Surfing with a 2 year old in California

[markdct]

Hi,
I'm planing to travel to California in May with my wife and 2.5 year old son. We'll be there for around a month in a campervan. I would love some opinions on teaching my son to surf - is he too young, and if not where would the best places to go be?
Thanks!

[jaffa1949]

Whatever you do, the best place is in the safety of his parents' care, you need to be surf aware yourself! Secondly it needs to be unscarey and absolutely fun.

Can you surf, do you know beach safety and waves?
If you don't you have no business taking a child of that age in the surf!

[oldmansurfer]

So important he had to say it twice. Yeah surfing can be dangerous. You need to make sure he is safe and if you are asking us for help then you probably aren't knowledgeable enough to keep your child safe.

[markdct]

Thanks for the replies. Yes I can surf myself, I spent much of my youth surfing in Australia, although I have surfed little in the last 10 years (living in the UK). My plan was really to just play around with a bodyboard in very shallow water so my son can get a feel for waves, although water temperature could be an issue I suppose.

[oldmansurfer]

I know a few surfer families here in Hawaii who have taken their children into tiny little surf at one year of age but most likely prior to that they have gotten them used to being in water and underwater. Yeah water temperature is an important thing, the smaller the body the quicker it becomes hypothermic.

[RinkyDink]

Don't assume that your child will love the water. I remember taking my best friend from high school to the beach and trying to get him into surfing. It didn't work because he was hydrophobic. It had never dawned on me until then that people could actually have a different taste from my own. When I was a kid if I were given a choice between Disneyland and the beach, I most certainly would have chosen the beach. That's not the case with every kid though. Try to pay attention to what your child truly enjoys. Your child will thank you for it.

[drowningbitbybit]

is he too young

I see plenty of parents in this neck of the woods teaching their precociously talented potential-world-champion little b@stards... sorry, I meant "darling offspring"... at that age.

[oldmansurfer]

It is very likely some where on the internet there will be step by step instructions on how to do this probably at multiple sites I am sure I read about drownproofing babies somewhere which would apply to taking them into the ocean.

[billie_morini]

mark,
the Pacific Ocean along California is not warm, even in Summer. Therefore, you will most likely need to put this child in a wet suit. Otherwise, he will be cold within 5 to 10 minutes. You may consider going to San Diego and no further north than Oceanside, possibly Newport Beach. This will assure the warmest water possible.
billie

[Surf Hound]

Whatever you do, teach him to surf with his right foot forward as that is how not to be a kook. Seriously, get a boogie board and play in the white water with him, assuming he likes the water.

[mjames]

My 3yo wants to run as fast as possible into the impact zone but cannot swim, just be careful and make sure you are in front of a lifeguard tower.