Top-5 Tips for Beginner Surfers
Like all other sports, surfing too requires a lot of practice and expert supervision. However, since the practice itself starts in deep ocean water, more care has to be exercised to ensure safety. In this blog, we will discuss the top-5 tips for beginners who have already set their heart upon surfing.
1. Choose a Safe Spot
This is the first and most certainly a very important step to ensure a safe surfing experience. Start with a beach that is known for good and steady waves. This will prevent you from feeling disappointed from the struggle of failing at rough waves.
Choosing a safe surfer spot needs a bit of research as some spots are busy at some times and not so crowded at others. For your research, you can look up information online. There are websites that have comprehensive real-time updates about the beach condition. You can check out the articles by ombe.co for more information.
However, it is better to also consult a few local surfers to get a piece of first-hand information.
2. Get a Good Teacher
While looking for a good surfer expert, make sure that they are very thorough and have decent experience in training. You must understand that it is one thing to be good at surfing and another to train someone well.
Considering the complex nature of the sport, it is very important to have someone skilled that can teach the basic techniques well. Various inland surfers have shared their experience in learning the wrong basics of surfing which was difficult to change later.
A good teacher is not important to teach you the best tricks but someone who has in-depth knowledge about surfing can make you fall in love with the sport which is the key to mastering it.
3. Pick the Right Surf Board
Getting the right surfboard is equally important if not more than choosing the right surf spot and teacher. Irrespective of your choice of the best spot, you will not succeed if your surfer board is not carefully picked.
Picking the right board is more about choosing the right volume and rocker than picking the latest and most expensive one. Volume defines the flotation of the board. It is a function of length, width and thickness.
As a beginner, you should ideally choose a board that has a big volume. A large volume would mean that there are fewer chances of you slipping off. Also, make sure that the top of your board is soft because as you begin learning, there are going to be a lot of slips here and there.
Soft boards will ensure that you don’t get hurt badly.
4. Observe the Wave
Before you set out in the water, it is very important to develop a clear understanding of where you are heading. Experts suggest that before you begin surfing, you should ideally spend a good half an hour, watching the wave closely.
See where the waves are getting high, where they are breaking, where are other surfer’s paddling etc. This will help you to avoid taking any knee-jerk measures while you are on deep waters. While you are still on land, check your equipment and practise your moves etc.
5. Practise Balancing on the Surfer Board
It is one of the trickiest things while surfing. You will certainly take alot of time to finally master this art however, a thorough practice lessens the chances of nosediving. Always start with a big surfer board. It will give you plenty of space to balance your body weight.
Learn to sit on the board when you are in the water. It may be very difficult in the beginning but gradually it gets better. Work on your prone position and your transitioning from the prone position to the pop-up.
Is That All?
No, these are just a few tips you have to keep in mind while surfing. Besides the above-mentioned tips, always remember that surfing too has certain ethics that must be wholeheartedly followed. Only one person can ride a wave at once therefore be sure to respect each one’s space or you can land in a mess with the locals.