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Lesson 07 of 10 · 8 min read

Your first session

A pre-flight checklist so it's fun, not traumatic.

First surf sessions get remembered forever, for better or worse. The goal here is to stack the deck so yours becomes I want to do that again instead of I am never doing that again. The difference between those two outcomes is almost never talent. It is preparation: the right day, the right board, the right beach, and the right expectations. Nobody hands beginners this checklist, so people show up on a big day with a borrowed shortboard at a reef and conclude they are not a surf person. This is the friendly checklist that would have saved them, and will save you.

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A beginner walking to the water with a big soft-top, small friendly waves ahead.
A beginner walking to the water with a big soft-top, small friendly waves ahead. (lesson hero)

Pick the right day

Picking the right day is not being timid, it is being smart. The ocean will keep making waves. There is always another day, and a good first day is worth waiting for. Do not go out in conditions above a gentle beginner level just because you drove all that way.

  • Small waves, waist high maximum. Bigger is not braver on day one, it is just harder and scarier.
  • Light wind. Wind chops up the water and makes everything harder to read and ride. A calm morning is ideal.
  • A rising tide at a beach break is often the friendliest combination.
  • Check the forecast the night before. A free surf forecast app tells you wave size and wind.

Pick the right board

This one sentence saves more beginners than any other: ride a big, floaty, soft foamie (soft-top), eight feet or longer, and rent one rather than buying. Do not buy a shortboard because it looks cool. You will hate your life, catch almost nothing, and probably quit. Signed, everyone who has ever tried to learn on a shortboard.

A big soft-top floats you easily, so you paddle and catch waves with far less effort. It is stable under your feet, so the pop-up is achievable. And it is soft, so when it hits you, and it will, it does not hurt. The Board Matcher exists precisely to steer you to the right size and type for your body and level. Use it before you rent or buy anything.

Pick the right beach

You do not need a famous wave. You need a safe, soft, quiet patch of whitewater. That is the perfect first classroom.

  • Lifeguarded. Someone is watching, and they can advise you on conditions and hazards.
  • Sandy bottom. Soft and forgiving. No reef, no rocks.
  • Not crowded. Fewer people means more waves and far less pressure.
  • A gentle beginner corner. Many beaches have a mellower end. Ask at a local surf shop, they love beginners.

Consider a lesson

For your very first session or two, a single in-person lesson is worth it if you can afford one. One two hour lesson with a good instructor can save you twenty hours of frustration, because a coach standing next to you spots what you cannot: that you are lying too far back, that you are looking down, that you are popping up through your knees.

They also put you on the right board, at the right spot, on the right day, all the choices above, handled for you. It is not a requirement, plenty of people teach themselves with patience, but it is the single biggest shortcut available, and it fits perfectly with reading these lessons to understand the why.

What to bring

And a few expectation setters so the day feels like a success. Get in the water for at least ninety minutes, because it takes about thirty just to figure out the paddle and the timing. You will swallow water, everyone does, it is not a sign you are bad. Celebrate any wave you stand on, even in the whitewater. Standing for one second in the foam is a genuine milestone, not a consolation prize.

  • Sunscreen, reef safe, and reapply. The ocean reflects sun and beginners burn badly.
  • Water to drink. Surfing is more tiring than it looks and salt water dehydrates you.
  • A towel and a change of clothes for after.
  • A wetsuit if the water is below about 22°C.
  • Zero ego. The most important item. Leave the need to look good on the beach.

Common beginner mistakes

No shame here. Everyone does these.

Going out in waves that are too big
The fun killer and confidence killer. Small and gentle for day one.
Learning on a shortboard because it looks cool
The most common reason beginners quit. Ride a foamie.
Picking a reef or rocky beach
Unforgiving and dangerous. Choose sand and a lifeguard.
Giving up after twenty minutes
The first half hour is always clumsy. Stay in for ninety.
Forgetting sunscreen and water
Small oversights that ruin an otherwise good day.
Bringing ego
The heaviest thing you can carry into the water. Leave it in the car.

Words from this lesson

foamie
a big soft-top surfboard, the ideal and unashamed first board
whitewater
the broken foam where you will catch your first waves
lineup
the area past the breaking waves; on day one you may not need to go out that far
set
a group of waves; watch a few before you paddle out
leash
the cord tying your ankle to your board; wear it, on your back foot
Full dictionary →

Takeaway

Small waves, big board, low ego. That's the formula.

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Wave types

Beach, point, reef. What breaks where and why.

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Wetsuits

Rubber, warmth, and how not to freeze.

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