Surfing

Learning to surf as an adult: lessons, a big soft board and your first session

TUREFF• •0
Surfing looks effortless when someone good is doing it, which is exactly why learning it is humbling. Most of a session is paddling, waiting and falling off, and that is normal. With a lesson, the right board and realistic expectations, though, most adults are standing on small waves within a few sessions.

Take a lesson

Even one lesson saves a lot of time. A good instructor will:
  • pick a safe beginner beach and a suitable part of it for the conditions
  • explain currents and how to spot them
  • teach you how to carry the board, how to fall and how to avoid hitting other people
  • push you into waves at the right moment, so you can practise standing up before you can catch waves yourself
Group lessons are fine to start. Look for instruction where the ratio of students to instructor is small and where they check you can swim.

Start on a big soft board

The single best thing you can do as a beginner is to ride a long, wide, thick foam board (often called a foamie or soft-top). Typical advice is something around 8 to 9 feet or longer for most adults.
  • More volume means more float, so it is easier to paddle and catch waves.
  • More length and width means more stability when you stand.
  • Soft foam hurts much less when it hits you, or someone else.
Do not start on a short board because it looks cool. It is one of the most common mistakes beginners make, and it slows progress dramatically.

What to wear

  • A wetsuit in all but warm water. Thickness depends on the water temperature where you are; wetsuits are labelled like 3/2 or 4/3, meaning millimetres of neoprene on the torso and on the limbs. Ask a local surf shop or school what people wear there in that season.
  • Boots, gloves and a hood in cold water.
  • A rash vest or swimsuit in warm water, plus water-resistant sunscreen; your back and the backs of your legs get the most sun.
  • A leash attached to your back ankle, so the board does not wash in without you or hit others.

Your first session

  1. Warm up on the sand. Jog, swing your arms, do some lunges.
  2. Practise the pop-up on land several times before you go in.
  3. Stay in the white water. Beginners learn on broken waves in waist-deep water, not out where the waves are breaking.
  4. Walk the board out beside you, holding it at the side, not between you and the incoming wave.
  5. Lie in the right spot on the board: too far back and the nose sticks up; too far forward and it dives.
  6. Paddle hard as the white water reaches you, then pop up as you feel it push you.
  7. Fall flat and away from the board, into the water, never head first into the shallows. Cover your head as you come up.
Expect to spend most of the session falling. Standing up even once on the first day is a good result.

Building progress

  • Surf often in small, clean conditions rather than rarely in big ones.
  • Keep riding the big board until you are catching unbroken waves and turning along them comfortably.
  • Learn to read forecasts so you choose friendly days.
  • Get fit for paddling: swimming is the best cross-training.
  • Watch the water before you go in each time, for currents and where people are surfing.
Where did you learn to surf, and how long did it take you to stand up? Share your questions and stories in the comments.

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