The ‘system check’ aka ‘oh good I’m still alive’
You breach. You gob and gawp and hack at the briny blue. Have you been under for three minutes? You fell on the biggest wave you’ve ever tried. You ate it. Four minutes? More?
Buy A Crap Wetsuit
This is terrible, terrible advice. The first suit I bought was a £20-something, holey nightmare. It was hardly better than a t-shirt, but it was great for my early surfing ability.
Short Boards are Bad (learners!)
A lot of beginners rush to buy smaller boards after only a short time in the water. It’s a strange phenomenon – we don’t learn to drive in supercars or learn to ride on racing bikes – but in surfing we try to…
Shark Infested Forums
Learner surfer looking for help? This is a safety warning: surf forums are shark infested waters… Beware the trolls Sadly, animosity towards beginners is part of surfing. It’s not universal, but there’s no denying the spite some people have for…
Focus On Your Own Game
One of the hardest parts of learning to surf is self belief. From my account of catching my first proper wave: Nothing describes the feeling of being a learner surfer better than “a fish out of water”. The feelings of…
What do the Lifeguard Flags Mean?
Safety is a cornerstone of surfing. Learning the basics before you get in the water is the best way to prepare yourself for some of the challenges the ocean might serve up. So where should you start? As a beginner…
