I would have loved to get into surf school when i first started. I'm just starting again and often have my kids with me so i like to avoid the crowd a little. I take them to Mullaloo point and thats a good little spot but a bit far North for you.

A great way is to trip up to somewhere like wedge. Its a long drive but make a day of it and you'll have loads of beach to find a spot to yourselves.

As for talking to others and crowds. I will often paddle straight out and say hi. I find being friendly is more important and often i find if you give the good guys the respect and praise you often find yourselves taking waves a peice with out all teh hassle.

But don't give up if someone is rude. Just enjoy and stay safe.

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Darc84 said...

doggie said...

I wouldnt worry about all the intimadation crap Darc, for starters just find some broken shallow beach break waves.

Shallow, knee to waist deep so you can stand and control the board easily.

At first just stand in the shallows and when the white water gets near push forward and jump on the board and let the wave push you.

If the wave passes you, you havnt pushed forward hard enough.

Once you get going on a wave, push up with your arms and arch you back.
Do this a few times just to get used to what you have to do.

At this time you are close to standing up.

Now you have to work out what foot farward you are. You need to do this before standing of course. To work this out is easy, if you ride a skateboard you already know. But if you havnt stand up straight and get someone to push you forward, which ever foot goes forward first is normally the one, right foot goofy left foot natural.

Thats some things to work on

Thanks for the tips Doggie
Keep them coming guys, appreciate it

Next lesson is standing up, but as they say in the classics "ya gotta crawl before you can walk"

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jbshack said...

I would have loved to get into surf school when i first started. I'm just starting again and often have my kids with me so i like to avoid the crowd a little. I take them to Mullaloo point and thats a good little spot but a bit far North for you.

A great way is to trip up to somewhere like wedge. Its a long drive but make a day of it and you'll have loads of beach to find a spot to yourselves.

As for talking to others and crowds. I will often paddle straight out and say hi. I find being friendly is more important and often i find if you give the good guys the respect and praise you often find yourselves taking waves a peice with out all teh hassle.

But don't give up if someone is rude. Just enjoy and stay safe.

I am really hoping that i don't come across any rude ppl out there but i guess if i do i will just have to cop it on the chin and get over it and not take it personally.

True Doggie you do have to crawl before you walk so i will most likely be spending a lot of time "crawling" and probably swallowing a hell of a lot of salt water

I can just about bet 99.5% that the only rude F%^$#@s will be blokes/girls that have only just taken their own trainer wheels off!

most of us are good guys

get into it and feel the change of lifestyle take you over, nothing like a FROTHIN GROM/NEWBIE. surfing will be your everthing if you let it into your blood.

bugger it, you can even try learning at scarborough!!!

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mocha1 said...

I can just about bet 99.5% that the only rude F%^$#@s will be blokes/girls that have only just taken their own trainer wheels off!

most of us are good guys

get into it and feel the change of lifestyle take you over, nothing like a FROTHIN GROM/NEWBIE. surfing will be your everthing if you let it into your blood.

bugger it, you can even try learning at scarborough!!!

I am guessing that you surf at Scarborough Mocha1?

Do many ppl get into fights whilst surfing? I am hoping that i love it and that it becomes something that i love doing, i love watching the surfing docos and get extremely jealous that i am not out there doing it as well. My dream is to surf all the best breaks in the world but little steps to start with haha

We are only allowed to fight with SUPs

Then goatboaters

And boogieboarders, just drop in on them

Just jokin

Hey Darc
As a fellow beginner (as these guys would know with all my questions I've posted ), the greatest tips I have is again, just get out there and enjoy it! I've made a fool of myself so many times flying like superman over a wave and wiping out I've lost count but it doesn't matter because it's all part of the experience. I bet every one of these masters here started off just like you

And fights? I have never seen any! From the outside it seems so intimidating but when you're out their, most people are quite friendly. Heck I accidentally cut in front of someone once and after apologizing, spent the whole sesh having a good chat with the bloke.

Be careful though because once you're hooked, you're hooked. No other sport compares to sitting out in the ocean as the sunrises with no one else out as you have the whole break to yourself (even if you're still a beginner)!

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doggie said...

We are only allowed to fight with SUPs

Then goatboaters

And boogieboarders, just drop in on them

Just jokin

what are SUPS, and goatboaters?

Hey thanks newguy, how long have u been at it for?

SUP: Stand up paddlers (the people standing up on those massive baords)
goatboaters: Surf skiers (the people being dragged by a boat)

Umm since last November I think? Its only now that I've started catching waves more consistently and surfing the face of a wave too. Lessons most definitely helped with the learning curve hey and also, get a board for your skill level and stick to it before moving on the something else. Too many beginners (me included) fell into the trap of moving onto a shorter board before he was ready and that made it all the more harder!

Any questions you have for a kook just give me a buzz

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newguy said...

SUP: Stand up paddlers (the people standing up on those massive baords)
goatboaters: Surf skiers (the people being dragged by a boat)

Umm since last November I think? Its only now that I've started catching waves more consistently and surfing the face of a wave too. Lessons most definitely helped with the learning curve hey and also, get a board for your skill level and stick to it before moving on the something else. Too many beginners (me included) fell into the trap of moving onto a shorter board before he was ready and that made it all the more harder!

Any questions you have for a kook just give me a buzz

Oh right, i wanted to try stand up paddling too, meant to be a hell of a work out.

Oh ok cool and what made u want to start surfing? How many lessons did u take?

Not sure what made me take it up but I've always been keen on surfing haha. I've always been the person who likes giving stuff ago so one day I manned up and got lessons. Went for probably a couple months because I actually enjoyed it. Then got my own board and started heading out myself once a grasped the basics!

so were the lessons that you took group lessons or one on one lessons?

I learnt from here: www.surfschool.com/

They've got lots of great coaches there including a guy named Keith (top bloke). I learnt as part of a group because it was more fun when you could watch others stack it but then you did too. Took me on my second sesh to standup in the white wash and then a few more before I started catching green waves so they know what they are doing and you get a little certificate when you passed certain levels of surf tuition too

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newguy said...

I learnt from here: www.surfschool.com/

They've got lots of great coaches there including a guy named Keith (top bloke). I learnt as part of a group because it was more fun when you could watch others stack it but then you did too. Took me on my second sesh to standup in the white wash and then a few more before I started catching green waves so they know what they are doing and you get a little certificate when you passed certain levels of surf tuition too

oh ok cool, how many lessons did u take?

I reckon the best way to learn to surf is to buy a pair of flippers and hit City groyne every day after school/work for a body bash through summer.
After three or four months of daily drubbings you'll have bodysurfing along (as opposed to surfing the whitewash) a wave down pat and you'll be very comfortable in the water ie used to getting dumped.
Get comfortable in the ocean and learning to use any form of surfcraft is a whole lot easier.

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smicko said...

I reckon the best way to learn to surf is to buy a pair of flippers and hit City groyne every day after school/work for a body bash through summer.
After three or four months of daily drubbings you'll have bodysurfing along (as opposed to surfing the whitewash) a wave down pat and you'll be very comfortable in the water ie used to getting dumped.
Get comfortable in the ocean and learning to use any form of surfcraft is a whole lot easier.

Not bad advice, for a total newbe you cant beat a booger as you really cant get hurt with them and you timing with the waves will get better quicker. Maybe try and start out doing both. Use the body board when the waves are bigger ect.

Goatboaters are wave skiiers, sit down with a paddle. Sorry newguy you got that one wrong there mate

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smicko said...

I reckon the best way to learn to surf is to buy a pair of flippers and hit City groyne every day after school/work for a body bash through summer.
After three or four months of daily drubbings you'll have bodysurfing along (as opposed to surfing the whitewash) a wave down pat and you'll be very comfortable in the water ie used to getting dumped.
Get comfortable in the ocean and learning to use any form of surfcraft is a whole lot easier.

Excuse my ignorance but what and where is the city groyne?

City Beach Groyne, great bodysurfing spot through summer.
Darc the most important thing you can do is get comfortable in the ocean. Being a competent swimmer in a pool is a completely different scenario to getting dumped by waves without panicking.

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smicko said...

City Beach Groyne, great bodysurfing spot through summer.
Darc the most important thing you can do is get comfortable in the ocean. Being a competent swimmer in a pool is a completely different scenario to getting dumped by waves without panicking.

Yeah that is a good point, i can say that i feel confident in the ocean and have been dunked a by a few good waves and not one to panic but i am sure that it is probably a bit different to being dunked whilst surfing

U got me there Doggie haha. Just shows how much I still have to learn. Don't cha love being a beginner!

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doggie said...

Not bad advice, for a total newbe you cant beat a booger as you really cant get hurt with them and you timing with the waves will get better quicker. Maybe try and start out doing both. Use the body board when the waves are bigger ect.

For sure, that is great advice there from Smicko & Doggie You may venture to a decent bodyboarding wave (such as Medge or Rox) and become addicted to the whip that an amphetamine type wedge can throw you into.

Seriously, if you are learning, consider trying to learn at 2nd Reef at Watermans (just south of Lenard St/West Coast Drive intersection) Hardly anyone surfs there, all the grommets surf next door at Grabbers Reef, so you won't have to deal with pubescent boys paddling behind you checking out your ass.

2nds is a very forgiving wave because it 'breaks' on a button of reef, and thus the wave breaks very predictably, is easy to catch (it is essentially a whitewater reform) and thus allows plenty of time and the opportunity to practice getting to your feet. Within 2-3 surfs you could be on your feet and actually trimming across a wave, not floundering for 3 seconds ahead of the whitewater being pushed towards the beach. Great spot for beginners, probably one of the best places to learn because you don't have to contend with the obscene crowds that will make you wish you never took up surfing and started riding sweet singletrack on a mountain bike instead .


Just be on the lookout for Nigel the Kneeboarding Troll who occasionally frequents 2nds. He is a surly old bugger who like to take his false teeth out and scare the powerwalkers pushing their strollers on the cyclepath.

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Hamsta said...

doggie said...

Not bad advice, for a total newbe you cant beat a booger as you really cant get hurt with them and you timing with the waves will get better quicker. Maybe try and start out doing both. Use the body board when the waves are bigger ect.

For sure, that is great advice there from Smicko & Doggie You may venture to a decent bodyboarding wave (such as Medge or Rox) and become addicted to the whip that an amphetamine type wedge can throw you into.

Seriously, if you are learning, consider trying to learn at 2nd Reef at Watermans (just south of Lenard St/West Coast Drive intersection) Hardly anyone surfs there, all the grommets surf next door at Grabbers Reef, so you won't have to deal with pubescent boys paddling behind you checking out your ass.

2nds is a very forgiving wave because it 'breaks' on a button of reef, and thus the wave breaks very predictably, is easy to catch (it is essentially a whitewater reform) and thus allows plenty of time and the opportunity to practice getting to your feet. Within 2-3 surfs you could be on your feet and actually trimming across a wave, not floundering for 3 seconds ahead of the whitewater being pushed towards the beach. Great spot for beginners, probably one of the best places to learn because you don't have to contend with the obscene crowds that will make you wish you never took up surfing and started riding sweet singletrack on a mountain bike instead .


Just be on the lookout for Nigel the Kneeboarding Troll who occasionally frequents 2nds. He is a surly old bugger who like to take his false teeth out and scare the powerwalkers pushing their strollers on the cyclepath.

Oh ok cool thanks for that Hamsta will have to check that out. Knowing hardly anyone surfs there sounds appealing and not really keen on learning with grommets paddling behind me checking out my ass!

Ha ha i will be sure to look out for Nigel as well, thanks for the heads up