In no particualar order,
Know how to surf with out a legrope,
Know different equipment,
know a realistic size of waves not like saying ‘oh my god that waves 10ft’ when its struggelling to reach 4ft.
Know NOT to drop in,
Know not to talk big of yourselve,
dont be a smartarse,
and respect the ocean.
finally dont have a cry if some ones riding a Mal and your a ‘Shortboarder’ in reality were both ‘Surfers’ dont put people in groups.
Everything has been covered except…Don’t try standing up on your new board when its on a hardwood floor with glassed on fins!
Change your wax frequently. It helps to identify weak spots in the board when the wax is off.
Dull the nose or your board, preferrably BEFORE it’s glassed. Those sharp things are dangerous.
Monitor your body weight. It makes a huge (no pun intended) difference on performance, endurance, enjoyment, and looks from girls. I can feel five pounds, easily. When I went from 205 to 184, I flew. Yeah, I actually flew, and I don’t even have wings. Now that I’m 194 I’m bogging a bit more. But I’m on the way down again.
Ride lots of different equipment.
Share your boards, even if they are new. When I was a young boy and teenager, it was perfectly normal to walk up to a total stranger and ask to try his board (mostly in the summer when people were just hangin out at the beach). Now people give you a funny look and find a polite way to say no. Not cool. Let them try it. Offer it. And if it breaks, so what?
If you see me out, I’ll let you try my board, as long as I have ridden it the first time.
Don’t pee in your wetsuit.
Forget that last one. I’m kidding. You think I’m going to go in to use the restroom? Ha. If whales can get away with it, so can I.
Make at least one board in your life, from start to finish, alone. It will be a piece of crap, but you’ll be proud of your accomplisment.
Don’t smoke and glass at the same time.
Wear safety goggles when doing anything that could cause an eye injury. ALWAYS, even if you look like a dork mowing the lawn in safety glasses. I ran over a piece of plastic (a cup) and it exploded, nailing my eye. I got lucky. So, when shaping, glassing, use goggles.
Don’t mix up the catalyst with visine.
Don’t buy a used car from a friend.
Oh, wait, surfing. Sorry.
Share waves. I’m not just talking about giving waves away. That’s cool, but let people shoulder hop once in a while. It’s fun to ride a wave with a stranger sometimes. Encourage them to go too. You’ll make a friend.
Most importantly: Fight for the ocean. Environmentalism should be everyone’s fight. It was started by Republicans (Teddy Roosevelt) and continues through the Democrats and the Green Party. That means it’s EVERYONE’S fight. And, in my opinion, urban runoff is our biggest threat in California, sewage injection wells in Florida, coastal access everywhere, especially in California, the East Coast, and Hawaii. I can’t stand it when you can’t get to the surf. Opening up the Ranch and other areas will spread us out.
I joined Surfrider. You should do something similar.
Boycott Hollywood surf movies like Blue Crush, Point Break, etc. I’m a hypocrit on this one, of course, but I’m getting better. I think the spread of surfing should be done by people, not films. I’m not saying to stop the growth of surfing, but if you want to spread the joy, TAKE SOMEONE SURFING. The people at the surf mags want surfing to grow exponentially because it means more surf trunks sold, which means more money for everyone in the industry, but it causes premature crowding. You can build a new baseball field, but a new surfspot???
Rant, rant, rant.
Opening up the Ranch and other areas will spread us out.
The Ranch IS open if you have a boat or a parcel.
It probably never will open to the public. If it ever did, it would be the end of it. Nobody would be able to enjoy it even though everybody would be able to use it.
1-10…listen…ambrose … no kidding
Kind of what we all were taught as menehunes…
Being able to swim in ocean water so you can get in without drowning if you actually lose your board. Leashes do break…
When you’re by the shorebreak never ever tun your back to the ocean and show it disrespect.
Wear lots of sunscreen… No sense paying an additional price for the experience at night when the rest of your muscles are throbbing.
Develop arm strength so you can paddle (through swimming first, pushups and pullups help) and get the biggest/widest board you can find.
Sharp rocks and coral bottoms will slice the bottom of your feet like butter so step lightly when touching the bottom as coral cuts are nasty. or use booties
learning to “turnturtle on the way out and spinning your board around to shore while in a sitting position”
Staying off to the side and out of the way preferable close to shore in case there’s a problem (hit on the head, swallowing salt water). And pay attention to things and people around you… Don’t get “lost in the moment” loose boards, big mokes and out of control beginners will leave their mark on your bod and board…
Taking your time… it all about stages; being comfortable just laying down and balancing the board on top of the water, then riding your board in a prone position, then on you knees all the while trying to control a left or right sliding manuever in the white water.
finally standing up in a fairly wide stance low to the board for the initial first couple of tries, hands out to the side for balance. Be concious of where your feet are on the board and what happens when you move your weight around, kind of like you did when proning or kneeling…
don’t read the mags, don’t watch the videos, and don’t buy the clothes. Just get a decent sun/rash guard or 1mm vest (warm water) a pair of thick Birdwell Britches and wear them surfing until they are totally trashed… By the time they wear out you’ll be ready to move on to the world of high performance surfing.
I think if anyone male or female, old or young followed this old timers mantra they’d get to surf nirvana fairly easily…
#1 Don’t read surfmags.
#2 The “turbo tunnel” is not going to help you.
I dug this out of my collection - published in 1993.
If you can’t find a reprint let me know where to send it…
THE bible series for beginners still current info.
that duck dive is perfect…i would love to have that book…ill try surfing mag first…if i cant find one there maybe just the content and you keep it…there is very little info on this stuff…most of mine is from jap mag i will copy the duck dive and use that for some of my classes thanks
1 be able to swim proficiently and handle yourself safely in the open ocean when it’s rough (windy, lots of current etc.), your life will depend on this…
2 learn bodysurfing basics (1 day should be enough)
3 try riding a mat or a boogie for a few days
4 learn how to paddle your surfboard, going for long paddles on flat days is the easy way to do it
5 watch how to video
6 go out on a small day at beachbreak and start catching the whitewater and riding prone, try turning while prone
7 learn how to safely hold on to the board at all times by not relying on the leash and not using it whenever nobody is around
8 go out on small days at a beachbreak and try catching swells and standing in the white water
9 be patient, work on one skill (paddling, wave catching, standing) at a time and move away from a spot if you realize you’re endangering yourself or others
10 once you’re able to catch swell and stand up you’ll need to learn turning, riding a longboard skateboard will speed up the process.
Fairmont, you’re my hero. That’s as good as the famous Vonnegut graduation speech.
Do not for any reason surf in a popular surfing spot and ruin everyone else’s fun by getting in the way. Learn to paddle and turn first and even then wait another year.
if i was getting as lesson from Cheyne, i would want:
risks and how to save myself and others (2 minutes),
surfer etiquette ( 1 minute),
surfing (3-1/2 hr) especially out in waves that would otherwise be too big for me, with pointers about all the basics, and
tandem surfing on a long longboard (1/2 hr). i know this would be cosy and far groovier if cheyne was 102 pounds and female, but what the heck, it would be (a) a good story, (b) a blast, (c) educational.
Cheyne,
the most important thing for a beginner to keep at the top of his list ,always(this goes for the well seasoned old salts too),
…Just like in swimming and diving…
…NEVER SURF ALONE !
…FIND A SURFIN BUDDY!
…Most of the surfin’,swimming,and diving deaths that have hit me personnal, have come from someone who has done these activites alone.Accidents happen! Even if you’re Kelly freakin’ Slater.Herb…right K.S.
two bees or not tubeys? that’s the real freaking question!
growing up in rhode island we used to talk about the “california buddy system” which to us was: same ocean, same day.
Cheyne,
Did you find the mag?
If not, it is yours…
Lessons 1-10. The way to get better is to ride lots of waves. Sitting far outside at a point break will never get you there, because you don’t get enough waves per session. Beginners should start in waist deep water at an uncrowded beach break and catch waves until you can stand up, ride them, turn, and stop the board when it’s over. Then move out to chest deep water and do it all another 100 times, or until you can’t move your arms any more!
That’s how I teach people. it seems to work…
surf with a buddy…4sure…safety aspect…goodone Herb…there are 2 stances for beginners the in the foam stance and the takeoff stance…they are both different that one has more weight on the front and the takeoff has a stance…to learn to take off lay down sliding to the back of the board this pulls the nose up and stopps the dreaded nose dive… when you take the drop a few times and are confident paddle slightly back from your paddle out spot and jump up with all the weight on the tail or back foot…pick a wave that is not pitching something that is crumbling and its not unwise to wear a helmet if its going to be your 1st attempt…aloha cheyne
Cheyne, what about a bit on navigation of the surf zone without a board, as a swimmer; including bodysurfing basics, getting under breaking waves, and using whitewater to get to the beach? I’ve seen a few panicked beginners whose leash broke, they were a bit disoriented…
wells
very important to be able to get in properly …swimming under the big ones and coming up behind the wave sometimes swimming up into it can drag you in to the beach faster…good point wells
