"My Retrosinglefin"  Photo by Don McManamy

So you’ve been watching Fuel TV and you’re completely amped watching Kelly Slater kill it on every wave. Or you’ve been in your local Barnes and Noble sipping coffee while picking through a Surfer’s Journal or some other adventure rag looking at pictures of toothy grinned adventurers enjoying an exotic laid back beach scene in some far off land. Then you arrive at a place where you say to yourself, that’s awesome, I wish I could do that. Sadly, for a lot of people that is as close as they get to surfing because like so many, they fall prey to misconceptions. I’m here to tell you it is completely possible. You just need some basic skills, and a little inside information.
Swimming is the first skill you really need. You don’t have to be Michael Phelps, just good enough to keep yourself afloat and able to get back to the beach. I’ve pulled people out of the ocean because they overzealously went too far and were sucked out into overhead depths and couldn’t swim. Don’t get yourself into a situation where you endanger yourself. Learn to swim if you want to surf.
The next skill is environmental awareness. The ocean is not a swimming pool, it is an environment and you should know a bit about it. Ocean shorelines have tides, currents, rips, sand bars, underwater obstacles, jetties, sea life and other people in them. You shouldn’t be scared of these things, but you need to be aware of each if they are present. This is very important and will help you to easily avoid big trouble.
Now let’s talk about some inside information. Surfers have a reputation for being territorial which is a bit of a misconception. Surfers, like anyone else, expect people to obey the rules. Like every sport surfing has them, chief among them is the right of way.
The surfer closest to the curl, or the part of the wave that is breaking, has the right of way. When you catch a wave with someone who is closer to the curl you are “dropping in” on them and often people will tell you not to do it, loudly. They’ll probably even call you “kook” which is surfing slang that I guess is most delicately described as, dummy-rule-breaker-that-doesn’t-get-it. They may even throw in a few more expletives if it’s a close call or a really good wave.
This is where the territorial thing comes from because there is just no way an outsider going it alone can know about this rule of rules. They probably have no idea what dropping in means or what a kook is either, so it just looks like surfers yell at the new guys, which can appear territorial.
It’s also a bad idea to ditch your board. This is what a lot of new people do when they find themselves trying to get out and are confronted by a breaking wave. Mild panic forces many new surfers to release their boards and dive under waves. The released surfboard is now a projectile that can strike anyone behind you. This can really hurt a person or damage their board so you should hold onto your board at all times. Always use a leash. A leash is a cord made of very pliable plastic that attaches the board to your ankle and comes in a variety of sizes. The length of your leash should be roughly equivalent to the length of your board.
It is a very good idea to take lessons. If you want you’re learning curve to spike, go to a surfshop and inquire about it, as many here in New Jersey offer lessons, like this one http://www.heritagesurf.com/lessons.htm
Not only will you get a lot of good advice on how to stand and ride, but you’ll increase your confidence level. This usually leads to having more fun, more quickly. Don’t be concerned about age either. One time a buddy of mine taught a lesson for three generations of a family, a father, his son and his grandson. They had a blast and so did my buddy.
Getting your hands on a board is easy as most shops provide rentals. For those of you that are sure you will love surfing and have to get your own board, here are some things you should know.
Basically there are three types of surfboards, longboards, shortboards and funboards. Longboards are at least nine feet in length and are very buoyant and stable. These characteristics make them ideal for beginners because they are easy to paddle and stand up on. However their size can be a bit overwhelming when it comes time to turn.
Short boards are generally less than seven feet in length and are much narrower, thinner and squirrely. These characteristics make them difficult to handle for those just starting out and in turn may make the learning process really stretch out.
This brings us to funboards. These are the best for beginners because they offer much of the stability and float of longboards as well as some of the maneuverability of shortboards. They also give you the option of figuring out through experience which direction you want your surfing to go. Another plus is the really good resale value. Yes that’s right, there is a good market for used boards and I’ve yet to go into a surf shop that doesn’t deal in it. Funboards, if well maintained, tend to retain their value better than other boards.
I gave a bit of vernacular earlier with kook and dropping in. Surfing has a ton of terminology, don’t worry you’ll pick it up as you go, just please be aware that moondoggie is out. In fact I don’t think it was ever in.
I leave you with one final thought. This is a great activity but sometimes people make a big deal out of how good a surfer is. I heard someone say this once, it has stuck with me ever since and every time I go surfing it becomes even more important a truth. The best surfer is the one having the most fun.

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