Only surfing once a week

[lenno]

I live about 2 hours away from the closest beginner break, so i can only surf once a week on weekends. If I’m receiving a lesson every time i surf from a good instructor, is it possible to be fairly decent by summer? Im starting next weekend.

Thanks!

[oldmansurfer]

Sure it is possible if by fairly decent you mean you will be able to stand and ride unbroken waves on a longboard. How old are you? Can you swim a mile? 2 miles? 10 miles? You need to be fit to learn quickly

[lenno]

I am a long distance track runner and was a competitive swimmer for 5 years so I like to think I’m pretty fit

[oldmansurfer]

The running will help with aerobic fitness but the swimming is good to have. You should do okay. Surfing is mostly paddling and reading the waves/ocean and a little bit of actually surfing. So learning the waves and paddling seems possible for you in that period of time

[dtc]

Summer being June/July?

As old man says, if you focus then by summer you should be able to catch waves, do a slow turn and go along the face. You will still probably have a fairly high failure rate (missing the wave, falling off straight away, not turning/falling off when turning). Like 50% failure (or more if you dont have an existing understanding of the ocean and are starting from 'nothing'). But enough to let you be relatively confident in going out by yourself and having fun and not causing havoc.

Also dont have lessons every weekend. After 3-5, spend the next couple of months surfing by yourself and seeing what you can and cant do. Then have another lesson or two

[waikikikichan]

I was a competitive swimmer for 5 years so I like to think I’m pretty fit

Open Ocean or Swimming Pool ?