5 Surf tips for beginners

Surfing has been practised for hundreds of years by humankind and is seen as a form of relaxation, fun and pure adrenaline at the same time; Surfing is practised on all the continents of the world, having its peaks of lovers in Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, the United States, and the islands spread across the globe.

Surfing is not as easy as it looks, however with this 5 ultimate edition tips, you will have an easier life. The sea and waves can be partners or cruel with its surfers; they can make you roll underwater like a pedestrian or slide smoothly like an ice skater. Thinking to help you a little more, we have made a guide for those who want to get out of the sand and television to start venturing out and enjoy the waves around the world.

Choose your surfboard | Surfboard for beginners

It is ideal for beginners to start with a Longboard, as they require less difficulty when paddling and getting on the wave. Stability is much greater than any other kind of board, making it easy for beginners. For those who go to the beach only on vacation and holidays, the idea is to start with Longboard. If access to surf is more frequent, Funboard is a great choice.

Today, there is also the possibility of surf with Stand Up Paddleboards, which promote a different surfing style. The choice of clothes is also essential for better performance. Make sure you choose a comfortable and ideal for the climate and temperature where you will be practising.

Choosing the right surfboard determines how you will evolve in surfing, especially when you are new to surfing. This indicates whether or not you will continue to surf, as some difficulties can end up discouraging you, and you will end up staying in the sand while the crowd drops in the waves.

Wave Type for beginners

Study the wave you are going to surf (train). If it is a peak with hollow and tubular waves or fuller; faster or slower waves; offshore or offshore wind; That, of course, varies from peak to peak. In Australia, as we have most of the sand bottoms (beach break), it is increasingly difficult to predict how the sea will be due to the movement and, consequently, benches (sand). Being a beginner, you always need to choose fuller waves that are slower and easier to surf!

Your Weight for the right surfboard

A very obvious but significant variable. There is no way you can surf with a board that has less volume than necessary to support your weight. That is, if a board has the exact volume to support your weight or more volume than you need to support your weight, you will be able to surf, but the opposite is not valid. You will hardly be able to surf with less volume than your board can handle, and that is a fact!

First of all, you need to know that there are different sizes, densities, and boards' functions. They are classified according to the surfer's skill and the size of the waves he will catch. As you progress in your surf, it is normal for the size of the board to decrease.

Usually, those who start surfing borrow a board from a friend or get an old model kept at home. Not that this is wrong, but it can cause some difficulties and delay your learning. The idea of having a suitable board is to make your surfing evolution faster. With this, you can migrate to smaller and lighter boards, consequently more agile in maneuvers and gaining skills faster. So it is important to know which are the best boards for beginners in surfing. Take a look at the next few paragraphs that we have separated for you and check out the five types of surfboards for beginners that you can use to evolve in surfing:

Shortboard

Shortboards are the most commonly used in surfing. This kind of board is designed to be manoeuvrable and fast, so they are perfect for good surfers. The length varies from 5 to 6.10 to accomodate the situation where the waves are big and you need a longer surfboard to ride them. But beware, these are boards that require a good technical level and good physical condition. It would be a big mistake to start surfing with a shortboard 

Stand-Up Board

For those starting in the sport, the Stand-Up board is ideal! With it, you can stand even without waves. It is a wide and robust model, with a lot of volume, which allows you to be pushed by the waves, surfing almost without any effort. In this mode, you use a paddle to move.

Longboard

Longboards are the modern descendants of the first surfboards and are the second step for surfing beginners. It is also a bulky model, like the Stand-Up board, but narrower. You will hardly be able to stand without the movement of the waves, without speed. It is straightforward to paddle and has plenty of space for you to choose where to position yourself to be stable. Their sizes generally vary from 9'0″ to 9'6".

Funboard

The Funboard board is a board approximately 7 to 8 feet long. It is a slightly smaller model than the longboard and stand-up, even though it is wide and bulky. With it, it is more challenging to stay upright and stable. If you already have some experience of surfing, it is the right choice. However, if you do not have it and choose to start with it, it will be more challenging to paddle and to balance yourself

Mini long board or Mini Malibu

The Minilong board is a model with a round beak and a wide body. That is, you will use a longboard paddle on a small board. This category is already a step above the Funboard, a little more advanced. If you are light or already can stand, it may be a good option. Now, keep in mind that if you start with this one, it may not work. That's because you would be skipping some steps of evolution. In an attempt to advance faster between the boards, you will end up getting stuck in this for a long time. With more beginners boards, you would spend a few weeks and move on much faster. Start with the most basic ones, and migrating to a smaller board will be much easier. They generally measure between 7'8 "to 8'6".

Retro Fish Board

Popularised for its unique shape, the fish style surfboard was created in the 70s, initially designed to surf on your knees (kneeboard). The Fish Retro board has a wide beak, middle and tail, and the potato style, and is for those who already have experience and know-how to drop in the waves, being able to do much more agile maneuvers. Surfboards like Fish, Retro-Fish, and hybrids are ideal for small waves or soft waves, not very powerful because they are wide and thick, and therefore benefit from very good buoyancy. If you already have practice and catch waves regularly, it is exciting to try this model. In addition to being very different from ordinary boards, it has a mega stylish design. Their size generally ranges between 5'4 "to 6'4" and are very fast, easy, and fun boards to surf. These are ideal boards for intermediate, advanced, or even expert surfers.

Choose the right peak, and don't go straight to the backside!

After being properly equipped, it's time to hit the road and go to the beach. But beware, one of the big mistakes of beginners and that ends up discouraging learning is trying to go straight away on a beach with big, strong, or hollow waves. Forget it. So, you delay your adaptation and get tired. Look for a calm beach, a place where there are not many surfers to avoid possible accidents.

Remember that the main objective, in the beginning, is to get up on the board and gain stability, performing the movement correctly, so there is no problem if you catch a wave that has already burst, on the front side. Only after everything is already in the "automatic" try to go to the backside (waves behind the surf) and later, do the maneuvers.

Choose the waves that are up to your surf level

Understanding that a bulky board makes you have more fun, catch more waves, and evolve faster is a precious tip. We see people every day on the water with boards that are much smaller than they should be because they have more advanced equipment than their surfing level requires. It is very frustrating to have a trendy performance board and spend hours floating and doing poorly in the water. Certainly have a board that looks like a beginner, but that gives you happiness in the water, and that gives you the chance to catch several waves. Nevertheless, you always to remember, no matter if you have the perfect wave! It would be best if you always chose the right waves that are up to your surf level!

Train in the sand, and don't put your knees!

After reaching the chosen peak, it's time to pass the paraffin and go to the water. But before that, practice the movement, going up the board, in the sand. Make the pop-up (an upward trend on the board) without placing your knees on the board, as this will cause you to lose speed and be out of balance to stand up. This is usually one of the most classic mistakes of beginners in the early days.

Respect the Locals!

It is necessary to be selective; otherwise, you will lose the best waves.

Above all, we must respect local surfers' preference, as they have been there longer and you will not want to create a bad image in their eyes, because in addition to being there in more significant numbers, they will always be there. So, avoid getting in the same waves as them and don't ride them at all.

Learn to understand your limits!

One of the most important and perhaps most difficult factors for surfers is to read what is happening and what will happen at sea.

Airplane pilots will not fly under conditions if there are fog and storm; auto racing racers also will not leave their paddock if the runway is wet, without rain tires. So, why, you surfer, would you surf the same way regardless of weather conditions? Why would you ride a giant wave without experience?

Get ready, study the beach you will surf on, see the weather forecast. Take time to observe what happens at sea, how the wave bursts, which way it usually closes, its speed, etc. The power of observation will help you a lot to read the waves when you take your board and go surfing for real.

Conclusion

Choosing how you want to surf in the coming years also determines the path of the boards you need to speed up this process. In other words, you can choose to be a board surfer and then enter an evolution ladder that starts at Stand Up Paddle (a super bulky board, which you stand on even without a wave and standing still), then a Longboard, goes through Funboard, Mini long, until you reach the compatible surfboard for your weight and level.

You can also decide to be a Longboarder and follow the same evolution path with more classic, bulky, and easy Longs with more progressive longs with low edges with measures for performance that is also appropriate to your level, type of wave, and surf style. No matter what you do and where you are, it's not worth it if you're not having fun. Always remember that awesome quote by Phil Edwards: "The best surfer out there is the one having the most fun."

I hope this content helps you better understand this "stairway" that evolves in the sport that we love so much. If you have any questions, leave us a comment, and I will be happy to answer you.