You’ve decided to learn to surf?
Learning to surf could be one of the most frustrating things you will ever do, but also one of the most rewarding. With the correct guidance you can master the art of riding waves in an elegant and stylish way. (Only the exceptional few have actually mastered it, such as the likes of Kelly Slater, but we can dream.) The learning process is much longer and drawn out than most sports and even when you think “yes this is it! I’ve got this” you will take a few more steps backwards. One of the biggest lessons most seasoned surfers learn is that they wish they learnt the correct way, or without ‘that’ bad habit.
So here’s our take on learning to surf.
Most importantly, take surf lessons! Surf lessons are available at most of our popular surfing beaches here in the UK. Taking surf lessons will allow you to learn how to surf the correct way without the common bad habits of some seasoned surfers. Imagine learning the wrong basic techniques and then having to “unlearn” your bad habits before you can continue your progression. Surfing England is the recognised National Governing Body in England, look out for this accreditation when selecting your surf school.
So you’ve done some lessons, maybe even hired a board and surfed a few times. You are ready to move onto the next stage.
Buying your first surfboard.
Having the correct equipment helps you perform in any sport and surfing is no different to this. The level of which you are at will hugely affect your surfboard purchase. Choosing an incorrect surfboard will completely change your experience, maybe even ruin surfing for you. Getting this right is a must. Basically when you learn to surf you will need to look for large volume and flat rocker (the curvature of the board). You could choose either longboard’s, Mini Malibu’s or foam boards that are wide, thick. Our favourites to learn to surf are the 8ft Razor Mini Mal and the 7 ft Soft-board, both surfboards have a lot of float and a flat rocker allowing for a high wave count and maximum fun when learning.
Where to surf?
Where you are going to learn to surf is extremely important. Surfing spots vary incredibly. Most surfers will tell you “learn on a beach break” this is correct, however this advice isn’t always the best. Always check out the specific beach conditions before heading out, look out for tell tale signs that the conditions may be above your ability. Are the waves heavy? Are they mellow? Some beaches have a consistency for being a beginners wave however even in large swells this could be too much. Check out local surf forecasting websites who give you the lowdown on exactly what is happening in the water. (For example Eyeball Surf http://www.eyeballhq.tv).
The main lesson
And finally for us the most important lesson is persistence and enjoyment! If you keep surfing as often as you can and laugh even when its not going as planned, you will be gliding along waves in no time.
Are you using a Circle One surfboard? Join the community, use the hashtag #CircleOneSurfCo on Instagram, we always love to see our surfboards being enjoyed.