SURFING

The Beginner's Guide to Surfing: An Introduction to the Exciting Sport of Wave Riding (keywords: surfing, wave riding, beginner's guide to surfing, surfboard, learn how to surf)

Blog Outline:

Introduction - What is Surfing and How Do You Get Started?

Surfing is a surface water sport in which an individual, a surfer (or two in tandem surfing), uses a board to ride on the forward section, or face, of a moving wave of water, which usually carries the surfer towards the shore. To start in the whitewater and don't leave it until your pop up and stance are rock solid. start catching small green wave 'reforms' in the shorebreak, or out the back if the swell is tiny, learn to surf across them using your rails.

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Different Surf Spots Around the World and Which Ones are Best for Beginners

That really depends on what you consider the best, but there are some that it would be very hard to argue against. Also, if you are asking about surfing nations, it would have to be the U.S., Australia, South Africa, Indonesia, Morocco, Spain/France (northern corner of Spain, southwest France), Fiji, Mexico and possibly Chile.

Spot-wise, commonly accepted ‘best spots’ include:

Pipeline: On the North Shore of Oahu, Hawai’i, Pipeline is the world’s most famous wave, and possibly the best. It’s thought of as a left, but there is a right called Backdoor as well. While it may look super-crowded, don’t fool yourself: only a few of those surfers are catching any waves and it takes years to work your way up the pecking order before the locals will let you have a good one.

Bells Beach: Near Torquay, Victoria in Australia. The world’s only surf-specific national park-ey type place, according the them. A long right-hand pointbreak. Epic wave.

Skeleton Coast: This is a crazy left barrel in Namibia (or Nambia if your initials are DJT and you’re a fucking moron). Isolated, dangerous and uncrowded (read empty for hundreds of miles in every direction).

Teahupoo (pronounced Cho-pooh) in Fiji is a veritable slab, as is Puerto Escondido in Mexico. Both are entertaining as hell to watch, and easily make the list.

Indonesia has hundreds of epic spots, unsurprisingly since it is essentially thousands of islands that get blasted from almost any swell direction.

Mundaka in Spain is an epic wave, and one of the most beautiful places I have ever been.

Trestles is over-rated, but some people would pick it. In all honesty, Blacks Beach 45 mins away is a better spot.

Jeffreys Bay, in Capetown, is a long righthander that can be sharky as hell (see Mick Fanning getting disturbed last year, for an example), but is still easily worth the trip.

Jaws, Waimea, Mavericks, Cortez Banks, Shipsterns Bluff are all world class big wave spots, and I’ve surfed exactly zero of them. If you are asking this question and are over about 12 years old, you will also never surf them. But they’re fun to watch YouTube videos of.

And my favorite spot, although 99.99% of the surfing world won’t know about it, is deep in Southern Baja and, although I won’t say what it’s called, it’s named after a cute little animal you are unlikely to see and rhymes with a Mexican insult. That’s all the clues you are getting there.

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Making Sure You're Ready for the Waves – Essential Gear & Safety Tips

The essential surfing equipment for beginners comprises a surfboard, fins, leash, wax, and wetsuit. That's all you need to get into the sport of kings. But as you progress and improve your surfing skills, you'll want more than just the essentials.

• Always surf between the black and white chequered flags Follow the advice of our lifeguards.

• Surf with a mate Especially in a big swell. Surfers look out for one another.

• Tell someone you’re going surfing Let someone know when and where you are going out and, importantly, when you expect to be back.

• Check weather and tides Before you set out, check the local forecast for wind, swell and tide.

• Know your limits It’s easy to be caught out. Don’t challenge yourself too early and know your limits.

• Be aware of rip currents Speak to an RNLI lifeguard to get advice on the location of rip currents.

• Always wear a leash So you don’t become separated from your board.

• Wear the right wetsuit Wear an appropriate wetsuit for surfing. As well as keeping you warm, wetsuits give some added protection from scrapes on rocks or impacts from other surfboards.

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A Guide to Picking the Right Board for Your Needs

There’s two main things to consider when determining the right size surfboard - style and volume. First the type of surfing you’re looking to do. Are you looking to cruise around Waikiki with the dog? Or are you working on your backside cutbacks? Stylistically, they’re pretty different, so decide whether or not you’re going over or under 7’ (roughly) for a board. This puts you in the shortboard or longboard realm depending on your preference. Not sure which shape or style fits you? Check out our breakdown of shapes below.

Once you’ve decided if longboarding or shortboarding is more your style, then reference the chart below for choosing the correct volume in liters. Most board shapes come in varying lengths to accommodate riders of differing skill and bodyweight while maintaining the ride characteristics of that shape.

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