Let’s Ride! You’ve decided to start on an exciting new adventure: learning to surf! Now it’s time to prepare yourself for those first waves, but before you even step foot on the board, you should know a few things. From mental preparation and physical fitness to understanding basic surfing etiquette. In this blog, we will cover everything you need to know before you catch your first wave!
Seeing the surf legends surf those big waves and pulling off amazing aerials, can be intimidating to start surfing. But those carefree surfing pros didn’t become pros overnight and started in the same way as you. Spending hours in the water, learning all the basics and improving. They’ve fallen many times, got in wipeouts and experienced moments of being frustrated. But with each time on a wave, in a washing machine and every small victory, they’ve grown as a surfer.
So before you even start with your surfing journey, it’s important to not get discouraged if you don’t catch a wave on your first try (or even your tenth!). Remember that it’s okay to fall, learn from your mistakes, get back up and keep trying. Celebrate every small victory and just enjoy the feeling of being in the ocean!
Once you’re in the water, we know that it’s easy to get so excited and easy to want to spend all day in the waves. However, it’s important to know and accept your own limits and listen to your body. Don’t push yourself too hard, and take your time. Yes, you should push your limits to get better at surfing, but there are boundaries! Surfing beyond your current skill level is a danger to yourself and other surfers in the lineup. We see lots of surfers, for example, who surf smaller boards than they should and surf bigger waves than their skill level. This can lead to dangerous situations for themselves, including injuries and other surfers in the water.
Surfing is a sport that requires an honest view of your own skills, so start small, improve gradually, and always prioritize your safety above anything else!
This might seem obvious, but let’s be clear: knowing how to swim is an absolute non-negotiable before you even think about jumping into the ocean for your first session.
You’ll be spending time in the ocean, and even though you have a board attached to your ankle, you need to be comfortable and confident in the water. It can happen that your leash breaks, leaving you to swim back to shore. So practice being in the water with and without a board, swim with and against the current, and maybe even try swimming with fins to build your leg strength.
Another part about surfing is that the ocean can sometimes be unpredictable. Sometimes you’ll get thrown off your board. It undoubtedly will happen that you end up in a washing machine. Being able to hold your breath calmly for an amount of time is important to feel and be safer when this happens. Use breath-holding exercises in the pool to increase your comfort level so you can hold your breath longer.
Surfing is a physically demanding sport, so warming up your body before jumping into the water is essential for a successful and fun surf session. It helps you to surf longer and prevent common surf injuries like lower back or neck pain. Start with some gentle movements for your arms, shoulders, hips and legs and get your heart beat pumping with some light cardio, such as jogging in place or jumping jacks. Followed by some dynamic surf stretches and the pop-up movement to prepare your muscles for surfing.
Our surf guides will lead you through an effective warming up, specifically focused on beginner surfers, to be prepared to shred!
As mentioned before, even though the ocean can look so calm, beautiful and peaceful, it’s unpredictable and strong. So be aware of rip currents, strong undertows and the changing tides. Try to recognize these things before you catch your first waves and always surf with a buddy so you can keep an eye out for each other!
Another important part of surfing is the surf etiquettes, a set of unwritten rules that apply to surfers in the water. This includes respecting the locals and other surfers, understanding the priority rule, paddling wide around other surfers, and avoiding dropping in on someone else’s wave.
Our local surf guides will help you learn about the aspects of the ocean and learn about these unwritten rules, making sure you can share the waves responsibly!
Now you’ve got the knowledge, it’s time to gear up! Packing the right surfing essentials will make your first surf session more comfortable and enjoyable. And no worries, it’s not that much! Here’s a checklist to get you started:
Of course, you’ll also need a beginner surfboard, leash and wax. But don’t worry! When you’re a beginner, most surf schools, including Surf School In Bali provide all the gear you’ll need. So if you join our Learn-To-Surf Program you can just focus on learning all the basics and enjoying the waves without having to worry about gear.
The best way to start your surfing adventure is to learn from a qualified surf guide. You will not only learn to surf the fundamentals of paddling, popping up, and wave selection, but also develop good habits right from the start, get some inside tips from the locals and tips to avoid common beginner mistakes.
Our local surf guides offer feedback and coaching to help you surf with the correct technique and build confidence in the water. You will also learn more about the local surf spots, wave conditions, surf language and surf etiquettes!
Learning from the best will give you a head start on your journey to riding waves just like Kelly Slater or Caitlin Simmers.
So now that you know these important things, it’s time to take action! Book your surf lesson with us today and start your surfing adventure!
