Surfing Tips for Beginners

If you are new to surfing it always helps to know a few tips. When I started surfing 30 years ago I had to depend on other surfers to learn how to surf. Sure I read the magazines and tried to copy what the professionals were doing, but mostly I learn from trial and error. The first tip and possibly one of the more important ones is to warm up before you enter the water. Adopt a stretching routine for your upper and lower body. This is very important for several reasons but mostly you will have less injuries if you are limber.

Next check all your equipment, check your leash, make sure you have enough wax on your surfboard. Check for dings on your board, If you find a ding repair it on the spot. Sun cure is great for that and its fast, so keep some around. You can buy it at most surf shops. It comes in a little tube and is easy to apply. Try not to apply it of there is water in your surfboard, let your surfboard dry out a bit. Make sure your fins are secured, many of us use Future Fins, or FCS and they are secured to your surfboard by a small screw. Make sure the screw is tight and the fins are not loose. I have lost fins just from not checking and I use special Future Fins that are quite expensive, Also if one falls off and you are trying to drop on a wave you could slide out and end up kissing the bottom of the ocean.

So always remember safety first and you will have a better surfing experience. Sit and watch the surf break and notice how and where the other surfers are catching the waves, If there is a wad of surfers in one spot and they are just ripping, I would recommend that you stay out of that spot. Especially if you are a beginner, some surf breaks tolerate beginners while others will complain. The surfers forget that they had to start from some where also but normally they are less tolerant of a beginner at most places in the world I have surfed. The most important thing I can tell you is to use common sense, do not enter the water if you think that the surf is to big. How many new surfers have I seen that assure me that they can handle over head surf and end up just getting in the other surfers way and getting injured. Respect the other surfers even if they are jerks, showing some respect will go a long way in the surfing community.