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Guide for Beginners 

Surfing is a sport and as any other sports it requires patience and persistence. It doesn't require any inhuman strength or courage, though you have to do your best in order to succesed. We will go throught basic rules of surfing, as well as talk about some tips and tricks you should know.

Mobirise

How do Waves form?

Before moving on to Surfing Rules, it's important to understand how waves form.

Waves are created by the wind

This might sound obvious, but in fact there is a lot of science going on behind that. However, this waves are very messy, which makes them unsuitable for surfing.

So, which waves do surfers surf?

In order to really enjoy surfing, we need another type of waves. Thisk type of waves are formed by the mini-earthquakes which occur in the middle of the ocean. Those waves are clean and usually called 'Green Wave'.

Interesting Fact
One of the most frequent misconceptions about surfing is that people think that it is deep where the waves are. In fact, that is absolutely untrue. Rideable waves form in shallow places.

Mobirise

What Swell is?

Basically, Swell is a group of waves that come from the ocean. Swell can be good or bad, and can be determined in advance. That's how surfers know where and when to surf.

The Barrel

Barrel (also called a Tube) ~ is the ideal state of the wave. Being in the tube for the first time is something truly special. Almost every wave becomes a tube, but not every tube is rideable.

What do you start with?

Now, when we figured out what waves are and how they form, we can proceed to Surfing Tips

1

For the newcomers, it's always a good idea to start in the surf school

I have a good experiance with surf schools, because I have been a member of one for almost 2 years. It is a bit more expensive then trying to learn it on your own, but it surely worth the money. If you get a good instructor, he will tell you everything related to surfing, so that you will be able to do it on your own in the future. 

2

Surfing is fun in a group

Surfing is not a team sport, more like induvidual, but still, it's way more interesting do it with someone. Sometimes it's even more interesting to spectate someone surfing.

3

Find a suitable board

It may be difficult to identify which board is right for you in the beginning, but the main rule is not to rush. Start with an easier board and change it to more professional as soon as you start making progress. To learn more about surfboards click here

4

Don't forget about other equipment

In most cases you will also need a wetsuite. Surfers spend hours in the water and usually they get cold after the period of time. Actually, you will need it anyway, cause surfboard is slippery, and wetsuite increases the friction, so that it's easier to stay on the board while paddaling.

5

Find a good spot

It will be difficult for you to understand which spot is better, but you can always ask locals or you might read some surf forecast. Magicseaweed.com is a very reliable sourse. To learn more about Surf Spots click here

6

Don't give up

Might be the most important rule in the list. There is a small chance that you won't like it on your first try. A lot of people simply give up, because they feel exhausted or had a lot of wipeouts. You may have just benn unlucky with weather. But, if you give it a try several times, I promise you will like it. 

YouTube
Tutorial

Provided tutorial will give you a more in depth idea of how to start surfing and will also provide you with some useful tips that will ease your learning experience

Essential Surfing Vocabulary

Surfing is a rich sport when it comes to terms, names, expressions, and technical words. Some of these words have grown in popularity and became widely-used daily expressions.

  1. Aloha - a Hawaiian greeting that means 'hello' or 'goodbye'
  2. Beach break - waves that break over sandbars
  3. Closeout - when a wave breaks all at once, with no shape or shoulder
  4. Duck Diving - the technique of pushing the surfboard under and through a breaking wave
  5. Flat - with no waves, or with no surf
  6. Goofy foot - a surfer who rides waves with his right leg forward
  7. Regular foot - a surfer who rides waves with his left leg forward
  8. Line~up - the spot in the ocean where surfers line up to catch waves, just behind the breaking zone
  9. Kook - a beginner surfer, an inexperienced surfer or a bad surfer
  10. Right of way - priority given to the surfer closer to the breaking part of the wave
  11. Snaking - the aggressive act of paddling under, around, or over the top of another surfer to get right of way
  12. Turtle roll - a surfing technique where the surfer flips the board over in front of an oncoming wave to get under it
  13. Wahine - a female surfer
  14. Wipeout - an unexpected fall off a surfboard while surfing a wave, or surf accident

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