Surfing Waves

Hello ~

I'm new to the forum and just recently decided that I hope to try surfing in the near future.

But, I don't even know how to swim which leads me to this question:

I know this probably varies for different people, but how long does it take to learn swimming to be good enough to try surfing?

Thanks!

~ songbird ~

you should be fairly good at swimming, because you do alot of it while surfing... as long as you're confident and able to stay afloat you can start surfing and practice both at once

try going to pools somwhere in your community and swim around in the deep end maybe a foot deeper than you are able to touch. you need to be able to swim for a long time, and that requires strong arm muscles

You need to be a strong & confident swimmer.
Don't take up surfing until you are.

Thanks for the replies!

I have one more question:

I've been looking around on the net, trying to find some of the best surfing areas. I'm focused on Hawaii, but from what I have seen, Hawaii has some pretty massive waves - definitely not good for a beginner. What are some of the best areas for beginning surfers? Where the waves offer a challenge but aren't overwhelming.
It doesn't have to be in Hawaii - anywhere, really.

Thanks.

ive heard california and flordia has some good beginners spots, im heading out to cali next year so i asked a few questions about it!!

Cool - thanks.

I'll do some research on California.

:)

ok sweet! i tried looking up this site but i didnt know if it was good, its www.soul-surfer.com so check it out, i heard it shows you surf reports and stuff

Dude, thanks for the link. I hadn't seen that site and I think it's gonna be of help. It brakes it down into each state and then into the different areas of each state. Awesome! I'm always on the look out to gather new sites to check out.

Hawaii can be a good beginner spot... i havent surfed it but of course if theres no storm nearby its not gonna get a massive swell (just watch out for locals). Californias good. Um.... the entire east coast is good for learning.

east coast is good because it barely ever gets big and is usually mushy.