pre-surfing Lessons – Find a Good Instructor

Surfing is not easy at all and the videos are not enough to get you ready for the raging waves. There are numerous surf schools, camps and shops offering basic lessons on surfing. Joining a school or hiring a professional surfer will prove to be very advantageous.

The Surfboard

Practice the right way to lie, paddle, sit and stand on the surfboard.

Surfboards should float on the water with or without your weight on them. To keep your board in balance, create a reference point where it would come to rest any time you lie on the board. Next time you are in the water, just put your chin on that point and you will find your surfboard in balance! Novices make two common mistakes – putting too much weight in the back that results in corking of the board or putting too weight in the front, called pearling, which causes nose digging of the board into the water. Avoid these two mistakes and you are good to catch a wave! Next comes paddling. The proper way of paddling is called a crawl stroke which means paddling with alternative arms. Never paddle with both arms simultaneously because it will only slow you down. Once you get a hang of paddling, learn to sit on the surfboard. You maybe wobbly and clumsy in the beginning, but with time it gets very easy. You only have to be determined and calm about it! Standing on the board is quite tricky but achievable nonetheless. Stand up slowly and keep your body low. Seen a sumo wrestler? Just assume that position! Another thing to keep in mind is your vision. If you look down, you are most likely to fall, so look up, not down!

Dress Up!

Water temperature and your surfing wardrobe go hand in hand. If the temperature varies you may need to plan a seasonal surf wear. A sleeveless vest, full-sleeved jacket, a neoprene or rubber wetsuit, a cushioned plastic helmet, and an ankle strap to secure you to the board are few of the things you will need.

What to Avoid and Other Things to Remember

Avoid a board coming between the waves and yourself.

Avoid getting too close to the other surfers. There should be at least 15 to 20 feet of distance.

Avoid surfing alone. Beginners should surf with a experienced surfers in start.

Have a safety nose guard to prevent damaging your nose from the impacts.

Wear a vest, a leash and a rash guard.

Last but not the least, have fun!

Top Surf Tips for Beginners

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