Start surfing small waves to build techniques, confidence, and courage to ride bigger waves.
Start Surfing Small Waves
When I teach new students of surfing in Oceanside lessons, they dream of riding big waves. They soon understand that surfing is a steady process from small to large. Not only are bigger waves moving faster but they are heavier. Getting smashed a few times creates a respect for the ocean.
Mark Kalama, a surfing friend of Laird Hamilton’s says waves increase not in size but increments of fear. Every surf knows this is true.
The small wave teaches the timing to get in front of the wave as it comes under the board. The surfer learns to perfect the pop up which must be faultless on big waves. Getting used to the speed of riding down the face is heart pumping at the beginning and every time.
Practice Does Make Perfect
When I teach Surf Lessons in Oceanside, my students have starry eyes for surfing like the experts they see on the outside. It takes real diligence and consistent visits to the water to progress to bigger real waves. There is so much to learn.
What happens with consistent trips to the water is you pick up the rhythm of how waves break. This is so important and waves break differently not only on different beaches, but on different days. In Oceanside, we have a sand bar bottom as opposed to a reef and the bottom is always shifting.
The small wave is very educational. You watch where it tends to break. You watch how fast it breaks. You learn to line up your board and paddling to get in front of each different type of wave. The most important part is learning to get in front of waves so they come under the board.
Start surfing small waves because they are safer in that if you miss the timing, they don’t crash as hard with as much water weight. You learn how to angle to the pocket, make bottom turns into the pocket, do your cutbacks, and ride as many sections as you can catch.
In the meantime, you are learning how to cooperate in the line up so that you give and get your share of rides. When the waves get big, the line up can be more dangerous as surfers go and can’t compensate for people in the way or not observing etiquette.
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If you want surf lessons in Oceanside, See my home page
This is a great tutorial on catching real waves but it is the same principal for catching foam waves. https://youtu.be/N7KopjbzxjE