Which part of the ocean....

[CastorTroy]

do you surf at?

I am completely new to surfing (been boogie boarding for 10+ years though). Do you ride the waves that whitewash and come right onto the beach? (That doesn't make too much sense to me.) Or are there waves that break further out that you are supposed to surf?

Sorry for the really noob question, but I am seriously curious. I've seen people surf both close to the shore and further out, not sure if either is right/wrong...

[Laguna]

Hi, welcome to the forum. There is no right or wrong. A lot of beginners start by surfing the white water which occurs after the wave breaks. The majority of surfers though will try making it out back and catching the green water (unbroken waves).

You want to be able to catch unbroken waves as you get a better ride from them and can surf alongside it getting a longer surf, but for now as you are learning you might want to get use to popping up and catching some whitewater just to get use to surfing.

[CastorTroy]

...The majority of surfers though will try making it out back and catching the green water (unbroken waves)...

So whenever someone says unbroken waves that means the ones that are far out, not just the early stage of a wave that is about to break and come to shore?

[Laguna]

no sorry, I should have been more specific. Surfers will surf the waves that havent broken yet, its when the wave is building and forming. A broken wave is when the wave starts breaking and dropping at the top which results with whitewater (broken waves).
Unbroken waves aren't necessarily back out far. It depends on the beach. Some waves break close to shore and some break further out. What I meant by getting out back was getting past the whitewater to the unbroken waves.

This is a wave breaking
http://deborahdonnelly.org/v-web/galler ... .sized.jpg

[CastorTroy]

This is a wave breaking
http://deborahdonnelly.org/v-web/galler ... .sized.jpg

Heh, yea I know that.

I just wasn't sure if the waves that broke out further were different or not. Thanks

[slick surfa]

usually at some surf spots there are waves further out which are bigger and some close in and still have a green wave

[Laguna]

This is a wave breaking
http://deborahdonnelly.org/v-web/galler ... .sized.jpg

Heh, yea I know that.

I just wasn't sure if the waves that broke out further were different or not. Thanks

Every wave is different. You wont get the same wave twice

[drowningbitbybit]

I've seen people surf both close to the shore and further out,

As well as all that, it depends on what type of board you're on.

Longboards (at a good longboard spot) will tend to catch a wave very far out when its merely a ripple, but a shortboarder will tend to catch the wave much later as its beginning to break

The challenge, for all boards and waves, is to get up onto that green unbroken face, but theres no right or wrong as long as its fun

[PapaW]

Yo Troy.... get your self over to www.fluidzone.com and checkout what real bodyboarders are up to :)

[bluesnowcone]

surfers try and ride the open face, and good ones try and to one last final move on the white wash, if that makes sence