Learn How To Surf

Surfboard. Check.
Wetsuit. Check.
Ocean Safety. Check.

If you missed any of those checkmarks, go back and read the first 3 articles. We’ve finally reached the part of the series where you will be getting active. There are 3 fundamentals in surfing that you need to learn about and understand before you start catching waves – paddling, the pop up, and proper surf stance. In this article, I’m going to go over paddling and best practices for how to paddle on a surfboard.

As a beginner, you are going to be spending LOTS of time paddling in the ocean. The better you are at paddling, the better surfer you’ll be. The best paddlers get the most waves and that results in a lot of progress. So if you want to be a good paddler, there are a few things to keep in mind as you start out.

First, where should you be on your board?

I’m going to focus on beginners in this article, and beginners should be on a foam board. If you are on a short board, this is not for you.

So, lay down on your big comfy foam board, get your feet out of the water and find the very edge of your board with your toes. This is where you want to be when you are paddling. If you are really short, you may need to move up just a bit so the board isn’t pushing so much water, but you can start to adjust this as you get a feel for paddling.

Getting yourself in the optimal position is going to make sure you have the least resistance with the water. If you are too far back, you are going to be pushing the water (nose sticking up too far). If you are too far forward, your nose will dip and you will be dragging. You want to be pretty much flat, with your nose out of the water.

Now that you have your toes at the base of the board, arch your back. This puts you in the best paddle position. It makes it easier for your arms and shoulders to paddle correctly. This may be challenging at first, but as you spend time in the water, it will become second nature.

Don’t paddle with your head straight down.

Keep that back arched, head up, and make sure that the nose of your board is out of the water 1-2 inches so that you maintain the least amount of resistance with the water. You want to have a mostly flat plane, you don’t want to be pushing water or dragging.

Next, lets look at your hands. Don’t fully cup your hands, keep your fingers slightly apart. Cupping your hands reduces the area in the water and you end up going slower. It can also result in injury.

Now it’s time to start paddling, so what do you actually do with your arms?

It’s basically good front stroke technique. Get your arm fully out of the water after each stroke. Use FULL strokes, not little half strokes. Consistent motion, one arm at a time.

Don’t paddle with both arms.

Don’t windmill your arms or paddle too far off to the side, you’ll use too much energy or you’ll wobble.

Don’t put your head down.

Don’t spread your legs, keep them out of the water!

Paddling is actually a fairly simple concept, but it’s hard to master. You have lots of things to deal with when you’re in the water, like other people, rip currents, waves, tides. So keep those fundamentals in mind when you first get out, really focus on keeping those feet out of the water, keep that back arched and head up.

Don’t be surprised if your arms feel like noodles within 10 minutes, that’s totally normal. Even if you are a gym warrior, paddling will use muscles you aren’t used to using and you will get tired very quickly. As you go out more and more, you will build up paddle endurance and eventually be able to paddle for an hour without blinking an eye.

If you need help or tips with paddling, feel free to leave a comment on my YouTube video or shoot me an email. In the next article, we’ll tackle our second fundamental, the pop up!

Alright, so you’ve figured out what surfboard to use and have an understanding of how to stay safe in the water, if not go back and read the first 2 articles. In this article I’m going to help you finalize your last piece of gear (if needed), the all important wetsuit.

So if you are anything like me, you’ve probably started to research wetsuits and quickly realized there are soooo many options! It can be extremely overwhelming to know what to choose, so I’m going to spend a few minutes just breaking down what the wetsuit is and what you should be looking for.

The most important feature of a wetsuit is the neoprene thickness, which will relate to the temperature range that the wetsuit is really rated for. The thickness is measured in millimeters and is usually two numbers such as a 3/2 or a 4/3

The first number refers to the thickness in the torso area.

The second number refers to the thickness in the arms/legs.

So the first and most important step is to figure out what thickness you need for most of the year. The thickness of wetsuit is going to 100% depend on where you live and what the water temperature is like for the given season. So do a quick google search and figure out what the water temperature is like around you in both the summer and winter seasons. Once you have an idea on the average temperature for winter and summer, find a temperature guide online for wetsuits and line up with what your local water temperature is.

So for example, I’m going to look up San Diego and I’m going to use the Xcel wetsuit temperature guide as an example.

So the water is 60 degrees(ish) in the winter and high 60s in the summer so that puts me at about a 3/2 fullsuit in the winter and springsuit in the summer. And that’s actually what I use. I have a new Rip Curl No Zip 3/2 full suit that I wear when it’s low 60’s, when it’s a bit warmer I wear an older 3/2 suit that I have (wetsuits lose some of their warmness as they get older) In the summer I wear a springsuit. I personally like the springsuit more than boardshorts and a rashguard, but everyone is different.

After you figure out the thickness, the rest is going to be all personal preference. Before you start hitting up surf shops to pick out a suit, pick a price range you are comfortable with and use that as a guide as for shopping. Your first wetsuit doesn’t need to be amazing, you don’t want to drop $500 if you don’t know for sure that you’re going to stick with it. You can find an entry level 3/2 fullsuit for $100 – $125 and this will be absolutely good enough for starting out. You could definitely go the used route, but I prefer to buy new because you don’t know how well the wetsuit was taken care of (or how many times somebody pee’d in it)

So you’ve got your thickness and price point. Now it’s time to go try on some suits.

Wetsuits have sizes just like clothes, and most of the wetsuit manufacturers have size charts. So let’s use Xcel’s size guide as an example. It goes by height and weight, so for me I’m about 5’10”, 150 pounds which puts me at either a Medium Short or a Medium.

For women and kids, the sizes are numerical. So figure out your size based on a few different charts, and then from there you can size up or down once you get a feel for the suit.

Pro Tip – bring a plastic bag with you so that it’s easier for you to slide your feet into the suit. If you haven’t put on a wetsuit before, it can be a bit challenging – so don’t be afraid to ask for help or check out my video where I demonstrate how to put on a wetsuit.

You want it to be snug so that you stay warm, but it should still allow for movement in the arms and legs. The wetsuit works by actually holding a really thin layer of water between your skin and the neoprene. Your body heats this water up and keeps your warm. If the suit is too loose, this will be constantly flushed and you’ll get cold. So make sure it’s tight but not so tight that you feel like you can’t move or breathe.

There are several different types – back zip, chest zip, no zip, full suits, short sleeves, short legs, etc. Again, this is all personal preference, but will mostly depend on your price point and also the water temperature around you. Just go try some on, figure out what type of suit you like and what suit is easiest to get on and off. Try different brands – I can’t stress this enough, not all brands are equal in terms of fit, so try a few different brands and see which one fits your body type the best.

If you can’t decide on a brand, do a little research on the company and what types of warranty they offer on a new wetsuit. I personally stick with Rip Curl. I like the way the suits fit me, they have a great warranty on new suits, and I have local shops around me that will send my suit in for repair if I need it.

If you need suggestions, I’ve linked a few of my favorite entry/mid level suits below. Don’t stress out too much about this decision, whatever you pick will be great for your first suit. If you have any questions or comments about choosing a wetsuit, feel free to leave a comment on my YouTube video or shoot me an email. In the next article, we’ll get started with one of the key fundamentals in surfing – paddling!

Men’s Fullsuits

Men’s Rip Curl Dawn Patrol Chest Zip 3/2 Full Wetsuit
Men’s Rip Curl Dawn Patrol Back Zip 3/2 Full Wetsuit
Men’s Quiksilver Syncro Series Back Zip 3/2 Full Wetsuit
Men’s Billabong Furnace Absolute Comp Series Back Zip 3/2 Full Wetsuit

Men’s Springsuits

Men’s Rip Curl Aggro Long Sleeve 2mm Chest Zip Springsuit
Men’s Rip Curl Aggrolite Short Sleeve Back Zip Springsuit
Men’s Billabong Foil Short Sleeve 2mm Back Zip Springsuit

Women’s Fullsuits

Women’s Rip Curl Dawn Patrol Back Zip 3/2 Full Wetsuit
Women’s Billabong Furnace Synergy Back Zip 3/2 Full Wetsuit
Women’s Roxy Syncro Back Zip 3/2 Full Wetsuit

Women’s Springsuits

Women’s Rip Curl G Bomb Sleeveless Bikini Springsuit
Women’s Roxy Syncro Series Back Zip 2/2 Springsuit

If you haven’t already, check out the previous article where I cover ocean safety before moving on. In this article I’m going to help you pick out the best surf board to use as a beginner.

Alright, so you want to learn how to surf and you’ve started looking for a surfboard, but quickly realized there are tons of sizes, shapes, and price points. Don’t fret, those are all things you can worry about in a few months when you start getting more confident in the water. Right now, the best board for you is going to be… drumroll please…

A FOAM BOARD!

Preferably either an 8 or 9 foot foam board. This really depends on your age/size/height/weight. Children/teens/active adults will be fine on an 8 foot board. If you are a little bigger, go with the 9 foot board, you’ll be happy with the extra size.

So you’re probably asking, Jason, why is a foam board the best board to learn on? A couple reasons. You aren’t Kelly Slater. You aren’t going to be ripping/shredding the gnar during your first session.

But Jason, I skateboard! You skateboard? Big deal! It won’t help right now.

But Jason, I snowboard! You snowboard? Big deal! It won’t help right now.

For real though, a foamboard is the perfect board for a number of reasons. They have LOTS of volume. Volume is the measurement of how bouyant the surfboard is. So the more volume, the more you’ll float. The more you float, the easier it is to paddle. So lots of volume as a beginner is helpful because it makes it EASIER to paddle and EASIER to get into waves. And more waves = more fun! Surfing is not about how cool your board looks or how small it is, surfing is about getting waves. You want that extra volume right now.

Foamboards are also really safe as a beginner. You can protect yourself, but more importantly other people! You don’t want to get hit with a fiberglass board, and either does anybody else. When you are first learning, just understanding how to manage a board in the water is difficult, so a soft foamboard is your friend.

Let me tell you about my first few times out surfing. I learned on a 9 foot board my first time. I was lucky, I got up on my first session and caught a few open faced waves. During my next few sessions I went down to an 8 foot board, caught more waves and was feeling confident. I thought to myself, I could probably handle a real board already and then out of nowhere a wave smashed the board/plastic fins right into crotch. Luckily the fins were plastic, or I’d be telling a worse story.

I stayed on a foam board for a few months before transferring to a fiberglass board, and it did wonders for me. The more time you spend standing on a board, actually surfing, the faster you are going to progress. If you downsize to quickly, you’ll waste days and days failing to paddle into waves that you could have been riding on a big foam board.

Trust me, embrace the foam and you’ll be riding a “real board” in no time. I actually still enjoy taking out the foam board every now and then, especially when the waves are super weak or small, because you can get into pretty much anything.

So where can you pick one of these bad boys up? Go to your local surf shop and rent one for a few days, make sure you are actually going to stick with it before dropping some cash. When you are ready, search craigslist for a used foamboard or check your local used sporting good store like play it again sports. If you have a costco nearby, go there, they usually have them for 99 bucks! Or find one on Amazon, I have a few of my favorite ones linked below:

Wavestorm 8’ Classic Surfboard
Wavestorm 8’ Classic Pinline Surfboard
Wave Bandit EZ Rider 8’0 Surfboard
Wave Bandit Ben Gravy Pro EZ Rider 9’0 Surfboard

If you guys have any questions or comments about choosing your first board, feel free to leave a comment on my YouTube video or shoot me an email. In the next episode I’ll take you shopping and help you pick out a wetsuit (if it’s needed in your area). Yew!!