How to Surf

Your first board should be a soft-top longboard, at least 8 feet long. These boards are wide, stable, and buoyant — which means more time standing and less time fighting to balance.

Don't worry about looking cool on a shortboard. Every experienced surfer started on a longboard. The extra volume makes paddling easier, catching waves faster, and falling much less painful (soft tops don't have the hard fiberglass edges of regular boards).

Quick tip: If you're booking a lesson, almost all instructors provide the board for you — so you don't need to buy or rent one yourself.

Most people underestimate how much paddling matters. In a typical surf session, you'll spend about 80% of your time paddling — getting out past the break, positioning for waves, and getting back after each ride.

How to do it: Lie centered on the board (not too far forward or back), keep your chin lifted so the nose stays just above the water, and use deep, alternating arm strokes like freestyle swimming. Keep your legs still — they're for balance, not propulsion.

Building paddle stamina takes a few sessions. Don't get discouraged if your arms are exhausted after 30 minutes — that's completely normal and it gets easier fast.

The "pop-up" is the motion of going from lying on the board to standing. It needs to be quick and smooth — you only have about 1-2 seconds to do it while the wave is pushing you forward.

The motion: Place your hands flat on the board beside your chest (like a push-up). In one movement, push up and swing your feet underneath you. Your back foot goes to the tail, your front foot lands between where your hands were. Keep your knees bent, your weight centered, and look where you want to go — not down at your feet.

Practice this on the floor at home, 10-20 times a day. When it becomes muscle memory, you won't have to think about it in the water.

Whitewater (the foamy, broken waves that roll toward the beach) is your best friend as a beginner. It's predictable, gentle, and you don't need to worry about timing the take-off.

How it works: Stand in waist-deep water, hold the board facing the beach, wait for a wave of whitewater to reach you, then push the board forward, jump on, and try to stand. Once you can ride whitewater consistently, you're ready to paddle out and catch unbroken (green) waves.

This stage can take one session or a few — don't rush it. Getting comfortable in the whitewater builds the foundation for everything else.

Before you paddle out, sit on the beach for 10-15 minutes and watch. This simple habit will make you a better surfer faster than anything else.

What to look for:

• Where are the waves breaking? (That's where the sandbars or reef are)
• Is there a rip current? (Look for a calm channel where waves don't break — that's often a rip)
• Where are other surfers sitting? (They know the spot — follow their lead)
• How often do sets come in? (Usually every 8-15 minutes)
• Which direction are waves breaking? (Left, right, or closing out?)

Understanding the ocean is what separates surfers who catch 2 waves in a session from those who catch 20. A local instructor can teach you to read a specific spot in one lesson — it would take you weeks to figure it out on your own.

Every lineup has rules. They're not posted anywhere, but every surfer knows them — and breaking them can lead to anything from dirty looks to actual danger.

• Don't drop in: The surfer closest to the peak (where the wave is breaking) has priority. If someone is already riding, don't take off in front of them.
• Don't snake: Don't paddle around someone to get closer to the peak and steal their wave.
• Paddle wide: When paddling back out, go around the breaking zone — not through it where people are riding.
• Hold your board: Never let go of your board when a wave hits. A loose board is dangerous for everyone around you.
• Respect locals: If you're visiting a new spot, be friendly, wait your turn, and don't try to catch every wave.

When in doubt, the best move is to wait for the next wave. There's always another one coming.