r/BeginnerSurfers

Very enthusiastic newbie here. Done a few lessons and keen to spend more time trying to get on my feet

Can anyone recommend good videos to help me learn to read the water? What makes for good conditions, what phase of the wave to aim for, etc - Anything to help me visualise timings on a popup

Brasileiro & Exp-Pro Surfer Paulistana‎ - Cabarita Beach, Australia - Part 2

Hey guys I’m moving from Bali to Margaret river , it’s cold as shit do you guys have any recommendations for wetsuits . I havnt surfed in anything apart from boars shorts and singlets , does a steamer impact your movement?.

Hello! Looking for recommendations for my next surf trip. I have 10-14 days in November and would like to head somewhere (ideally warm) for a surf trip. I will be solo and will be coming from the west coast of canada. Not looking to party, just looking for somewhere I can surf everyday. Also ideally looking for somewhere with easy access without renting a car.

Been surfing for nearly 10 years but would consider myself a beginner/intermediate because I don’t get to surf all that often- I’m fairly comfortable catching shoulder high green waves and surfing down the line but not great with turns or on steeper and more powerful waves. I’ve previously done surf trips to Costa Rica and Indonesia. Looking for something different than CR and closer than Indo.

Open to surf camps and guiding as well.

Cheers!

I see this question get asked a lot on here and I thought I'd chip in my progression through various boards and give some slightly rambling feedback on them that might be useful to people.

I (now 40M, 84kg) started surfing seriously about 6 years ago. I was out of the water for a year because of injury and relocating. I'm fit and I run, swim, cycle and do kettlebell. I would consider myself a decent surfer, but I'll never be a shredder. I've had a selection of longboards (9'0-9'8) over the years and I've settled on a 9'6 glider/speed shape as my daily. I feel really comfortable on that board up to over-head surf and wanted a new challenge to work on.

I got a cheap 2nd hand 8'0 Nuu Socialite as a board to mess around on. I thought it would be a simple transition since it's not a huge drop in size or volume. Here's a few things I learned.

1. Paddling is much harder. Getting out the back is slower because you will have less glide than a longboard. You'll get caught inside more as a result. Your arms will tire faster and it also makes it harder to get up to speed to catch waves, leading to shorter sessions. My fitness is slowly catching up, but it was a eye-opener. I can't imagine how I much sessions would suck if this was my first board.

2. Positioning is far more crucial. As you need to be at the peak, you'll be in competition with more/better surfers. You'll also have to pop up and set yourself quickly and more accurately as you take off in more critical positions. You will blow more waves in a session. The margin for error is so much smaller on shorter boards. This isn't great if you're still mastering the basics.

3. Progress will take a hit. I never thought it would be a simple step down, but it did surprise me how much I'd have to adjust to a shorter board, even though it's not a massive drop. The fact you catch less waves makes progress harder. There have been times I've just gone for my 9'6 because it's easier and I want to get waves and have fun, not spend 90 mins feeling like a complete kook (we're all still kooks). Also, conditions aren't always conducive to taking out a shorter board, which means less time using it, which means even slower progress.

4. Consider why and if you really need to step down. I could honestly surf just the glider for the rest of my days and have a blast. However there are so many different boards out there that look fun to try out. For me the main reason to step down was to eventually get a fish or something that is easier to transport and store, but having fun and becoming a better surfer is my main aim. If I never get to a fish but I get good on a longboard, I'm happy with that.

5. Volume calculators on manufacturer websites will lie to you. Channel Islands website lists a 6'10 CI mid as suitable for beginners. This is BS. A complete beginner is getting nothing out of a 6'10 board that costs $1100US. They will catch no waves, make no progress, and be skint. Other manufacturers do the same. They want your money, not to help you get better. Start with a beat-up second hand longboard or foamie. Nothing is kookier than someone with expensive gear that clearly doesn't know what they're doing.

I'm making progress on the 8'0 now, but it's been a mission. Personally, I don't like being in the middle of a crowd, so positioning at the peak is the main issue for me. The challenge is fun, but if I'd started on the 8'0 I'd be a worse surfer than I am today. Obviously, me being a shit surfer could explain everything listed here as well...

TLDR:

Everything is harder on a shorter board.

You will have lots less fun on a shorter board initially.

You might not even need to step down.

Don't try and short-cut any step down in size.

You don't need something expensive or cool to learn on.

Just curious to see how many times yall go out in the ocean. What’s your average week look like?

Hey there, novice aspiring surfer here.

I've got my first proper surf trip (or would have been surf trip) booked for this weekend and it looks like I am going to be met with disappointment. All forecasts are predicting virtually flat conditions for the entirety of my stay, which feels like exceptional bad luck as this place I'm going is renowned for having consistent swell, and obviously I am very very disheartened by this. Feels like a big fat middle finger from mother nature.

For context, I live in a landlocked city dead centre of the country, so I live far away from any surf spot, so I rarely get any opportunities to go surfing which is why this feels so devastating to me. The last time I went surfing was a year ago during a vacation in my home country where I was introduced to it by family. I loved it, from the moment I first popped up I knew I wanted to pursue this sport further. So I started planning this surf trip, planned it for a long time in advanced, did the research and selected a place that usually gets reliable swell year-round. And what do you know? It is predicted to have tiny weak waves i.e. virtually flat for the entire duration of my stay, and I won't get another opportunity to surf again in a very long time which is why I am not particularly happy.

So that's that, I know that there is nothing that can be done, maybe the forecast can change however it is very unlikely this close so I need to be prepared for the worst. I just want some advice (if any) on how would a surfer go about dealing with these situations, if there's a sort of way to ease the pain/manage the heartbreak for lack of better words. Any advice would be much appreciated!

Hey guys, I’m 21m.
I’m lowkey looking to get into surfing but I still have this fear of deep water. I like the vibe of just being able to go out in the water and have fun but even looking out at the big ocean or bodies of water freak me out, especially underwater. I know how to swim and I’m starting to implement practice more consistently cause I have a pool at my family’s house. Anyone have any advice on how I can get over this fear and start practicing surfing. Can I still get good at this age if I’m starting at that 21/22 age?

Hello,

I wonder if someone can little help me and share how often do you train and how many repetition or sets you do. I honestly thought that I will just be doing it, but turned out that it is actually difficult and after a few of attempts I am done or rather tired and become with wrong leg placement.

On other hand, I do not think that I should do only 2-3 in row, that is probably not good for brain learning and correction and dopamine spikes or whatever brain need to get as a feedback.

So what is your sweet spot.

Pop-up type - directly from one knee, without putting second leg on the board first. Another sub-question, seems that my knee leg is touching floor which is unwanted support - not sure if there is any trick to get rid of it, I though maybe put bord little up from the ground.

Thank you.

Technically I’m “getting back into it” I used to have a board and go semi-regularly, but that was in my late teens, early 20’s and I never really got that good. I know the basics in theory, like I know what I’m meant to do, and know about the ocean, waves and board etc, I just never got any good at actually doing it. Only successfully got up a handful of times. Didn’t go frequent enough to develop the skill before giving up.

I’m 36 now and live closer to the ocean though and am very keen to get back into it. For me the biggest hurdle is not my age but my fitness. I’m very out of shape and need to lose the gut. I’m working on it. But once I do, is 36 too old to get back into it enough to make it worth it or should I stick to SUP or other water activities. I’ve had my eye on a fishing kayak for example, lol.

I just love surf culture and love the waves and feel like I’d regret if I didn’t give it another crack.

Honest replies appreciated, thanks!

In the shortest way possible;
- Background: Long term commenter, been surfing on and off my whole life, ~15 years

A lot of you are too obsessed with sticking to your foam boards.
You should use your foam board (9ft) for starting out, getting a feel for taking off in a straight line in white water - mainly to avoid hurting yourself and others due to incompetence and poor board holding.

But you should pretty quickly be moving to a hard top, ideally an 8ft+ mini mal or a 9ft mal.

I have taught many friends who have never surfed, and started them off on a hard top. Most old school guys learnt on a hard top. Softtops have only been around since like 2000's.

Stop thinking it's this huge massive deal, learn a bit, then go get one.

Just my opinion.

What does oversizing a fish do? I'm 5'10" and 160 lbs and I have a 6'3" lost round nose fish in my janky quiver of odd and end boards. It's summer and my local breaks are for the most part choppy and small. Would an oversized fish work as a beginner level groveller or will that not work?

Hey all

Does anyone have any advice on how to stop popping up with your feet too far forward?

I noticed on film that my back foot tends to land in front of the grip all the time
The front foot also goes a bit too far

It’s been the biggest bottleneck for me as it makes turns difficult, bogging rail easier, and lose of momentum

Anyone have this issue before and fixed it?

Right now, my pop-up is quite “explosive” (I put weight of my arms then consciously move my front foot / knee forward)
I don’t do anything like the “chicken wing”
I am able to create space and look down the line naturally