How to Surf Like an Amateur

Oh brah it's just like dude you get the best barrels ever dude it's just like you pull in and you just get spit right out of 'em and you just drop in and you jus' smack lip WAPAAH y'drop down s'na BAAAAAH and then after that you just drop in just ride the barrel and get pitted, so pitted like that.
— Anonymous Huntington Beach Surfer, 2008

At my absolute best I’m an adequate surfer. A good surfer like the one from the clip above would be generous to call me intermediate. However, I'm convinced that my inexperience makes me an above-average teacher. I learned to surf so recently that common beginner mistakes are fresh in my mind and easy to articulate. Are you interested in surfing? If so, here's everything I know about surfing. I hope I can become a slightly better surfer by articulating it, and hopefully you'll benefit too.

1. Go with others

Surfing is technically an individual sport, but I've never surfed alone. For me, the joy of surfing comes from the chats in between sets, cheering each other on, and giving each other tips.

2. Get a board and wetsuit

To start, just borrow a board/suit from friends or rent at your local shop.

If you really want to buy a surfboard, start with a foam board because they’re soft, stable, and cheaper. Wavestorm is the quintessential beginner board because it's quite affordable and 8’ long, ideal for catching small waves.

If the water is below 70°F, you'll want a wetsuit. There are many brands, but most use a two number system to describe their thickness: the first is the millimeter thickness of the body, the second number is the thickness of the arms, which are thinner to make it easier to paddle. In the Bay Area, you'll want a 4-3 most of the time, or a 3-2 on hot days in the summer.

3. Choose a location

Let your surfer friends choose, or Google a surf report website and look for places where the waves are 1-3 ft., which is good for beginners. In the Bay Area, Bolinas is the best beginner spot due to the ample space, friendly vibes, and gentle waves.

Be sure to bring water, snacks, and sunscreen. Go on a weekday to avoid crowds. Be mindful of tides and rip currents.

4. Put on the wetsuit

Believe me — go commando. Many people I've taken surfing opted to wear a bathing suit under their wetsuit and got major chaffing. That said, many of my female surfer friends where a bathing suit underneath and it certainly makes it easier to change in/out of.

If you’re exhausted by the time your wetsuit is on, it means it fits perfectly — nice and tight. Backzip wetsuits are easier to put on than chest zip, but chest zip can be warmer and easier to paddle in.

Some people put plastic bags on their feet to slide into their wetsuit faster. I'd like to try it but who has plastic bags on hand these days?

5. Prepare your board and watch the waves

Make sure to have a leash, which is a cord that connects the back of the board to a velcro cuff around your back leg. Leashes make it easier to recover your board after an inevitable wipe out, and keep other surfers safer from flying boards.

If you're using a foam board, you're probably fine without wax. If it’s a hardtop, rub wax onto the middle 3-4 ft. of the board so your hands and feet don't slip when you stand up.

Stretch out your arms and legs, look at where the waves are breaking, and observe where people are actually catching waves. See if there is an area where waves aren't breaking — that could be a channel where it's easier to paddle out.

6. Boogie board on the whitewater

First, get some practice to get the feel of your board. Whitewater is waves that have already broken. Walk out into the water, and when you see a broken wave coming towards you, turn your board towards the beach, perpendicular to the wave, jump on your board, and see how it feels! Get used to balancing on your board on your stomach, experiment being further forward or back on the board, then try standing up! Have fun with it.

7. Learn etiquette

Especially at crowded breaks, local surfers can yell at beginners who get in their way. It's easy to avoid this by remembering two key rules:

First, when you paddle out, choose a route that goes outside of where people are catching waves, not in the middle.

Second, don't drop in on someone else's wave. The surfer closest to the peak (first place where the wave breaks) has the right of way, which means that surfers further away from the peak shouldn't try to paddle for a wave if someone is already on it. Look over your shoulders when you’re paddling for a wave to make sure you’re not accidentally cutting someone off.

8. Practice fighting through waves

The scariest part about surfing is waves crashing on you. Luckily, there are a few simple things to mitigate risk, depending on the size of the wave.

1-2 ft. whitewater: Go above — Position yourself perfectly perpendicular to the wave, grab the sides of your surfboard and push your body up and the board down by straightening your arms and arching your back. The whitewater will rush above your board and hit you in the chest, and you'll stay on top and keep paddling.

3-4 ft. whitewater: Go under — Grab the nose of your board with both hands and hug it tight. Right before the wave gets to you, take a big breath and dive down below the wave, angling the nose of the board down with you. The buoyancy of the board will pop you out on the other side of the wave, unscathed!

Big wave crashing on you: Avoid this situation by paddling hard directly towards a big wave and let it pass below you unbroken. If it's too late, you have two options. You can either completely bail off your board and dive as far below the wave as possible to avoid getting sucked in, or you can turtle roll, which is to grab the sides of your board with your hands, latch your feet to the bottom sides of the board, and roll upside down, letting the wave hit the top of your board. If you hold on tight, the buoyancy of the board will keep you from getting sucked into the wave.

In the Washing Machine: Sometimes, despite your best intentions, you get sucked into the wave. You're rolling around as if you're in a massive washing machine and you don't know which way is up. The best thing to do is is counter-intuitive: relax your body and conserve your oxygen. The buoyancy of your wetsuit will bring you to the top, but if you kick and thrash, you might run out of air. The second you reach the surface, find your board and watch for more incoming waves.

9. Paddle beyond the break

Now that you know how to deal with any type of incoming wave, it's time to paddle out to where the waves haven't broken yet so you can catch one! Cup your hands and alternate your arms in consistent, measured strokes. Raise your chest off your board for more leverage. It's tiring, but you'll build up strength and technique over time. Paddle out past where the waves are breaking and rest. Sit up with your board between your legs, letting the nose of your board out of the water. You'll be able to see waves better and you'll be quick to rotate your board if you see a wave you like.

10. Find your wave

As you surf, you'll get better and better at telling which waves to try to catch and which ones to let go. When you see a wave forming, look for the darkest part of the wall — that will likely be the peak of the wave, or the place that it breaks first. Paddle to position yourself close to the dark part of the wall because that’s where the wave will be easiest to catch. Watch a few waves crash and see where they're breaking.

When see a wave that seems like it will break right after it gets to you, it's game time. If you’re not already, sit on the middle of your board with your feet straddling either side and rotate them in opposite directions like eggbeaters until your board rotates perpendicular to the incoming wave.

11. Catch your wave

Now that your board is positioned perpendicular to the wave, start paddling. Peek backwards over your shoulders to see if the wave is getting big enough, and if there are other people closer to the peak that have the right of way. If the wave looks too small or there's someone else, stop paddling and rest for the next wave.

Paddle in calm, strong, consistent strokes, keeping your chest as high as you can for leverage. Cup your hands and keep your feet from dragging in the water by pressing them on the back of your board or bending your knees and keeping them in the air.

When you notice your speed significantly accelerating from the wave, it's time to stop paddling and stand up! Put your hands on either side of the board and push up. Bring your left leg up towards your chest, planting your left foot and then your right foot on the board below you. Stay low with your knees bent for balance. You've done it!

12. Troubleshoot

Not everything will go perfectly on your first wave. It's very likely that the wave will pass below you and you'll be stuck wondering what you did wrong. Ask an experienced surfer to watch you during your next attempt and they might say one of the following things:

Paddle faster
If the wave is moving fast and you aren’t moving at all, it will pass right on by. You have to be moving close to the speed of the wave to catch it. To increase your speed, focus on making strong strokes with cupped hands and keeping your feet out of the water.

Move your body forward or backward on the board
If your body is too far towards the front of the board, you’ll nose dive or pearl and tumble into the wave. If your body is too far back on the board, the tip of the board will be out of the water and the wave will pass under you. If your body is just right, the tip of your board will be barely in the water and suction onto to the wave. It will take a few tries to figure out where is right for you. Once you have it, find something distinctive on the board that you can line up with your chest to make it easy to line up in the right spot.

Get closer or further from the break
If you’re too far in from the break, the wave will crash before it gets to you, or worse, right on top of you! If you’re too far out from the break, the wave won’t be steep enough to catch you, and it will pass under you.

13. Find what's fun for you

Once you've caught a few waves, try catching the same wave with your friends — a party wave! Once you stand up, try angling your body and board towards the unbroken part of the wave for a longer ride. Try bigger waves, try longboards, try shortboards. This is my current skill level, so if you know what to do next, please let me know.

Ah, and I forgot to mention the absolute most important part of surfing: saying "chhyeaaahh!"

I did not consider, even passingly, that I had a choice when it came to surfing. My enchantment would take me where it would.
― William Finnegan, Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life