Surf lessons or not?

[piko2003]

Hey everyone I'm piko and I have a question.

I'm having a struggle with the choice if I have to take surf lessons. I have surfed on and off for the last year (I had 3 lessons and surfed 2× with a friend) and I want to start again. The thing is before I actu ally surged I already knew allot about it, but I haven't surfed again after my last lesson in August. So should take a lesson again? Personally I don't really think so but I thought that asking it is never a bad thing.


Things I know:

How to spot a wave

How to spot a rip

How to pop up

I know the dangerous of the ocean and somewhat how to spot them (rips are hard to spot on a sandy beach) I also know what to do if I get in one

I watched over the past 3 years tons of surf videos so even things that I don't needed to know I knew alreadyou. And still do.

(Note: I've only surfed whitewater and went one time out the back, after that I stopped).

So should I still take a surf lessons?

[jaffa1949]

Simply put , because you are only at the whitewater stage.
Yes,
On and off is not really a basis for knowledge, watching Videos will not teach you how to surf!
Specific surf lessons will accelerate your Progress.

Judging what you can do,is hard for us, often we don’t understand how you surf without seeing videos.

Even a good surfer can benefit from lessons, but it can called coaching to make it feel better!

[Beginner77]

I'm a beginner too, and have had 3 half day beginners lessons at two different schools and a two and a half day course at another school. What's been apparent through that process is that the beginners lessons were very much designed to get you up and having fun as soon as possible, whereas beyond that I seem to be just cracking the door open on a whole raft of knowledge that they don't flood beginners with, but are happy to share with you once you sign up to learn more. Most sports, if taught well, are like this. I still go surfing now and then for fun, but I see the next step for me (and probably you too) to actually progress as having more lessons, probably in a surf camp type environment.

[oldmansurfer]

How old are you? Are you in good athletic condition? It depends as well as where you will be surfing. If you are going to a beginners break with lifeguards then maybe you can just try it yourself and if you have problems then get lessons. However it seems to me that if you are asking then you don't know enough and still need lessons.

[Big H]

Ahhhh, surfcamps.....


Was out yesterday....small swell and 89 people in the water. I counted 9 surf camp vans from several different schools in the lot. Grown men on shortboards being pushed into waves on top of each other......ugly scene.


I’m sure lessons can speed things along but IMO to learn I think it takes a lot of time in the water and a fair amount of trial and error to feel the right way to do things.

[piko2003]

How old are you? Are you in good athletic condition? It depends as well as where you will be surfing. If you are going to a beginners break with lifeguards then maybe you can just try it yourself and if you have problems then get lessons. However it seems to me that if you are asking then you don't know enough and still need lessons.

I'm 16 years old turning 17 tomorow☺☺☺☺

[piko2003]

I surf at a beginner brEakring I think (2-5ft waves are common in winter and <2-4ft in summer)

[Oldie]

At your level. Definitely yes.

[waikikikichan]

1) Where is that "friend" you surfed with 2 times before ? Is it possible to go with him/her and look out for you and give you pointers.
2) Do you have your own board ? Lessons provide the board. If you don't have a board, you'll need to rent. Can you rent beginner friendly boards or are they high performance boards ?
3) Some of the "how-to" surf videos I've seen don't give good advice. I can watch tons of golf swing videos all day long, but it won't matter until I actually grasp the club and swing. GO SURF !!! ( but not alone, for safety )

[piko2003]

1) Where is that "friend" you surfed with 2 times before ? Is it possible to go with him/her and look out for you and give you pointers.
2) Do you have your own board ? Lessons provide the board. If you don't have a board, you'll need to rent. Can you rent beginner friendly boards or are they high performance boards ?
3) Some of the "how-to" surf videos I've seen don't give good advice. I can watch tons of golf swing videos all day long, but it won't matter until I actually grasp the club and swing. GO SURF !!! ( but not alone, for safety )

1 ) still a friend of me but he surfs most of the time in the morning with low tide and I have school so I only have the option to surf after 3pm

2) they also have foamies

[Beginner77]

Ahhhh, surfcamps.....


Was out yesterday....small swell and 89 people in the water. I counted 9 surf camp vans from several different schools in the lot. Grown men on shortboards being pushed into waves on top of each other......ugly scene.


I’m sure lessons can speed things along but IMO to learn I think it takes a lot of time in the water and a fair amount of trial and error to feel the right way to do things.

I agree with this, although lessons don't have to be like that. A good teacher will equip you with ways to learn and develop after the lessons, and of course will choose a quiet location where their pupils are not in the way of others and can concentrate on their surfing.

[Big H]

Ahhhh.......quiet locations....

[Big H]

89 people.....eighty nine at ONE break.....89,89......eighty people plus nine more........makes me want to quit.

[Beginner77]

89 people.....eighty nine at ONE break.....89,89......eighty people plus nine more........makes me want to quit.

The population is increasing exponentially and nothing is being done to curb it, so very sadly this is an issue not just for surfing but for all sorts of activities. We'll start having problems with food and living space at some point too!

That said, quiet locations do still exist. In the summer, my wife and I had a two lessons at a beach in Ireland that was a mile or two long; the surf school took us to a completely isolated area a long way from anyone else. There were one or two other groups out that day and we were spaced about a quarter of a mile apart (we could barely see the other surfers!), with experienced solo surfers surfing on a nice big stretch in the middle of the beach. Similarly, at my regular spot there's quite a bit of space, provided you avoid Saturdays, peak holiday periods and really hot days. So there are ways to avoid the crowds, but yes, it's a problem that's getting worse.

[waikikikichan]

So there are ways to avoid the crowds

and the answer is to surf ..................

at a beach in Ireland

The ( surfing ) population is increasing exponentially and nothing is being done to curb it,

Other than the movie "Blue Crush", one thing that caused all the crowds in the surf is the "Surf Leash". Get rid of those and numbers will be cut in half or more ( and kooks will sooner give up )

[Beginner77]

That's a good point actually. Do you know if a higher percentage of the population are surfing, or whether increases are just down to population increase? I had assumed the latter. I know for my wife and I it's just something we always wanted to try, I just needed to get rid of my fear of water first (which took nearly 40 years!).

[oldmansurfer]

Where I live the crowds mostly reflect the population growth but I surf without crowds due to me choosing to surf in less than ideal conditions. It’s all part of my training program and I am completely familiar with the ocean so I quess not too helpful for a beginner

[dtc]

There are certainly more people surfing as more countries develop a middle class that can afford it (eg Brazil) and as surfing becomes more well known (eg now popular in Israel). And certain areas are crowded as travel is cheaper (Bali, Sri Lanka etc)

However in traditional surf countries - Australia or California etc - there has been a boom amongst women and older surfers but a big decrease in younger surfers (under 18). No longer do kids spend their days at the beach (obviously some do but much less). So the demographics of surfing has changed quite a bit.

http://www.roymorgan.com/findings/6202- ... 1504222329

Not this answers any questions...other than Bali is suffering

https://www.google.com.au/amp/s/amp.smh ... lwtzi.html

And maybe in 20 years, when us surfer boomers have become too decrepit, the waves will again be empty

[Big H]

Nice articles.

[Tudeo]

Not this answers any questions...other than Bali is suffering

https://www.google.com.au/amp/s/amp.smh ... lwtzi.html

One of the major environmental problems in Bali is waste disposal.

Just a few pics I found in the local Facebook group this morning: