Surfing Waves

Learning the basics is truly where you need to start.
Don't be afraid to ask the questions on the forum, those of us that are more experienced have been through the phases you have.
The other learners here can also give you good advice as they are closer to you in what they are experiencing.
I appreciate the compliment of sending me PMs in regard to your learnings, but I feel that it is better to post your questions on the forum as there is a bigger crew of experience to help you.

A few quick thoughts;
Surfing is not easy especially in the beginning.
There is lots to learn about the surf, the waves, rips etc.
Then you have to get your act together on the board of your choice.
As a beginner do you know the reality beyond the sale pitch of surfboards?

Put on top of that, the unwritten but often enforced rules of the lineup.
Riding the white water is not surfing it is a small beginning

If you are not having fun, do something else in another venue.
If you are having fun share the stoke or at least grin furiously
Don't take yourself too seriously, surf will smack you down.
Learn as soon as possible how to share in the lineup but also learn to take your rightful share too.
Be assured but not possessive or aggressive.
Big one this; surf as often as possible, do things to make this happen more often.

+1 Uncle Jaffa well said.

Getting in the water as much as possible is an absolute must. There is so much to do and think about that it needs to become instinct. Your muscles need to know what to do before you even have a chance to process the thought, I made amazing progress on my trip to oz, been landlocked since returning to Hong Kong but thats all about to change with a relocation to newquay / fistral beach in the next couple of month.

90% of surfing is purely technique, and technique takes time to develop - However as Jaffa says, if you don't enjoy surfing dont do it.

Its supposed to be something you do to unwind from the day / week of stress, its a place to be yourself, think of nothing - Its just you and the heart beat of the earth, that moment when u take the drop nothing else matters your mind is completely free of all material thought processes. Your human.

If you are land locked and want to keep in tune with your balance and pull of some surf'esque' turns, grab yourself one of these. I swear by mine.

Been land locked for 3 months and its fine tuned my balance to a crazy level I cant wait to get back on the waves and go top to bottom :S

Can you tell me if you see anything wrong in this photo?

Two guys have appeared to have dropped in.
A situation to consider in places like Sunset Beach and Waimea Bay a number of guys may be going the same wave, at the critical point of take off for any of them the option to pull back would mean being lip launched into the path of or over the inside rider.
Better to take off under control and make a safe pull off later.
Most of the good big wave riders know each other’s ability and place some trust in that.

In a normal size wave, the outside guys are in the wrong!

The inside guy is paddling "up the gut" rather than around the takeoff zone.

On big waves there are often multiple riders but they all know the rules and try to stay out of each others way. There are some breaks that are party waves where beginners go and they all take off on the same wave but they don't know each other and can't stay out of each others way but those are the rules at those beaches

BoMan wrote:The inside guy is paddling "up the gut" rather than around the takeoff zone.

Possibly but camera lens foreshortening andcamera angle might make it look like that, sitting in the channel looks like that except for clean up sets.

Yea that’s Waimea Bay. Different rules for different breaks I guess. Looks like I have way more to learn lol

That's useful as far as I am really afraid of falling or hurting myself.