Surfing is a sport that many people are able to do here in California. If you are interested in Surfing this is the article for you! So let’s dive right in!
Starting off with Wetsuits there are many options specific for California, and having two wetsuits can prove to be very beneficial. Wetsuits are measured by warmth, 6/5 being the warmest. If a person can only afford 1 wetsuit you will want a 4/3mm, if you have extra money you will want to get a 3/2mm for the summer. You will want to get a wetsuit from one of these recommended brands: Buell, Ripcurl, Florence Marine X, and Hurley. Diving into the surf brands Buell is the best option for a budget option while still offering good products. Ripcurl is a good, classic wetsuit brand for a slightly higher price but will still be on the cheaper side. Hurley is one of the more expensive brands that will give a surfer high quality products. Florence Marine X is the “Gucci” of wetsuits. They offer the most premium quality and amazing features that not alot of other brands offer.
Buell- 4/3 4/3 JOB Buell- 3/2 3/2 from buell Rip Curl-4/3 Dawn Patrol 4/3 Ripcurl Ripcurl-3/2 Dawn Patrol 3/2 Ripcurl Hurley-4/3 Hurley 4/3 Hurley-3/2 Hurley 3/2 Florence Marine X-4/3 4/3 Florence Marine X Florence Marine X-3/2 Florence Marine X 3/2
The most important part of surfing is what a person is surfing on! There are many different boards for each level of surfing. Starting out with beginners a person will want a soft top with plenty of volume. From odyssey or WaveStorm. 8ft wave storm or the 7ft wavestorm. For intermediate something from channel islands is recommended such as the Rocket Wide or the happy everyday. For the advanced surf the CI PRO 2 or the What from rusty is most fitting Now that all the main equipment has been reviewed- let’s get into accessories. A surfer needs fins, kick pads, wax, and a leash. Make sure the leash is around the length of the surfboard; longer is always better. For fins it’s based on the surfers weight and they will be listed on the fin box. Wax is going to be based on the water temperature typically surfed in. Lastly, the kick pad is purely preference, surfers can mess around with them until they find the one they like. Now that all the essentials have been covered, let’s get into surfing.
Beginner is the scariest stage to be in, everything from locals to beatdowns will drive a beginner surfer crazy. Luckily this guide is willing to help out! Beaches are the main goal. The go-to beaches as a beginner in California should be Mondos in Ventura right off the PCH, as well as Summers, Hobsons, and Santa Claus beach. However, if scared of sharks, stay away from Santa Claus Beach. Surfing itself is a challenge as a beginner, a person will need to learn to pop up and catch a wave. To pop up, practice a pushup as fast as possible. If a person can do 2 pushups fast, at least on the ground, they can pop up. Now push up fastly onto one’s feet and stand with the knees bent a little wider than shoulder width. Paddling is not as easy as it seems. Keep the head up looking forward with feet shoulder width apart. Drive the arms through the water back towards the feet. Catch white water at first until easily able to catch a wave and pop up. Practicing this daily will turn a beginner into an intermediate. Now that the intermediate level, a surfer will want to upgrade the board to one of the ones listed. Workouts are going to come in handy here. Pushups, balancing drills, and squats will make a person progress a lot faster. Here, a person will quickly learn about surf etiquette and localism here. Respect everyone in the water if they are paddling for a wave, let them go. If they are on a wave dont paddle for it. Now It’s time to learn about the beaches for intermediates. Intermediates can surf at Ventura Point, Ventura Harbor, Oxnard Shores, Rincon, Summers, Emma Wood, and Solimar. All these beaches will have fast paced waves that won’t smash someone unless it’s a big day. Learning about tricks in the intermediate stage is unlimited. But turning should be the first step. Turning is easy; lean and look as you go, it’s that simple. Bottom turns, however, are not so easy. A surfer will need to compress their legs at the bottom of the wave and lean towards the wave. Turn towards the top of the wave, and noticeably speed up. Once learned how to bottom turn, more moves are opened to try such as the snap, air, roundhouse, carve, and topturn.
Top turns is where the surfer will want to pull their legs back in and look towards the shore and wrap their shoulders towards the center of the wave.
Wave selection will be a key part of intermediate but videos explain it best.Improve Your Wave Selection | The Most Important Surfing Lesson
Finally, a surfer has to get over the fear of big waves, but just hold your breath and you will be fine.
Now with the knowledge of how to surf well with good wave knowledge, a person is now an advanced surfer who can surf anywhere they want, especially at some big names like Sandspit and Hammonds. Sandspit is an army made wave where strong currents and sand sucking barrels send you over the falls, but catching just one wave out there can make a year. Next there’s Hammonds, a reef break that is hard to access but can have some amazing waves. As advanced, there’s not much left to learn, and a surfer can just enjoy some fun waves. Everyone will respect each other in the lineup just from their skills alone. Best part is you can take trips to Pipeline Nazare and Uluwatu. That’s all for this guide to surfing and I hope to see you in the lineup!