How to Catch a Wave on a Longboard

ok, the idea here is to explain to a beginner level surfer how to catch their first wave.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• you, water, a board.

1. make sure it's safe. never surf alone. if it's a patrolled beach, then stay out of the flagged area if you're on a board but since you're just getting started, it's a good idea if you're not too far from the lifeguards. an area adjacent to the swimming area is often a good place to start.

2. start with a broken wave - they're easier to catch. paddle out and turn the board around, so that you're lying on it and it's pointing toward the sand. there's two main things that you want when catching a wave (1) velocity i.e. forward motion from lying on the board and paddling hard and (2) trim i.e. the board should be flat on the water with the nost slightly raised. if you're too far back then the noise will be raised and you probably won't catch the wave. too far forward and you'll nose-dive.

3. when you see a wave approaching, paddle hard. don't look back - look forward toward the beach. when you feel the wave taking you forward faster than you were paddling - you're on ! grip the side (rails) of the board and shift you're weight slightly back so that you don't get pitched forward - and in the same motion - stand up !

Tips & Warnings

• learners almost always start too far back on their board. make sure the nose of the board is only just above the water surface when you're paddling. Start out with a longboard, it'll be easier to learn on. You can even ride on a longboard skateboard first to get a feel for it.
• when you're starting out - stay with the beginners. don't try and tackle larger waves or surf near experienced surfers until you know what you're doing.

Resources

• Longboards Skateboards