Hi,

I have just moved to Perth from the UK and I have always, always wanted to learn to surf. My boyfriend has just bought me a course of 5 lessons for my birthday and I'm stoked to get started.

As I'm new in town I thought that surfing would be a good way to meet new friends and hopefully that's the case. I would particularly like to meet some girls who are learning but would also like to go surfing with guys too. If there is anyone that wants to take lessons that might like to go with me then that would be fun. I have a wetsuit already and I just need to get roof bars for the jeep then I can get my board. I want to have it ideally when I'm having my lessons so I can go practice.

I live in Swanbourne and I've seen some guys surfing there so maybe that's a good place to start, what you think? It seems quite mellow there for learning.

Anyway if there are any meets going on or events I'm happy to join in. Need to get myself out there and start meeting people and of course leraning to surf

Ok - in all seriousness you do not need other beginners to surf with - you need to surf with experienced surfers. You will learn more about reading the surf, catching waves and the politics of lineups and you will as such become a much much better and safer surfer and have a whole lot more fun.
If you don't find anyone on the breeze, then next time you hit the beach look for people maybe just heading out with their boards - approach them and tell them you are just learning and can they suggest suitable places on the beach for you to get a little wave or two.. You will find most likely that they will invite you to paddle out with them and they will keep an eye on you and help you out when you need it.

If there's nobody about at the beach you can also ask lifeguards for advice and most times they will tell you to surf just outside the flags and they will keep an eye on you if they know you are learning.

If you have bought a longboard (9ft plus) then join a longboard club. Doesn't matter that you are a beginner because most clubs will welcome you with open arms. Longboard clubs are for all levels of surfers and I know that any club worth its salt welcomes both male and female members and all skill levels, If you have any dramas finding a suitable club PM me and I will make some enquiries for you as I know a few ex-longboarders from WA.

Welcome aboard,just a tip tho,make sure you choose the correct board otherwise it can make it oh so hard to get into the swing of things.I landed off the boat in Perth back in 63

Doggie,dotcom are our men in WA,so I'm sure they will point you in the right direction.

Good luck and remember this,longboarders are way cooler than the other forms of surfing

Oh yeah - if you find for any reason that people won't talk to out in the surf then go and buy a stand up paddle board cos everyone wants to talk to you when you paddle out on a sup

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billboard said...

Oh yeah - if you find for any reason that people won't talk to out in the surf then go and buy a stand up paddle board cos everyone wants to talk to you when you paddle out on a sup

They sure do,however its only two words tho,**** off

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62mac said...

Welcome aboard,just a tip tho,make sure you choose the correct board otherwise it can make it oh so hard to get into the swing of things.I landed off the boat in Perth back in 63

Doggie,dotcom are our men in WA,so I'm sure they will point you in the right direction.

Good luck and remember this,longboarders are way cooler than the other forms of surfing

You are here mac but you havnt landed

Perth,wow what can I say it was a blast living there for a year I was only 2[}:)]

Sporto, I'm not far off being a beginner and the most important thing I learned was to say you're a beginner when you're talking to people out in the line up and be humble. They'll usually help you out and encourage. If you go out full of bravado, they'll soon pick you for an ass and treat you the same.

Mac was right about making sure you get the right board too. Anything too short and unstable will make it so much harder to pick up the basics.

Don't let the surf shop guys just sell you what they have in stock, talk to LOTS of people and get the best information you can before shelling out for a board.

Most of all, have fun with it.

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MichaelR said...


Don't let the surf shop guys just sell you what they have in stock, talk to LOTS of people and get the best information you can before shelling out for a board.

Most of all, have fun with it.

Great advice right there,walk into a shortboard shop and you'll walk out with one,same as longboard store,if your average weight 8 foot fun board with volume will be you best friend,once you get to hang of things you can go either way,short or long or even better both.

Hi Sporto,

It would also help you to find out about the 'surf specific' lingo - such as 'drop in' / 'inside section' etc etc etc... that way you'll know what us surfers are on about

Trawling the forums on SeaBreeze will help - but there's bound to be a Glossary of Surfing Terms out there in Internet land somewhere...

...and it's very important to learn to understand how to 'read' the surf conditions. Spend some time watching the break, the waves, water movement and other surfers. Learn to identify Rips and gutters...

Check the local waters forecast (wind, swell, tide more than sunshine & temp) against the actual conditions at the beach and the state of the surf, you'll soon learn to correlate the weather forecast to conditions that are likely to produce good waves.

And when you do venture out the back, set a couple of 'landmarks' back on shore as reference - this will help you stop drifting too far off your spot...

And be sure to check out other threads in the shortboard section also - many learner questions have already been answered.

Good Luck

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62mac said...

Perth,wow what can I say it was a blast living there for a year I was only 2[}:)]

When are you going to come over?

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GPA said...

Hi Sporto,

It would also help you to find out about the 'surf specific' lingo - such as 'drop in' / 'inside section' etc etc etc... that way you'll know what us surfers are on about

Trawling the forums on SeaBreeze will help - but there's bound to be a Glossary of Surfing Terms out there in Internet land somewhere...

...and it's very important to learn to understand how to 'read' the surf conditions. Spend some time watching the break, the waves, water movement and other surfers. Learn to identify Rips and gutters...

Check the local waters forecast (wind, swell, tide more than sunshine & temp) against the actual conditions at the beach and the state of the surf, you'll soon learn to correlate the weather forecast to conditions that are likely to produce good waves.

And when you do venture out the back, set a couple of 'landmarks' back on shore as reference - this will help you stop drifting too far off your spot...

And be sure to check out other threads in the shortboard section also - many learner questions have already been answered.

Good Luck

GPA is onto it, what he said

Hey guys, thanks for all the advice. I was only saying about learning with beginners because I thought that decent surfers might not have the patience for a newbie like me. But hey if there are peeps out there in Perth that would be happy to help me out a little then that would be amazing. I have a freind down in Margaret River who is really good but I'm not down there that often.

Anyone in Perth know of any good clubs? Also where is best for learning? Would Swanbourne be ok as it's where I live so would be super handy.

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sporto said...

Hey guys, thanks for all the advice. I was only saying about learning with beginners because I thought that decent surfers might not have the patience for a newbie like me. But hey if there are peeps out there in Perth that would be happy to help me out a little then that would be amazing. I have a freind down in Margaret River who is really good but I'm not down there that often.

Anyone in Perth know of any good clubs? Also where is best for learning? Would Swanbourne be ok as it's where I live so would be super handy.

Just down the road from you in Cott south of the main groyne is a spot called isolaters, nice rolling reef breaks nothing evil and easy to surf. It needs a biggish swell but the waves are not big, ever. You will see when its working because there will be longboards everywhere. If I could manage to borrow a mini mal or longboard I would take you there myself, my boards dont really cut it out there, they are a bit short
Isos need about 2.0m of swell before it gets going. There are other spots but this is the easy wave to lean on and all the old fellas that surf out there love it when chicks surf with them.
Defo do some surf school stuff tho as that will give you the basics
If ya need anymore info PM me and I can help you out.

I remember a certain dog checking out the female backpacker surfers on the north east coast not too long ago

Just goes to prove that dogs are human

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62mac said...

I remember a certain dog checking out the female backpacker surfers on the north east coast not too long ago

Just goes to prove that dogs are human

MMMMmmmmm Byron

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billboard said...

Ok - in all seriousness you do not need other beginners to surf with - you need to surf with experienced surfers. You will learn more about reading the surf, catching waves and the politics of lineups and you will as such become a much much better and safer surfer and have a whole lot more fun.

If you have bought a longboard (9ft plus) then join a longboard club. Doesn't matter that you are a beginner because most clubs will welcome you with open arms. Longboard clubs are for all levels of surfers and I know that any club worth its salt welcomes both male and female members and all skill levels, If you have any dramas finding a suitable club PM me and I will make some enquiries for you as I know a few ex-longboarders from WA.

Dead right BB but going out with like beginners makes you feel a little more comfortable. Get some lessons, they can't hurt and ask as much as possible. GPA is on the money and MichaelR hit the nail on the head ...have fun.
Anytime you wanna go out do the PM thing although the weather in the metro atm is crap and you don't have fun if you're getting smashed (I don't anyways)

Oh, sorry, welcome to the show

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dotcomdotau said...

billboard said...

Ok - in all seriousness you do not need other beginners to surf with - you need to surf with experienced surfers. You will learn more about reading the surf, catching waves and the politics of lineups and you will as such become a much much better and safer surfer and have a whole lot more fun.

If you have bought a longboard (9ft plus) then join a longboard club. Doesn't matter that you are a beginner because most clubs will welcome you with open arms. Longboard clubs are for all levels of surfers and I know that any club worth its salt welcomes both male and female members and all skill levels, If you have any dramas finding a suitable club PM me and I will make some enquiries for you as I know a few ex-longboarders from WA.

Dead right BB but going out with like beginners makes you feel a little more comfortable. Get some lessons, they can't hurt and ask as much as possible. GPA is on the money and MichaelR hit the nail on the head ...have fun.
Anytime you wanna go out do the PM thing although the weather in the metro atm is crap and you don't have fun if you're getting smashed (I don't anyways)

Oh, sorry, welcome to the show

Hey I will tag along as well if ya gonna surf some small stuff, PM when you are keen

Got a mc yet doggie

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62mac said...

Got a mc yet doggie

Na, maybe next year. Going to buy a firewire sweet potato 5,8!!

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doggie said...

62mac said...

Got a mc yet doggie

Na, maybe next year. Going to buy a firewire sweet potato 5,8!!

Doggie, you were in mate until you decided not to get a MC

Will PM you mate when I/we go I'm pretty keen at the mo' bloody work is a problem.
I don't mind going to work, it's just the 8 hour wait for home time is soooo boring (yes I know, that's an old one)

Nice avatar BB

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dotcomdotau said...

doggie said...

62mac said...

Got a mc yet doggie

Na, maybe next year. Going to buy a firewire sweet potato 5,8!!

Doggie, you were in mate until you decided not to get a MC

Will PM you mate when I/we go I'm pretty keen at the mo' bloody work is a problem.
I don't mind going to work, it's just the 8 hour wait for home time is soooo boring (yes I know, that's an old one)

Nice avatar BB

I still want a mact but I will get the Carver in a quad, I have spoken to about it. It will be a one off custom carver as a quad.
It will be a 7,6 but the rest of the dimentions havnt been decided on yet. I think I will leave the width as standard for that size board but bring the thickness down as I dont need the volume that some guys might need on a longboard.

Hey thanks Doggie, I think I might wait for 3/4 weeks before I start my lessons as the weather will be a bit better by then. As soon as I have my roof bars and board I will drop you a PM.

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sporto said...

Hey thanks Doggie, I think I might wait for 3/4 weeks before I start my lessons as the weather will be a bit better by then. As soon as I have my roof bars and board I will drop you a PM.

No worries sporto, I think .com is keen as well