Surfing Waves for Beginners: Surf School Reviews and Surf Lessons

As you may have read in previous posts of 'surfing waves for beginners' i may have mentioned surf schools and surfing lessons. I didn't have the opportunity to go to a surf school or take official surf lessons but i know they are very beneficial. Learning to surf properly, is most likely the best thing that you can do for yourself as a beginning surfer. In this post i'd like to mention surf schools that teach you the right way to surf while having fun.
No matter what age you are in life, i don't really think that it's too late to surf. If you have that desire to learn you'll be able to do it. I was looking over a forum about starting to surf, and someone had expressed their desire to learn to surf-they were living in a land locked state and didn't make it to the coast till the summer. They needed suggestions on the best surf schools to go to. Some one suggested that they don't start surfing because its hard and it because its going to 'suck.' I was totally thinking, "hmmm, they probably didn't catch one wave, most likely they had a bad 1st time surfing experience." Anyhow, the reason i brought this up is because if you want to surf you are going to do it, and hopefully nobody or nothing can stop you; because learning how to surf, and doing it on a daily basis, or as often as you can is so good for every aspect of your life.

And now, the surf school reviews:

If your a beginner living in the western/pacific states, the ocean may not be that far away, or maybe you live hours away by car, if you have time to get out for a week and go to California, there is a great surf school called Corky Carroll's surf school, located at Huntington beach. They excel in all the aspects of a good and cheap surf school. They offer private lessons and group lessons which are offered May through October and sessions can last 2 hrs or for a week. Although they love to teach visitors wanting to learn to surf, their surf school caters to the community and those surfers who are first starting out or wanting to take their skill to the next level. I've read that the instructors are great, they are there in the water to support you, assure that you are safe and that you have fun. Its definitely a surf school to check out to receive A1 surf lessons.

Now we will travel across the Pacific to Hawaii. Thousands of tourist travel to the islands for obvious reasons, sun, beaches, and waves. And either by chance or planning, most people get to go to Waikiki to surf. Waikiki beach offers tons of opportunity for tourist and locals to learn how to to ride these gentle waves. I could write a big review on Waikiki beach surfing lessons, but instead i will take you to the island of Kauai another tourist/visitor destination to the Kauai Surf School on Poipu Beach. They are dedicated to sharing their love of surfing with those wanting to learn and their goal is to give beginners a 'solid foundation' at the same time teaching their students to respect the ocean. I think that is so important, to learn how to surf correctly, so they've received 5 stars in my book. They also offer hourly classes, weekly surf clinics, and have private lessons. For surfing in Hawaii year round their prices will still leave you with some cash to go and drink some virgin pina coladas.

Lastly I wanted to travel around the globe and mention a wonderful surf destination Japan. Japan is not really high on the radar as far as surfing and surf schools, but they actually have a lot of waves, and the people love to surf them. They don't have a surf school or surf lessons per se, but offer instead surf tours, which combines surfing with vacationing. What could be more perfect? The purpose of the tour is to help the individual surfer improve. Typhoon Surf Tours offers just that, they determine your skill at the start of the trip and also help you write goals as to what you want to accomplish during that surf trip. During the trip experienced and pro surfers evaluate and help you improve your technique. They use video and written reports to make sure that you can see your improvement then you can take them home as souvenirs. If you want to experience Japan why not do it through a surf tour.

I wanted to do a surf school review because it is important to know what to expect, and get excited about surfing. I am blown away by the surf tours idea, what a great way to vacation! I've said before, surfing waves should be a fun experience, and having a proper beginning through learning how to surf with surf lessons will set you up for success as a surfer. The 'how to of surfing waves for beginners' is dedicated to providing you with pertinent information before you go out to surf. So, hopefully you were able to get something out of this post!

If you are wondering about any specific surf school and want me to write a review, feel free to comment. Thanks!

The How to of Surfing Waves for Beginners: Surf Lessons and Surf Schools

In surfing waves it is good to learn how to surf from someone who is a seasoned surfer or someone who has been teaching surfing for a while. It is fine to learn from a friend which is what most people end up doing, but it may take time to get the hang of surfing and most likely your friend will be concentrating more on catching waves then helping you learn how to surf. An option for the lost surfer left in the white wash by his/her surfer buddy is to take a surf a lesson, or go to a surf school. There are multiple surf schools lined a long the east and west coasts of the United States and also in Hawaii. These surf schools teach you how to surf on the best beginner waves, and on thick boards to ensure that you catch a wave your very first time. Surf schools make it easy to learn, they have classes for just girls, or women, kids, and even the elderly. This makes it possible for students to feel confident in what they are doing without having to worry about others around them. The surf schools and surfing lessons usually take place on beaches that the surf instructors are familiar with, and where the waves are not too intimidating. A good example of this is Waikiki Beach they give surf lessons year round, and all of their instructors are seasoned surfers, and want you to have a good surfing experience. They teach you, like most surf schools/lessons how to paddle, how to stand, the best form you should take, which waves to catch, how to be safe on the board and important information, like surf etiquette, how to find waves, how to respect the ocean, and how to practice safety in the ocean.
Surf schools and surfing lessons are a great way to go about learning how to surf, if you have the funds to do so, it will definitely be the best and fastest way to learn. Learning with friends and family will also help with the surfing experience and allow you to progress as a surfer. The best way to find surf schools is by looking up 'surfing lessons' in any search engine. Once you've found a school, doing a search in forums or looking up information on that surf school will be the best way to go about looking for lessons. Surfing waves should be a fun experience and surfing lessons is a great way to start riding waves!

The How to of surfing Waves for Beginners

You have finally decided to get your feet wet, that's great! You will always look back at this moment and thank yourself for learning about surfing waves. Good job.
The first thing that you want to do is find a surf board, now as a beginning surfer the bigger the board the better, but if someone gives you a free surfboard or lets you borrow one, take it, it will work just as well. At some surf spots like Waikiki beach on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, there are board rentals and surf lessons, you'll see that the lessons are given on very long, wide and thick boards, its optimal to learn on a big board because you are guaranteed to catch a wave, and once that first wave is caught its a possibility that you will be hooked for life.
Once you have a board in your possession your friend or teacher will most likely tell you to lay on your board while on the beach, what your doing there is getting an idea of where you should position your body on the board. If you were to split the surf board into 3 pieces you'd have the top, the middle, and the bottom of the board; while lying on the board you will want your chest to be lined up where the top and middle pieces meet; then once in the water you will need to adjust forward or backwards in order to get the best balance and positioning while paddling. To stand up you will place your hands on the board and push/jump up to your feet. Your back foot will be closer to the end of the board and your front foot will most likely be in the middle of the board. As a beginner its best to take a very wide and low stance, so just think squats and do that and your footwork will get better in no time. Now, you will not be facing the top of the board, you will be facing either left or right. Once up and actually riding a wave eventually the wave will want to die, the key to staying on a wave longer is to lean forward at your waist toward the top of the board this will put some weight on your board to continue with the wave. Basically at this point of learning to surf you want to look as ridiculous as possible, wide low stance, hands out for balance and a slight bend forwards for momentum. If you follow these little hints, you will be surfing wave after wave after wave; you may look goofy but that will go away in time and as you catch more waves.