So
you want to learn to surf.
Surfing
Books Extreme Sports Cafe recommends...
Why,
learn to surf?
Because surfers get the chicks, man.
Well, yeah, we do. By the truckload. But that's no reason
to spend a lot of time and effort in the water. Just buy
the clothes and read alt.posers.
Because
I'm a big fan of Baywatch.
Um, yeah well, its like this:
IT'S A TV SHOW!!! IT'S NOT REAL!!!
Because
pro surfing is gonna be my ticket out of this little nowhere
town.
Just what town is this?
I
dunno, it seems like it might be kinda fun.
dingdingdingdingding
- We have a winner, read on...
Getting
the surf equipment:
You're going to need a board, some wax, and something to
wear. Most of these can be found at your friendly neighborhood
surfshop. A used board is generally your best bet when starting
out. Chances are good that you're going to ding it up just
carrying it around. If you can afford it (and it's necessary)
a new wetsuit can be a pretty good investment. See the upcoming
FAQ on wetsuits for recommendations. You can usually wheedle
the wax out of the surfshop owner if you buy anything there.
Some surfers pride themselves on never having bought a bar
of wax.
Finding
a surfing partner:
In our opinion one of the most important things to have
in learning to surf is someone to surf with. Aside from
the obvious safety reasons - cuts your chances of being
eaten by a shark in half :) - a partner will give you moral
support, keep you stoked when you get frustrated, keep you
from sleeping in when its good, talk you into paddling out
when its big, and mostly be a friend.
There are two schools of thought here:
1. Find someone good to teach you to surf. and
2. Find someone else who wants to learn and teach each other.
I subscribe to the second approach. Probably because that's
how I learned and because when one person is better than
the other someone is probably not having a very fun session.
Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy teaching people. But
if its cranking on the outside, either I'm gonna be bored
on the inside with the beginner, or he's gonna be in over
his head on the outside.
Your
surfing friend (brah) you must choose carefully. He will
become your brah, and over time will mean more than anyone
else on this planet. Besides surfing, you will drink copious
amounts of beer, smoke pounds of pot, and chase boxcar loads
of women together. You will lend each other money when times
are tight. You will never ask each other for gas cash. You
will inform him when his ass crack is showing over his pants.
If he doesn't like the woman you are seeing you will drop
her like a hot rock. Conversely, if your new woman thinks
your brah is a jerk, that's a sign that she's a bozo and
should be avoided.
Boards and wetsuits will be shared. You will hoot for each
other on fine days. You will badmouth anyone who drops in
on him. People will come to view you as a team. Surf nazis
will avoid you because they know that to fight one of you
is to fight both of you.
And,
years later when you are 40 years old and you and your brah
are sitting on a break somewhere listening to the younger
guys yacking it up, you will smile and know deep in your
soul that there is nothing finer than surfing and the people
you do it with.
Finding
a place to surf:
Go to your nearest surf shop and ask people where a good
break to learn is. Be honest about your abilities, surfers
are a pretty friendly lot. Also, watch for the upcoming
FAQ - "Where can I learn to surf without being killed,
beaten, or eaten?"
Before
paddling out:
Sit and watch the surf for a while. Watch what people are
doing. Where is everybody sitting, where do they paddle
out. Where do the waves break? As waves get bigger they
break further out, so if everyone is sitting farther out
than where the waves are currently breaking, it means that
there are bigger sets coming. Watch for them.
Stretch.
While you're watching the break, stretch your arms and back.
Limber up.
Getting
in the water:
You've noted where other people head out. Wax your stick
and head down to that spot. Put your leash on. (Digression:
Decide whether you're going to be a regular-foot (left foot
forward) or a goofy-foot. Try both while standing on shore
and see what feels better.) Put your leash on your back
leg. Walk your board out until the water is about waist
deep and hop on. Position yourself on the board so that
the nose is just barely (2-3") out of the water. Too
little and you'll be going under, too much and you'll wear
yourself out pushing water.
Paddling
out:
Go for nice, even, alternating strokes. When you have to
get through the white water get up some speed and then either:
a.
Plow right through it.
b.
Raise your chest up with your arms so that the water passes
between you and the board.
c.
Turtle. Just as the wave is about to hit you, roll over
on your back (roll the board too), and pull the nose of
the board down. Then roll back up.
d.
Duck-dive. Raise up on one knee, push the nose of the board
under the wave and follow with your body. (This takes lots
of practice). (See following notes on duck-diving).
e.
Bail. Make sure no one is within 20-30' of you, get off
your board, and dive for the bottom. This is for emergencies
only. You lose a great deal of distance this way, and you
endanger people around you.
Duck
Diving:
A few things most helpful in duck-diving:
1)
Try to have some forward momentum before you give up paddling
to begin pressing your board down. This provides some counter
to the force of the wave in the direction of shore. Even
if it is just a couple of strokes before the angry whiteness
consumes you, you will come out further than a couple of
strokes ahead of where you would have it you had not gotten
going forward.
2)
Push your board as deeply under as possible. The more of
your body that you get above water quickly will result in
getting the board deeper under. Sometimes I even tilt my
board to the side in the water so that there is less resistance
to it going down. Some people use only their arms and their
knee(s) to push the board down. I like using the ball of
one of my foot instead and to raise the other one high to
provide more weight on the board.
3)
Immediately before the surf subsumes you, pull yourself
down to the board and angle the board slightly up to the
perceived other side of the break. Too much angle and the
nose of the board will catch the break and push you backwards.
Not enough and the back of the board will be caught in the
suction of the wave as it rushes by you and it won't help
pull you through. If you have the right upward angle, and
your hands are toward the front of the board, probably about
where you press up from, you can thrust the board to the
other side of the wave and it will help pull you through.
4)
A key is *not* to stay under for as long as possible, just
to start deep and shoot up as far on the other side of the
turbulence as possible. The sooner you get back up the surface
and balanced on your board, the sooner you are able to start
paddling again... and that's the only way you really get
outside anyway.
The
line-up:
Once you get to where people are sitting around (in the
water, if they're on the beach, you've been paddling the
wrong way :)) sit back and take it easy for awhile. Watch
what others are doing. A nice gesture is to say hello to
the others in the water. This lets them know that you acknowledge
their existance and will not run them over or drop in on
them. Don't be chatty though. A simple "Hello",
"Howzit", "G'Day" or li'dat is fine.
Catching
a wave:
This is the first of many hurdles in learning to surf. The
wave knowledge - knowing which wave to paddle for and which
to let pass, and the timing - when to start paddling, how
fast, how much to arch your back, and when to get to your
feet, are things that no one can teach you. They will come
with time spent surfing.
1. Don't go to the most crowded/famous. Start at a mellow
beach. Gentle waves. Sand bottom. Broad sand beach. You
can't run before you walk.
2.
Paddle out, and try to catch the whitewater in while riding
on your belly. (If you've body-boarded or body-surfed before,
skip to step 5) You may have to adjust how far forward/back
you lay on the board. You want about an inch of room between
the nose of the board and the surface of the water. You'll
need to be paddling in and have the wave catch you and push
you even faster in the same direction. Stay on the board
as you zoom towards shore. Steps 2-4 may best be accomplished
on a mat or a boogie board or something else easy to get
"wave knowledge".
3.
Once you can reliably pick a wave and catch it, start trying
to angle this way and that under control. Try going both
ways, left and right.
4.
When you can zoom back and forth at will, you're ready for
a bigger step. Take a wave right before/where it's breaking,
and ride it while turning to keep right at where the wave
is breaking. Figuring out just where to paddle to so as
to catch the wave at the right spot is a major part of the
game.
5.
When you can catch waves reliably, you're going to want
to try riding them standing up. Paddle and let the white
water catch you. As soon as you're moving, jump to your
feet. This is difficult. It's really worth it to practice
the jumping from prone to your feet on land first and get
it well-rehearsed before doing it on a moving board on the
water. Foot placement is crucial. You'll want your back
foot near the tail of the board and your front foot somewhere
in front of that, near the middle of the board, say. Look
at other surfers. Practice on a rough template of the board
on the ground. Ride the wave in.
Depending on the size of the board either balance on it
(bigger) or move it to stay underneath you (smaller).
6.
Once you can reliably get up, you want to start angling
while riding the white water. Both ways, zooming back and
forth under control.
7.
Once you can do that, move to catching the wave right where
it is breaking. This will get trickier, because you'll have
a more vertical take off point and the board will have a
tendency to sink the nose as you go down the face of the
wave. You want to catch the wave by angling in the direction
the wave is breaking.
We
are
sure 2-4 are necessary (certainly not for someone who's
been in the ocean on other things, but probably are a good
safety precaution.
The
rules:
Surfing tends to be pretty free form but there are certain
accepted rules, mostly based on safety and common sense.
1.
Wave ownership (The "my wave" rule)
The person closest to the breaking part of the wave has
the right of way.
Caveat: If someone is up and riding, paddling into the wave
behind them does not give you the wave.
Also note: In many low-key breaks, the first person paddling
for the wave owns it. Do not expect this to apply in crowded
conditions.
2.
Dropping in (The "Thall shalt not" rule)
Dropping in is taking off on a wave in front of someone
who is already up and riding. Don't do this. Ever. No exceptions.
3.
Paddling out (The "Eat it" rule)
When paddling out, if you must get over a wave that someone
is riding, paddle behind them (On the white water side).
This generally means getting stuffed for the sake of someone
else's ride. Take comfort in the hope that they would do
the same for you. Do not paddle in front of someone unless
you are so sure that you will be 20 feet in front of them
that you are willing to bet the well-being of your board/car/nose
on it.
