Learning to Surf
A beginner's guide to learning to surf
The usual order for learning to surf, from a first lesson and whitewater practice to paddling, standing up and reading the water, with safety habits from the first session.
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Ocean Safety
A safety checklist to run before paddling out
Run through conditions, your own readiness, the board and leash, and a plan for telling someone on shore before you enter the water for a surf session.
Boards and Gear
Caring for a surfboard: wax, dings and sun exposure
Keep a surfboard grippy and sound by waxing the deck correctly, sealing small dings before water gets in and storing the board away from heat and direct sun.
Paddleboarding Basics
Choosing a paddleboard for flat water or small waves
Compare paddleboard length, width, thickness, volume and fin setup for flat-water touring and small surf, and match a board to your body weight and skill level.
Reading Waves and Conditions
Choosing a surf spot that suits your ability
How to judge a surf spot's bottom, wave size and shape, crowd and access before paddling out, so you pick a break that matches your current skill level.
Learning to Surf
Common mistakes new surfers make in their first sessions
The most common errors in a beginner's first surf sessions, including poor positioning, late pop-ups, fighting the board and staying out too long, with a fix for each.
Wetsuits and Cold Water
Common mistakes when buying a wetsuit
Avoid the common wetsuit buying errors: relying on a size chart alone, choosing thickness by the label, overlooking seams and zips, and skipping a movement test.
Surf Etiquette
Etiquette slips that annoy experienced surfers
Paddling through sets, leaving the water carelessly and hogging waves frustrate regulars. Here is how to spot each slip in the lineup and correct it.
Paddleboarding Basics
Getting comfortable on a paddleboard in calm water
Learn a safe first routine on a paddleboard in calm water: pick a forgiving spot, kneel before you stand, find a steady stance and fall away from the board.
Ocean Safety
Hazards to know near rocks, piers and river mouths
Rocks, piers, jetties and river outflows change currents and wave shape. Learn what each hazard looks like and what to check before paddling out near one.
Wetsuits and Cold Water
How a wetsuit should fit for paddling and popping up
Check a wetsuit's fit at the shoulders, chest, hips, knees, ankles and neck, then test paddling and pop-up movements before you buy so the suit allows real surf movement.
Boards and Gear
How surfboard fins change the way a board rides
Learn how fin count, placement and size change a surfboard's hold, speed and turning, and what single, twin, thruster and quad setups tend to feel like.
Learning to Surf
How surfing skills usually develop for beginners
The usual order of surfing skills for beginners, from whitewater and the pop-up to unbroken waves, trimming and turns, with a readiness check for each stage.
Reading Waves and Conditions
How swell, wind and tide shape surf conditions
See how swell, wind and tide each change a wave, when they work together and when they work against each other, and why the same beach can break differently from day to day.
Surf Etiquette
How to act as a visitor at an unfamiliar surf break
Visiting a new break goes best when you watch first, learn the hazards, ask politely at a calm moment and join the lineup gradually. These steps help you do that with respect.
Boards and Gear
How to choose a first surfboard by volume and length
Learn how volume, length and width change stability and paddling, and how to match a first surfboard to your body size, skill level and the waves you plan to ride.
Wetsuits and Cold Water
How to choose wetsuit thickness for the water temperature
Match wetsuit thickness to water temperature, then adjust for air temperature, wind, session length and your own tolerance for cold, with a typical range chart.
Learning to Surf
How to paddle past breaking waves
How to get past breaking waves without being pushed back, using paddling posture, timing between sets, and the duck dive and turtle roll to take the board under the wave.
Reading Waves and Conditions
How to read a wave before you paddle out
Learn to identify a wave's peak and shoulder, watch several sets from the beach and choose a line that suits your ability before you paddle out.
Ocean Safety
How to recognize a rip current and get out of it
How to spot a rip current before you enter, why fighting it wears you out, the steps lifeguards recommend for escaping one, and how to help someone else caught in it.
Learning to Surf
How to stand up on a surfboard
A step-by-step guide to the surfboard pop-up, covering hand placement, foot placement and the body position that keeps you balanced once you are standing.
Boards and Gear
Inspecting your surfboard parts before each session
A quick board check before you paddle out covers the deck, rails, fins, fin boxes and leash, and explains which problems can wait and which need repair first.
Ocean Safety
Knowing when to end a session in cold water
Learn the signs that cold is affecting your grip, focus and movement, why shorter sessions are often safer and how to decide when to get out of the water.
Wetsuits and Cold Water
Layering options for surfing in cold water
Compare hoods, boots, gloves and thermal tops for cold-water surfing, and see how each one changes movement, grip, heat loss and the fit of your wetsuit.
Boards and Gear
Longboards, shortboards and fish: comparing board types
Compare longboards, shortboards and fish on length, stability, paddling, speed and turning, and learn which shape suits small waves, bigger surf and early learning.
Reading Waves and Conditions
Mistakes people make when judging a break from shore
Watching from the beach is useful but misleading in predictable ways. Learn the common errors in judging wave size, sets, crowds and currents, and how to correct each one.
Paddleboarding Basics
Paddle stroke basics that keep you moving efficiently
Learn a paddleboard stroke built on torso rotation, a clean catch and pull, and a quiet recovery, plus how to correct turning and choose a paddle length.
Paddleboarding Basics
Paddleboard safety when wind pushes you offshore
When wind blows offshore, the safest choice is often to stay off the water. If you go out, check gusts, stay close to shore, keep your leash on and signal for help early.
Paddleboarding Basics
Paddleboarding for surfers: what carries over and what does not
Surfers already know much of what paddleboarding needs, including wave reading and ocean awareness. Stance, balance, paddle technique and falling differ, and those differences matter.
Reading Waves and Conditions
Reading a surf forecast: height, period and direction
Learn how swell height, period and direction shape a surf forecast, why the height on a screen is not the wave you see, and how to combine all three.
Reading Waves and Conditions
Recognizing when waves are too big for your level
Learn the warning signs that surf is above your skill level, how to scale a session down safely, and why choosing a smaller break shows good judgment.
Learning to Surf
Teacher or self-taught: comparing ways to learn to surf
A comparison of lessons, guided sessions and teaching yourself, looking at safety oversight, feedback, pace and cost, to help beginners choose a sensible starting route.
Surf Etiquette
The unwritten rules of the surf lineup
The lineup runs on shared habits about who catches which wave, how to move through the water and how to share limited waves. Here is what those habits are and why they exist.
Ocean Safety
What lifeguard flags mean at a surf beach
Learn what the common lifeguard flag colors signal for surfers, which zone the flags cover, and why a lifeguard's call outranks a surf report before you paddle out.
Boards and Gear
What to check on a used surfboard before you buy
How to judge a used surfboard before you buy it: read its history and printed size, tell cosmetic dings from structural damage, and weigh repairs against the price.
Ocean Safety
What to do when a wave holds you under
Learn how to stay calm when a wave holds you under, protect your head and neck, handle the board and leash, and surface safely once the water settles.
Learning to Surf
What to know before your first surf lesson
What to plan before a first surf lesson, covering timing, what to wear and bring, the equipment usually provided, and how to speak up if you feel unsure in the water.
Surf Etiquette
Who has priority on a wave and how to share it
Priority on a wave goes first to the surfer already riding it, then to the one closest to the peak. Here is how position, direction, timing and snaking affect who takes a wave.
Surf Etiquette
Why dropping in on another surfer causes trouble
A drop-in means taking off ahead of a surfer who has the better claim on a wave. Learn why it is risky for both surfers and how to avoid it in the lineup.
Ocean Safety
Why surfing alone carries more risk than it looks
Surfing alone makes it harder for anyone to notice or help if something goes wrong. Learn why solo sessions carry extra risk and which simple habits lower it.