Surfing Waves

Hi, I'd love to start surfing, and i've been going to a great spot for kitesurfing and windsurfing for years. When I go there, I always go bodyboarding, and I'm getting quite good at it. Will this help me when I'm learning how to surf?
Thanks
Laura

Laura - this will undoubtedly help.

There are many different elements that must come together to make a good surfer - paddling power, balance, agility, timing, understanding how the ocean moves and the wave is formed etc.

If you are bodyboarding well, then you have already developed a good understanding of the wave - knowing when to take off, where the power is, what part of the wave to go for, how to get past the white water.

Plus I am sure your overall fitness from bodyboarding will benefit you.

In my opinion, however, I think that number one on the list of what will help beginners to surf better is paddling power. The stronger and faster you can paddle, quite simply, the easier you will be able to catch a wave.

Even if you go surfing and it's flat - just get out there and paddle for an hour. Go swimming at home, go to the gym, do pull ups, do anything you can to develop your upper body strength.

Bodyboarding will definitely help with understanding the ocean and waves as well as with fitness and confidence in the water.

However, the muscles you use for surfing are very different. Bodyboarding uses more legs when paddling, so do some work on the arms.

Paddling is the key to successful surfing, it's also what you do for most of the time you are in the water. I would say a typical session is 15-20% standing up on waves and 80-85% paddling!!

Cheers

Sinista

And those percentages are if your good id say for me
50% paddling
45% sitting out back recovering and out of breath
4% attempting to catch waves/wiping out
0.5% catching a wave back in
0.25% putting wet suit on
0.2% driving to beach
0.05% surfing badly

I kind of lumped together a load of stuff with 'paddling' particularly the 'Sitting out back catching my breath' thing.

Don't you find though, that you patiently wait for a channel to paddle out in. It comes an you paddle like a madman until you get out back. Then, the second you sit up, you're in the perfect position to catch the first wave of the next set, but you have precisely 0 energy left, so you have to watch as 3 or 4 perfect waves go past. Then, just to top it all off, the last wave is a good couple of feet bigger, and you notice this too late, so you get down and start paddling frantically at it, but due to the fact you're running on empty you don't make it and get wiped out by a 6 ft wall of whitewater.

Also if we're going to include driving to the beach, then my percentages change to:

99.8% Driving to the beach
0.2% The rest!

Cheers

Sinista

Thanks for your advice!
Love Laura x

haha, sp, you know what you're talking about! paddling strength and stamina makes all the difference.

bodyboarding can be fun, but are you doing it in the lineup or in the whitewater? I bodyboarded quite a bit before trying surfing, but did it all in the whitewater, so it didn't prepare me much. at the end i tried paddling for the waves instead of jumping forward. that was much more fun. and if you go bb'ing, get rid of those fins and paddle.

Don't go to the dark side!!!! Your a b00ger YOU'VE SEEN THE LIGHT!! :D ;)

Sponging tis on the only way :)

At th4e end of the day I swtictch from stand up to bodyboarding becuase i found it far more versitile than stand up. closer to the wave and you can still rip it up in sloppy conditions if you know how. Raaa I love it.

while on the subject of spongers this knee boarder has started turning up at the local break.
I cant understand why people would want to knee board.
People bodyboard cos the can get further inside waves
People surf because its with out a doubt the best water based sport you can do
But kneeboarding surely its a combination of the two without the advantages of either

I wouldn't even credit it with that... only thing i've seen it semi usfull for is in lifeguarding... even than its still cumbersome and bulky.

Atleast with bboarding you can DK with style :)