Surfing waves for Beginners: Surfboards, Surfing Lessons, and Surf Trips

In previous posts of the ‘how to of surfing waves for beginners,’ I had briefly written about the benefits of surfing, learning to surf, surf schools and surf lessons, and surf trips to Bali, Fiji, and Tahiti. Today I wanted to write sort of a surfboard beginners guide so that you’d have a good place to start as far as finding and buying a good beginners surfboard. Before I do that I wanted to write briefly on why I wanted to do this blog and to give you some background on how I came into surfing.

From the first day I was invited to surf I was determined to pursue this water sport, I had seen surfers in the ocean, and heard about surf trips to tropical locations and always wondered about riding waves and the surfer life style, but just felt that I didn’t fit that mold. When I was invited to learn how to surf-and it was a group invite, I felt like all the planets aligned and the universe was speaking to me--that is how important in retrospect this moment was for me.
Eight-o-clock one Saturday morning I found myself standing on an empty beach with my ‘surf instructors’-a bunch of mothers who loved to surf; and a pile of lonely surfboards lined up on the sand; I was the only one that showed up that morning allowing me to use the only extra longboard that they had brought. I had no idea what it took to surf, all I knew is that if I could swim most likely I’d be able to paddle, or save myself from drowning; but I knew that I wanted to learn. And although these mothers who were so kind to invite me didn’t give me official surfing lessons it didn’t matter because I had made my decision to do it before I stepped on the beach that morning.

Surfing really has been a journey for me as it probably has been for anyone who has been lucky enough to learn and start surfing. I know that I bloomed a little late as a surfer meaning it was tough for me to catch waves, to stand up, to carve. I remember paddling out to the line up, setting myself up for a wave, and catching that wave only to be hurled over the falls. I remember countless mornings paddling out to my local surf break-- and believe it or not it was always empty, I would surf by myself hoping that someone would join me, so as not to be a target by certain ‘sea animals’. I yearned to be in the ocean, it was rejuvenating.

That first day when I paddled out, the brief surfing lesson and advice given by ‘the mothers’ was fresh in my mind. I struggled to get past the reef but kept digging my hands and arms into the water. With every stroke, my arms muscles and back hurt, but I persisted and followed them to the line up. Beginning to surf was not an easy task, I don’t think it is even with lessons, unless you’re on Waikiki Beach and someone is pulling and pushing you on to waves. I’m not saying that they do that all the time, or that it’s bad, all I’m saying is that my first time was difficult for me. But all hard work pays off and minutes after getting thrashed by some white wash which completely drained me of the rest of my energy I caught my very first wave. I can’t describe what happened at that point but I was propelled forward first with a little jerk and some bouncing through the white wash. When I was clear of the chaos I laid on the board thinking if I should try standing up or if I should enjoy the ride. I decided to jump to my feet but only made it on one knee and a foot. I’m sure it was a funny site-actually none of the ‘mothers’ saw me catch that wave, but I knew I did, and I felt the surge and excitement that only catching a wave can bring. It really just takes that one wave to get someone hooked to surfing; and that is why I created this blog.

It is obvious that some beginners will get discouraged at how hard it is to start surfing without getting a taste of how amazing it is. Like I said that first wave can be the deal breaker, but then some people just won’t be into it or are not made for it. The people that I am targeting are those that don’t know that they will love it and probably will never know if they don’t feel that ‘stoke’ the first time they go out to surf. So being prepared and having the right equipment is important for these people to know so that they can have the best first time experience; one that will bring them back to the ocean time and time again.

And now for the surfboard beginner’s guide-

It’s hard to surf waves when you don’t have anything to ride on. My first time out, I borrowed a board, so that night as I stood on the balcony watching the sun set, thinking about the wave I caught and that feeling I got, I started getting excited about surfing again possibly the next morning. I was so terribly excited to surf again but I didn’t have a board, and I didn’t have any money to buy one, I was in a rut and was frustrated because there’s no surfing without a surfboard, and I was not a body surfer. So I needed to find one, the next day I asked my mom to help me look for long boards on sale at local surf shops, but I still did not have the money to afford a new surfboard or a used one for that matter. Miraculously, that same day we received a call from my uncle; I told him that I started surfing and that I was in love with it. He said that he knew someone who had some second hand surfboards that he could get for me. I couldn’t believe it, everything was working out for me, the universe was helping me, although I probably did not deserve it. I had to wait four days before getting the surfboards but once I did it was bliss. We were given two longboards, a tanker that was 11 ft tall, 2 1/2' feet wide, and about 3 inches thick, it was a beast, but perfect for my brothers and sisters who decided to learn on it, and a mini tanker which I believe was about 9 ½’ feet tall, about 2 feet wide, and 2 inches thick. Both where yellow, with slight water damage but were perfect for beginner surfers like me and my brothers and sisters. We would walk about 10 minutes to the break and surf all day, such good memories. Somewhere during that time the mini tanker got obliterated, and the tanker became a stick of duck tape-still rideable but heavy as a rock. I like to call those years that we all started to surf the ‘magical years’ it felt like it could’ve been our ‘summer of love’ except that it lasted throughout the whole year.

It took me about 1 yr to really pick up surfing where I felt comfortable going out to notable surf spots. Until that time, it was a struggle, totally worth it but painful. Like I said before I had issues with my foot positioning, my stance, positioning myself to catch a wave, being afraid of going over the falls, and pearling. Not to mention having hurt myself a couple of times from over extension while my feet where going over my head, getting hit in the face and the side by skags and noses, coming out of the water with reef scratches everywhere, and getting stung by jelly fish/man-o-war, but it was so worth it. It’s definitely something that I don’t wish upon beginning surfers-another reason for this blog. So finally I’ll move on to finding a board that is right for you.

First off I’d like to point out the pros and cons of surfing on a long or short surfboard.

Longboard surfing for beginners and longboard surfing

Pros:
A long board will be more buoyant while you are on it, this will make it easier to paddle because there is not a lot of drag in the water. Surfing on a longboard will also help you to have more balance, as you stand up; and it will allow you to catch smaller waves with less energy or catch a wave farther out because it will take less effort to paddle in to it. Although longboarding seems to take less effort, a lot of creativity can go into riding as it takes on a more fluid style of surfing. Once you start venturing into nose riding and carving, you’ll find that long boarding is very very rewarding.

Shortboard Surfing for beginners and shortboard surfing

Pros:
There is something so great about this style of surfing. It’s different from longboarding as you can express yourself through movement and really become a part of the wave. Shortboarding takes a lot of skill, and there are a lot of goals that surfers want to obtain while riding a shortboard. There’s the cutback, carving, getting barreled, the drop in, the bottom turn. There are also aerials and 360’s and floaters. There are so many thrilling things to do while riding a shortboard. And if you like going really fast you can do that also. As a beginner, learning on a smaller board has its disadvantages but once you’re able to balance and have enough stamina to paddle out to the waves, you’ve gotten over the hardest parts of learning on a shortboard and can now enjoy the endless possibilities of shortboarding.

At this time I wont list the cons of either shortboarding, or longboarding since it will really be up you based on this information what you would like to ride.

When I finally set out to buy a board for myself I had in mind what I wanted it to be. Actually I wanted it to be exactly like the old mini tanker that I first started with. So after consulting with shop owners, and other surfers I bought myself a 9 ft tall, 2 ½ ft wide, 1 3/8 thick longboard, I thought it was perfect for me, and it was. It was everything needed to handle my weight and height. These are things that you should ask the surfboard shop owners, as far as what kind of board will be right for you. They are more than happy to help you figure that out.

In upcoming post I will list places that you can buy surfboards and surf accessories, I also wanted to expand on learning to surf waves in Hawaii or other places in the world. I have already written about surf schools and surf lessons, but kind of wanted to expound on cheap surfing schools and how to find the deals. I did mention vaguely the accessibility of surf trips around the world, but this is something that I will need to investigate a little further to get the best info for you. It most likely will take some time for me to write more posts but I will get them up eventually.

Lastly, I wanted to mention that the ‘how to of surfing waves for beginners’ blog is dedicated to giving beginners the best possible information for learning how to surf, whether it be on surfboards, short or long or any other wave riding vehicle. I think I have mentioned over and over again how surfing waves can be an extremely rewarding recreation, although it may not seem that way as a beginner, if you stick with it you will find that nothing can pull you away from it, unless your somewhere landlocked.