Surfing Waves

Hi! Im an Italian guy who' d like to learn surf.
Im gonna visit US for 2 months and im thinking to start to surf during this period.
Im writing this topic just to have some advise...Should i frequent a course or is possible to learn just watchin ppl surfin?Is Seattle a good area to surf?What should i buy/rent in the beginning?Is too late to start learning?(I'm 21 years old) etc...

Everything u wat to suggest is "gold" for me so...write anything u think i should know

Thanks

ZimuZ

try search forum loads of info on there not sure what the surfs like in the US

is there much surfing goes on in italy? the mediterrainean is pretty flat anyway and i would have though italy would have an even shorter fetch than most there. Are there people who surf near you?

All I know about Seattle is that it is cold and rainy most days, and the area probably isn't to conducive to good surfing. You may want to try further south. I have heard of people surfing along the Oregon coastline. If it's surf lessons/training you want, you probably want to be in Southern CA as there are several surf schools that operate year-round here.

GowerCharger wrote:is there much surfing goes on in italy?Are there people who surf near you?

No and no!We do not have any wave on Mediterrean sea Probably the nearest place to surf is Spain...at least that' s what i heard...btw i dont know any1 who surf and can train me, that' s why im asking here some advice

How long does a surf course take SDCali?I mean to just to learn the first things...

northern spain and west france are very good, also morocco is proabbly as close by boat?
there are some surf spots in the med but theyre probably not that good or consistant

Don't know anything about schools in Cali, but I'd say a half-day or one-day lesson will tell you the basics. It'll probably cover safety, positioning, surfing etiquette, paddling, catching waves lying down, popping up (like an idiot on the sand!) and where to stand. I had a 3 hour lesson that covered that here in Scarborough.

After that, I'd say hire a board and practice, practice, practice!!! Oh yeah, and most importantly have fun!

I heard of people surfin double overhead in Corsica once. Apparaently there is a small surf community there.

Ellie wrote: but I'd say a half-day or one-day lesson will tell you the basics. It'll probably cover safety, positioning, surfing etiquette, paddling, catching waves lying down, popping up (like an idiot on the sand!) and where to stand. I had a 3 hour lesson that covered that here in Scarborough.

That' s good to ear!!!! just would like to extend the idiot part also on the water!!!!!!

ZimuZ wrote:
How long does a surf course take SDCali?I mean to just to learn the first things...

Most schools in the area offer 2 hour long (one day) lessons in groups. Private lessons are usually by the hour. Some schools offer 2-day clinics (2-hours each day). Then there are the week-long or longer surf camps.
A lot depends one you, some people can get it all in one lesson, but some people need more time, as it can get very tiring, usually 2-hours out on a first lesson around here is the most people can handle for one day.

Best bet is to go to google and type in 'surf shop' along with the location you are going to; Seattle, Portland, San Diego, etc..

You'll get a bunch of hits. There is actually surf in Seattle, though don't know what the local scene is like. Any one of the shops will probably have lessons, though.

As for length of time to learn - depends on the person, the surf conditions, and the teacher.