Learning to surf

[beci]

Hi guys,
my name's beci and I'm pretty new to surfing. My goal: To learn to surf. If this is a platform which connects me to the real surf community, then I'm happy to be here. If not please recommend me a better one, but by the looks of it, quick look through this website I think I'm at a good start. I'm from Basel, Switzerland, and if you don't already know Basel isn't at the ocean so that's also a problem... I want to find a good spot to start surfing and I don't know where to, but I'd be open to any place on the world, especially somewhere far away maybe asia. I'd like somewhere cheap, a fair price with honest teachers not tryna rip you off. I went to fuerteventura once and took a beginners 4 day class trial but that was very long ago, so I'd need to start again from scratch. I thinking of a intense beginners surf camp, but I don't want that super basic ordinary rip-off mainstream stuff, where you pay more, for the whole "experience" with yoga etc. and learn less. I want a place where I can train daily with a teacher and focus only on surfing!! (more than only 3 hours lesson) Is there a surf camp of this kind? Really want to go down to business, and not some instructor who always holds your board. Are surf camps even a option? Or what do you recommend how to start Surfing? I'd like to spend one month or so to really learn the authentic art of surf. Please hit me up with a response

[jaffa1949]

Hi Beci,welcome to surfing waves, you have a lot of expectations around basic learning, camps and surfs schools!
Let’s start with a simple thought most learners could not handle the physical challenge of 3 hours surf lessons, the down time would be the next day when muscles would be aching too much!
The next is Swiss franc value, if you want a smaller more personal class it will cost more, at the best the class moves at the middle level of learners within it! Most surf camps have two sessions per day and a choice between basic basics to a little more towards intermediate.
Some surf camps have age criteria so you are not inundated with inappropriate ages with you.
Good camps can also allow you to choose options without yoga and stuff, but I would recommend yoga as an inclusion
For a Swiss Austrian and German based surf camp in Spain Portugal or France try Pure surfcamps, they also do Shri Lanka ( not recommended ATM due to internal policy strife ) Indonesia is Ok so worth checking.Check their website!
I would recommend browsing European camps save the money on travel to meet your needs.

[oldmansurfer]

I am always very interested in how things work out for those wanting instruction like that. This might be a way to jump start your learning. However I have not had any surf instruction at all as is true of most of the people I know who surf (bunch of old men). Be careful about overdoing it. You need to build muscles and skills and not become fatigued and unable to perform

[waikikikichan]

Or what do you recommend how to start Surfing? I'd like to spend one month or so to really learn the authentic art of surf.

Then you need to ask yourself,
Where is the birth place of modern day surfing ?
Where can you get super long rides ?
Where is it warm ?
Where 1 month equals 3 months somewhere else ?
Where did Duke Kahanamoku and Waikiki Beach Boys share the "Sport of Kings" with the world ?

[Geezer]

I wish it only took a month….

[oldmansurfer]

Waikiki has awesome waves to learn to surf

[HaoleKook]

Hawaii is amazing but it's not necessarily cheap, and you need to be careful choosing instructors that want to "create surfers" as opposed to "get tourists to stand up."

I've had 2 lessons here, one of each. First lesson I stood up on the second wave, and about 75% of the waves thereafter. I started asking questions about paddling and turning and was told that's not what this lesson was about!

The second lesson I was asked "do you want me set you up and push you, or do you want to learn to surf?" I caught less waves, but I caught them all on my own, and got amazing little tips like dragging toes to steer when paddling, turning you back to the wave when sitting on the board, etc.

That said, if you're good at living on peanuts you can make it work and I'm sure you wouldn't regret the decision.

[waikikikichan]

Haven't heard back from you, hope you are finding the answers you're searching for. Without hearing back from you we can't give you further advice, but I wanted to chime in with constructive criticism that I hope will help you in your surfing journey.

As an instructor, if I read your post as a questionnaire on a surf school application, I would be very hesitant to teach you.
Why ? Because you want it ALL, you want it NOW and you want it CHEAP.
I understand the urgency of wanting to become a surfer, but it's not something you can learn quickly or cheaply. Go back and replace SURFER with Computer Programmer and SURFING with computer programming. Or replace it with Artist and painting. You can sign up for an intense one on one course for computer programming and at the end have a certificate and verified skills to get employed. You can sign up for one on one art classes with a world renowned artist. But will you end up being an artist, art like beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Surfing takes years and years to learn. I truly believe the 1st through 3rd years is just learning the basics and trying to stay out of other surfers way. It's during the 3-6 mark where real progress happens ( if you don't go to short too early ).

My advice is to SLOW DOWN. Learn about the wave and the motion of the ocean. Enjoy the ride.

[oldmansurfer]

There was a young female video blogger, who in her goal to make a living off the internet, learned to surf in a couple weeks for the sale of video adds I guess. But she did pretty good. Was actually taking off and riding decent waves. Her name was Amore or something like that. I think she was athletic and did something similar with MMA. I think with the right person it's likely that a month of lessons will have them surfing pretty well (for a beginner). But what are the odds of that being true for your random person? I hope the original poster will post back about their attempt. However from this forum it seems likely that after a month they will still be struggling to catch and ride waves. Even with Amore's case she was surfing perfect waves so maybe lining up was easier and learning to read waves is such a big part of learning to surf.

[oldmansurfer]

Here it is. Maybe this (El Salvador) would be the place to do that?