How did you learn to surf?

[oldmansurfer]

I just realized that many of you probably started surfing by catching whitewater. Is this where green wave comes from? I never did that. Prior to surfing I body surfed quite large waves for many years and then started paipo boarding large waves and right before I started surfing I was kneeboarding. I never really went through a phase of trying to catch whitewater, I mean if the opportunity to catch whitewater where I would be able to ride on the face of a wave after catching it then I would take advantage of that and in fact I still do that but it doesn't happen much. Also it seems many of you had lessons which I never really had. I started with 6'10" board which was a short board back then. Typically a board was about a foot longer than you were tall (I am 6'2" and was back then too). SO just curious
1) Did you start by catching whitewater?
2) How big was your board?
3) Did take lessons? How many?
If you want to know something add on another question

[drowningbitbybit]

I think it depends a bit on where you are in the world. I was surprised when I got to australia (NSW, to be specific) how easy it was to get out back and to green waves compared to the UK. A quick dash through the shorebreak (or better still, sit in a freight-train rip) and you're there. In the UK, on the other hand, due to the tidal range, it can be a 500m paddle out before you pass the whitewater, and so pretty much everyone learns on the whitewater. For what its worth, I think the very beginning of learning is easier in the UK as you've got forever to slowly clamber up onto your big foam board while being pushed by a foot of rolling whitewater for hundreds of meters.

In answer to your questions... (quite a while ago now).
1) Yes.
2) 7'11 – we'll ignore the 6'4 inappropriate skinny shortboard phase
3) One improver lesson, which wasn't a lot of good in retrospect.

[CARBr6]

I started our with a week long "intensive" surf camp in Morocco. I lucked out that I was the only guest at the house so I had a whole un crowded beach with two top class instructors at my disposal for 5 days.
Started with an 8ft foamie being pulled into the whitewater to ride a straight line to the shore to get used to the pop-up then begun to paddle myself into whitewater, then I was taken out the back and tried catching green waves (which I found a lot harder). I also got taken to another beach break and taught about rips and how to use them to get out. That was three years ago haven't had a lesson since just been trying out what I have read on here and in books when I get the chance. I am now comfortable paddling out to the line up in North Cornwall and having a go. I've never gotten in anyone's way and haven't had any altercations having learnt the proper manners from my instructors.
If you don't live on or near a beach and haven't been doing it since childhood I would say it's a great way to go about it. DON'T buy a board and chuck yourself into the sea and hope for the best as this will only lead to misery and frustration.

[frreako104]

Still wanting to learn myself. That said I got into it, by of all things, body surfing. After that I got a bodyboard and both bodyboarding and bodysurfing got me wanting to go further. When summer comes, if I go on family vacation with parents, I will be hoping to learn how to surf from lessons from one of the shops that offer the lessons

[oldmansurfer]

I was unaware that common Australia breaks are a far paddle out. It's easy enough to start by catching whitewater. I actually did ride white water on the first two waves I ever surfed on back when I was maybe 10 or 11 years old. It was a professional beach boy who got me on the waves. The board was so big I could stand on it without waves. I rode two waves of whitewater in and was unimpressed having been an avid bodysurfer prior. Obviously I misjudged the fun of surfing with a board.

[drowningbitbybit]

I was unaware that common Australia breaks are a far paddle out.

Other way around! Aussie breaks (beachbreaks, that is, particularly in NSW) often break very close to the shore line. UK breaks, on the other hand, often break hundreds of meters out because of the gentle gradient of the beach.

Having just moved to Queensland, it can be a bit more like the UK (well, in the sense of where it breaks and rolling whitewater) with a longer paddle out from the beachies. But there are so many points, you rarely need to, and even the surf schools start out on (or near) points so it isn't long before the newbies get up and riding on green waves.

[drowningbitbybit]

The board was so big I could stand on it without waves.

That's cheating! ...Or SUPping!

[oldmansurfer]

OOps so it's UK. Probably some other areas too like Texas or on the east coast of the USA. Yeah when I first rode a surfboard the standard board was a longboard, no one was using short boards yet. It was his board and he was a big Hawaiian guy so not made for me. There was nothing to it. Stand up, ride the wave in, and jump off, it seemed so boring. At least when I bodysurfed the water was rushing over my body. Little did I know I would be jonesing for even just some whitewater to ride.