All those water lovers who constantly are watching the amazing, smooth and elegant moves around the board of the others in the ocean, finally decided to try it by themselves and take first surf lesson. Surfing is one of the most fun ocean sports but at the same time one of the most difficult you will ever try. Not sure about what is necessary for this occasion? Thousands of questions before first surfing ever? Don’t worry, in this post I will try to answer all of them (if not all, hopefully most of them).
Here you will find some useful tips on how to prepare for surfing. What to bring with you and what to better leave at home. All the necessary info before hitting the water for the first time. That is why as a recommendation read carefully this post and follow further steps to make the most fun of your first surfing lesson.
Choose a type of surf lesson
In Rocky Point we got different types of beginner surf lessons:
- Private is a perfect choice for kids and adults who wants to have 100% attention during the lesson. Choosing this surf session you got an opportunity to learn fast and feel safe in the water. In this option you can choose how many participants will join the surfing session.
- Group lesson type is a good choice if you are a solo traveler and wants to meet new people. Economical option for all budgets.
Here you can check out more info and all the prices of our services.
Know how to swim
While it may seem obvious, there is lots of questions about that. Is it necessary to know how to swim for surfing? The answer is YES! Swimming skills are essentials for future surfers. If you find yourself cough in a current or set of waves is coming and breaking straight in front of you. For the safety reasons the swimming skills are very important. The other situation that can happen is when the leash breaks or comes out from your leg and you have to swim to get back to you board. So have it in mind and learn the basics of swimming before starting adventure with surfing.
Prepare yourself for a good workout
Surfing is one of the most difficult sports you will ever try. So prepare your body (and mind!) for a hard workout out there in the water. Paddling out through whitewash is exhausting exercise. You have to put a lot of energy and effort during surfing. Although you will be dying after the lesson, the satisfaction after catching first wave is the greatest feeling in the world! The big tip I can tell you is to have in mind how tiring day it can be for you.
Remember don’t make any big plans straight after the lesson or even the day after. If you are planning to take a surfing pack -listen to your body first. Don’t take all the lessons 3 or 5 days in a row (unless your body is in a really good shape and you are sure you can manage it). Especially if it is your first time with surfing ever, having a day break between sessions is always a good idea.
Important checklist before surf lesson
Beachwear
During surfing lessons we provide all necessary equipment such as surfboard, wetsuit and shoes. What you need to bring is a swimsuit or shorts to wear it under the wetsuit. Sometimes clients use the underwear and it’s also fine. In that case just remember to bring the other underwear to change it after the lesson as you will be all wet.
If you got your own wetsuit and water shoes you are more than welcome to bring it on with you! It’s always more comfortable with your own equipment. Although it is not necessary, so if you do not own one before, don’t run straight to a closest surf shop. Wetsuits are not the cheapest so don’t spend your money on it just for one surf lesson.
Towel
Very important and way to many times forgotten by the students. Towel besides getting you dry will be super useful while getting changed. Not necessary (and more expensive than just a normal towel) but really useful option is a surf poncho. It is a comfortable and easy in use solution. Poncho will help you to save some time by drying your body and being a changing room at once.
Here you can see some ponchos from Billabong and Rip Curl.
Sunscreen
One of the most important thing which you should never forget is a good-quality sunscreen. As we do provide wetsuits for our students during surf lesson the most important part of a body to protect is your face. Good face sunscreen with zinc and a high SPF is essential to protect from strong sun and stay on in the water. This zinc-based formula is fragrance-free so it won’t sting your eyes and it’s really effective at staying on a face while surfing. Right now we use Suntribe All Natural Zinc Sun Stick SPF 30 and MINERAL SHIELD 50+ SPF from Amazing company – they protect the skin in the water for many hours.
Water
After paddling out on and on for more than an hour your body will beg you for hydration. Always remember to bring a bottle of water with you for a lesson. Trust me, I am 100% sure you will be thirsty after being in a sun for so long.
Jewellery and hair
No one would like to lose favourite necklaces or bracelet right? I don’t wanna even think about dropping into water an engagement ring… So the right thing to do is just to leave an expensive jewellery at home. Taking out big earrings and all unnecessary accessories before going into water is a good decision as it will be uncomfortable for you and will save you unnecessary stress.
It’s not 100% necessary but a huge recommendation – tie your hair before surfing. There is lots of advantages of that: First of all hair is not gonna distract you while caching waves, your visibility will be way much better with a ponytail than with half of your hair going into your eyes and mouth together with a splash of salty water. Second of all it is less probably that i(f you leave small earrings) your hair will get mess around the jewellery and you will lose it (happened more than once on the lessons). So the last advantage is keeping hair protected against sun.
Go Pro and action cameras
One of the most common question before first surf lesson is about bringing the action camera to the water. I always try to convince people that is not the best idea.
First of all it will be impossible to attach the camera to a softboard as it doesn’t stick with a material that the board is made of. Second of all if you would take a camera to the water I can assure you will not take the most from a lesson. Instead of being focus on learning how to surf you will be thinking about photos.
In Rocky Point you’ve got an opportunity to buy pack of photos from your surf lesson with us. All you have to do is simply contact us with some time in advance before your lesson and we will organise the photographer for you.
Now that your knowledge get wider we hope you are ready for your first surf lesson. Do not panic if you are not a pro surfer from the beginning. Keep in mind everyone learns at their own pace. Remember, the important thing is to have fun! If you still didn’t book you surf experience with us do it now! Check out all of our surfing activities on our website or if you already decided what you are looking for contact directly with us. Rocky Point is waiting for you!
