BROWSE HOW TOs

How to Choose a Beach to Learn to Surf

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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Choose a spot appropriate to your skill level. The place where you start surfing will influence your experience and learning curve.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

Women's Athletic Swimsuits
Sunscreen
Adhesive Traction Pads
Board Shorts
Surf Leashes
Surf Waxes
Surfboard Bags
Surfboard Ding Repair Kits
Surfboards
Surfing Rash Guard
Surfing Wet Suits

Step1

Avoid crowds. You need some experience before you can successfully catch waves without getting in the way of others.

Step2

Avoid rocky spots. When you're learning you might not have sufficient control to navigate around them, and getting smashed up against a rock is bad for you and your board.

Step3

Avoid big waves. Knee- to waist-high surf is right for beginners.

Step4

Slow, mushy surf at point breaks with sandy bottoms and small crowds are the best places to learn.

Step5

Once you get a feel for the basics of catching and riding waves, continue your learning at a "beach break" - a long straight beach with lots of different wave peaks, a sandy bottom and plenty of room.

Tips & Warnings

Ask friends who surf to steer you to the best places in your area to learn.
Understand the surfing right-of-way before you get in the water. Beginners that get in the way of experienced surfers ruin the fun for both.
Surfing is an inherently dangerous activity that can result in serious injury or death. We recommend that you seek proper training and equipment before attempting this activity.

Comments

Anonymous said

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on 4/5/2006 Go with a couple of friends who know what they are doing. If you're a beginner you want to make sure you have a surfing buddy, just in case something happens, also they can tell you what you're doing wrong if they watch from the shore and as they watch you try to stand up. Have fun and surf smart.

Anonymous said

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on 11/22/2005 When you are first learning to surf, your main goal is to catch a wave and stand up on the board. You don't need a perfect wave to do that. In fact, a beach where the waves just close out (break all at once), when the waves are small, offers a great opportunity to practice catching and standing up. Since the waves are closing out, there won't be any other people surfing (unless there is another beginner, so keep your distance). After catching the wave, ride on your belly until it breaks, then, while you are riding the white water toward the beach, just stand up and try to balance. Once you've got the hang of that, you are reading to ride a wave that has a peeling break. The greater speed associated with a peeling wave will then allow you to learn to turn the board. Good luck.

Anonymous said

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on 11/22/2005 Make sure the beach you are at has no other surfers or swimmers
because you're new to this you don't want to look like a kook or tick off anyone. In reality, stay out of veteran surfers' way, and don't even think about dropping in on them. You might just

Anonymous said

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on 11/22/2005 It's interesting to go to your break when the tide is super low. You can then see where the rocks and shallow places are, which will help you understand the way the waves break when the tide is fuller.