where to learn in CenCal

[nauc]

any good places in CenCal to learn how to surf

and what kind of board/size etc should i rent

im 5.11 180lbs

grew up skating and snowboarding, so im figuring it wont be real hard...

thanks

[Sillysausage]

don't live there to help you with spots n gear n stuff, but even though you skate, i think it will still be hard for you to learn, are you only renting a board?

[Bub]

Just because you have skateboarder/snowboarder backround, don't think you'll be on your feet carving the wave after 1 hour of practice in the water. I have the same backround as you and am still very much a newbie and struggle quite a bit (but getting better each session). What I've found is once I get to me feet on the board, the skateboarding/snowboarding balance and skills can take over and I'm probably considerably more advanced than someone starting out in surfing withot that backround. Problem is there are soooooo many steps and intangibles that are specific to surfing that you need to master prior to getting to your feet that it really is a stand-alone skill set that takes many hours in the water (with correct equipment and surf conditions) to get beyond the beginner skill level. Heck the 3rd wave I caught I was able to some turns and a little carve on (thanks to skateboarding backround). But I still miss many more waves, poor wave selection, don't get my poppup working right, stuggle with paddling etc that you'll find can only be figured with experience in the water. Having an experienced buddy in the water with you can really help as well. They can coach you when to start paddling for a particular wave that the inexperienced surfer (i.e. myself) might not judge correctly. Having an experience friend with myself has allowed me to catch a few extra waves that I probably would not of gotten without the coaching.

[nauc]

was only hoping the skating and snowboarding background will help, but have no clue, tho i was hitting jumps and carving pretty good my first day of snowboarding and have been snowboarding for around 10 years now

ive tried to surf a few times, could never get up

but the board i was using was shorter than me, heard you need to use long foam boards first, then shorter harder boards as you get better

[Bub]

was only hoping the skating and snowboarding background will help, but have no clue, tho i was hitting jumps and carving pretty good my first day of snowboarding and have been snowboarding for around 10 years now

ive tried to surf a few times, could never get up

but the board i was using was shorter than me, heard you need to use long foam boards first, then shorter harder boards as you get better

Yeah, you just had a tough board to learn on or maybe not right for the conditions you were surfing. Once you learn to catch waves and get to your feet, you're skateboarding skills will definitely helpout alot with your progression. Paddling endurance, selecting the correct wave, knowing when turn the board, get prone and start paddling/, being in the right spot in the lineup (i.e. distance from shore when you begin to paddle), getting to your feet to the right spot on the board during the poppup are my problematic areas. "Surfing" is the easy part!

[nauc]

cool

thanks yall

[justloafing]

Paddling endurance, selecting the correct wave, knowing when turn the board, get prone and start paddling/, being in the right spot in the lineup (i.e. distance from shore when you begin to paddle), getting to your feet to the right spot on the board during the poppup are my problematic areas. "Surfing" is the easy part!

Damn Bub, Your exactly right. Once your up and going it is easy just all the things before make it hard. I have come to the realization that it should not be called surfing but it should be called paddling.