Surfing Waves

Hey guys

So I've gotten quite well in lessons surfing on whitewater. But now progressing up to greenwaves. Any tips? Found it more challenging not to mention had abit of trouble trying to 'sit' on my board while waiting for a wave to come in.

Cheers.

some thoughts for you, Newbloke:
- start on small green waves, hopefully slow, not very strong/powerful, and peeling
- paddle to the outside, hang out on the shoulder where there may not even be enough wave to surf and watch the other guys carefully for long periods. Study how the sets are coming in; where the surfers catching waves position themselves, when and how they paddle; when and how they pop up (I learned tons simply by watching the other surfers for 1/2 hr to 1 hr without even bothering to try to catch any waves)
- practice, practice, practice. Surfing is like playing guitar. If you don't do it regularly, you won't develop much skill or retain it.
- learn to catch green waves in areas that are not being used by intermediate or advanced surfers
- keep the stoke!

Ditto the above, and add that patience is the key. Very hard to be patient when you are frothing for a wave but you waste a lot of time when you're learning paddling for waves you have no hope of making, which will leave you out of position when a decent makeable wave comes.

Patience is also the key when looking for somewhere to surf. Ideally you want somewhere quiet. Pick a break that might not be as good as the crowded spots but still has a wave that will allow you time to drop and get a bottom turn in. On a beach there are usually unsurfed peaks somewhere. If you start making waves others will come but usually not before the herd see someone catching.

If you can't find anywhere like this and have tried everywhere on a given day, get in anyway (but don't get in the way), paddle loads. Building up your paddle fitness will help you catch waves sooner and make your take off easier. Don't walk your board around, paddle it everywhere. You should get out of the water when you have nothing left every time. If you get out and feel you could have had a few more waves in you. Grab a bite, relax for an hour or so and get back in.

When it comes to actually catching a waves. Carefully select a wave you can make (you will get better at this), as it approaches give a couple of light strokes to get you moving, then paddle as hard as you can with your whole body behind every stroke (being careful not to rock your board too much, this will lose you speed). Keep your back arched to avoid pearling unless you feel the wave us about to pass under you, in which case drop your head to get more weight on the front of the board (but get ready to lift it again quickly if the nose starts to dip). Keep watching the wave until the last possible second and make adjustments accordingly. The last adjustment being to point the board a couple of degrees in the direction you want to go. Lastly, pop up in one fluid movement.

Sitting on your board gets easier the more you do it no matter what size board you're on, but what size board are you on?

As a learner you should always start on a softboard (known as foamies). Foamies come in array of sizes ranging from 6'0 – 8'0. Depending on your weight and balance skill level, will determine what size you will require. Foamies are large and stable allowing you to practice standing and balancing while the board moves towards the beach, and they're inexpensive.

Good luck!!

Don't listen to this person. Foamies stink. Never buy one unless you own a surf school. If you want to ride a foamie, get a lesson or two. After that, buy a decent longboard. Would recommend getting an epoxy as your first longboard as they are less prone to dings. Take note though, they are not impossible to ding. In fact, it's not even hard. They are just a wee bit tougher that PU boards and beginners are hard on boards, especially longboards.

A decent longboard will last years and allow you to develop your skills (both riding, and ding repair).
Also they come in a variety of sizes from 6'ish to 10' and bigger but after that you are getting into SUP territory.

Sorry to slate you so harshly Jiellen, just totally disagree. You'll find after a while that they are quite a friendly bunch on here so don't be put off from posting.

What size board do you ride and how much do you weigh?

I started surfing recently and found this post a great help, thank you.

Hey guys, cheers so much for the advice honestly!
Well an update on my surfing: Been catching greenwaves consistently with a bit of you all's advice and some persistence from the surfing coachs telling me to take them on!

Cya all and hope ya's have a good one!