Catching Your First Surfing Waves

Grab your board, and head out into the water until it's just above your waist. Hopefully you'll still be where the whitewater is rolling in and not outside the breaker line.

Let some whitewater roll by, getting a feel for the rhythm of the waves.

Step 1:
Wait for what looks like a pretty solid chunk of whitewater, and turn around, facing the shoreline. Face the shore and hold your board by the rails, at your side. As the wave comes jump/lay on your surfboard. When the whitewater reaches you, it will surge you forward.

Stay in control of the board! and let the wave take you to the shore.

Remember to jump off before you hit the sand otherwise it may break the fins.

Step 2:
The next step is to actually paddle the surfboard before the wave reaches you. Get on your board and start to paddle in. As you feel yourself surge forward, stop paddling and grab the rails of the surfboard with your hands.

Step 3: The 'Pop Up'
Next! Do the same again except this time as you feel the wave pushing you along, grab the rails, or put your hands on the deck of the board and do a push-up and 'pop' your feet underneath you.

Do not kneel; go straight to your feet. Both feet need to be under you at the same time, one in front of the other, with the toes pointing perpendicular to the centerline of the board.

The secret here is to rotate your hips, if you don't you will be in a stance similar to riding snow skis, there is no way you can maintain your balance in a ski stance.

At about this point you'll really know whether you want to be a regular-foot or a goofy-foot.

Immediately afterwards, let go of the rails and stand in a stable crouch.

It's right about at this point that you will begin to fall. Try not to land on anyone and anything, particularly your board. Try and fall backwards away from the surfboard, falling backwards also helps you to fall shallow so you don't hit the bottom.

Read About How to fall off safely

Hey, you're surfing! Smile, and go do it again.

Naturally, most surf boarders do not surf in the whitewater. They like to turn and do maneuvers on the open face. You'll get out there too, once you can stand up in the whitewater reliably.

Starting out in the whitewater, helps you practice standing up on a fast-moving surfboard without having to worry about where the wave is breaking, other surfers, pearling, going over the falls, or any other hazards.

It's how I learned! And 99.99% of all surfers learnt this way too!!

Other 'pop up' Tips

Look out in front where you are going, don't look down at the board, or at the wave at this stage, as it dramatically affects your ability to balance.

The first time you try this, do it slow and stay in a low crouching position, when you let go of the board. The action should be controlled, not a jump.

Jumping has 2 main setbacks; 1. jumping jolts the surfboard, causing it to momentarily slow down, many times enough to stop you continuing on your ride. 2. There is no guarantee on where your feet will land.

Click here for our forum with more tips on how to stand up on your surfboard

Catching Waves Before They Break

This is probably one of the biggest challenges for people learning to surf. Timing is everything! I always tell our students to watch the waves, when you are in the water and out. Imagine where you want to be on the wave at the point when you are ready to stand. Get really familiar with what a wave looks like during it's stages of approaching the sand bank, building up and breaking.

The good thing about this is that surfing is one of the only sports that you can look at your playing field for hours and not get bored (someone famous said that, I just can't remember who!)

The 3 important factors for catching a green wave are timing, positioning on the wave, paddling speed and practice. OK 4 factors, I was never really good at maths.

Positioning on the wave

Sit on the beach and look at a wave as it is starting to break, notice the 3 areas of too steep, gliding area and not steep enough (too fat or full), the gliding area is where you want to be. Because waves move, the gliding area does too, a split second too late and your beautiful gliding area will become too steep, causing you to nose dive.... Lots of fun :)

Timing of Waves

Timing is making sure you are not going too early or too late. Starting to paddle too early can cause you to be out in front of the wave with 2 fun possibilities. Being on the too steep part of the wave and nose diving, or getting so far in front that the wave breaks on your back.

Too steep-nose diving

Paddling too late will cause you to miss the wave, or nose dive, because the wave sucks you back up the face instead of you gliding down the wave.

Too late-missing the wave

Paddling Speed

How fast you paddle is about getting yourself gliding down the wave. When you feel yourself going up the wave it is not the time to stand. It is the time to give 1 or 2 more paddle strokes to get you gliding down. The best way to know if you are going fast enough is to lift your chest off the board, if the surfboard starts gliding, pop-up, if the surfboard slows down, you need to paddle more.

Being in the position of standing on your board as the wave passes you by is very uncool and should be avoided at all costs.

Practice, Practice, Practice!

Getting tthe 3 concepts of positioning, timing and speed takes practice and lots of it. So what are you waiting for? Get out there!