What To Expect From Your First Surf Lesson

When learning in a small group, your coach can give you individual feedback between waves so that you can improve fast. Avoid planning your trips around holidays such as Christmas, New Year, and Spring Break etc. as flights are super expensive during the typical holidays season. So, make sure that you catch a few common terms and phrases via surf blogs and other online resources ahead of time. This way, you’ll have a rough idea of what each word means.

Running, biking and swimming are great exercises to help you get the most out of your first surf lesson. Business is cardiovascular intensive because you’ll be constantly in motion. Your upper arms will be in the water paddling and you’ll be kicking to help you move the board in the direction you want it to go. One of the most important of the 12 things to know before your first surfing lesson is to never surf alone.

This means that generally, the start time for the lessons is only communicated 24 hours in advance. This is to ensure maximum safety for all participants. At your first lesson we will teach you the basics of standing up, board and ocean safety on the sand. With a few practice pop ups we will head into the water and push you into waves to help you practice standing up and riding the wave. Most lessons begin in only waist to chest deep water so you can feel confident. Basically I did well with the paddling but I could not learn how to do the pop-up, even on small waves so I was falling from the surfboard all the time.

I rented a longboard and awkwardly headed towards the shore, trying to look like an “experienced surfer gal”–a look I totally did not pull off! Two hours later, I was still in the water, surrounded by fellow amateur surfers who were now my friends! We cheered each other on, laughed together when we missed a wave and sat outside the break, taking in the gorgeous views, chatting about how much we loved Sri Lanka. The highlight of the day was our attempt at a “party wave” which is where you ride the same wave together. But I’m determined to get past this very early beginner stage and am loving my time in the water.

Don’t anticipate to straightaway become an expert or to never fall into the water. Keep all negative feelings and uncertainties about not being able to learn aside. Many of us watched the sun-kissed hunks and ladies cruising on the waves with flair and flow in Baywatch when we were young.

They fit tight to the body and keep the body at a constant temperature while absorbing moisture with inside padding. I wanted to share everything that I’ve learned in the 20+ years that I’ve been surfing and answer as many questions as I can about the process of learning to surf and progressing. As a rule of thumb, 2 to 3-foot waves are good for beginners. Those who are using the big boards for beginners should opt for 1 to 2-foot waves. Congrats, you’ve successfully finished your first surf class.

I went to Hans Hedemann Surf School in Waikiki for surfing lessons and they were definitely worth it. The instructors were all professional surfers themselves, so they know what they’re doing. They gave me a board, rash guard, and water shoes to use while I was out in the water. Lucky for me, I’m 13 and I was required to participate in private lessons for safety reasons. In France, surf schools only offer surfing lessons to beginners when the tide is low.

Some days out in the ocean, the waves are tubing and can get as high as 20 feet. When you get the surfing bug in you, days, when the surf is up, are from heaven. A potentially dangerous scenario you could encounter involves what is called a riptide. If a surfer becomes tired and finds themselves stuck in a rip current, they can be pulled out to sea. You can also try swimming into the beach diagonally -rather than straight towards it.