When did you start getting waves?

[Deadbait]

What really helped me learn turning, balancing and getting getting the nose up to stop pearling was doing 360's in flat water.  Out in flat water, move your back foot all the way to the rear of your board, so you sink it and the nose is out of the water, and do wide strokes.  Do a 360 and drop the nose down and walk back to the center of the board and then go back and do a 360 the other way.  You can see videos of this on youtube for learning how to turn.

For me, this helped me turn to start paddling to drop into a wave when out SUS'ing, and although much more exaggerated it helped me from pearling to get the feel of the nose going up and down.  And I also got used to walking back and forth on the board.

Start in small waves, you'll have fun especially on an SUP.  Knee high or less for beginners is fun all day with virtually little risk of getting hurt.  The bigger the waves get, the more power behind them, so be careful.  Once you get comfortable in small waves, you can start to venture out into bigger waves.  Bigger is more fun only when you can handle it, otherwise it can be downright painful.

[Rudyard]

The first time I surfed, I was 7. We took a trip down Baja in the family wagon with a bunch of long boards (my older brother and cousins). My little brother and I spent a week in ankle high surf, surfing tandem on an 11' Jacks. We got pretty good combining efforts to steer this huge board. We could hang 20 by the end of the week. The next year I traded a friend one of my skate boards (that had polyurethane 'metaflex' wheels) for a 6'2 'Tom Southerland' surfboard. I surfed that board to death.
Forward almost 40 years. I'm out on my 1st owned SUP, a 16' Infinity. I'm paddling in the harbor with the shaper Steve Boehne and friends. He says lets go down to Boneyard and surf. I'm thinking "how do you surf a 16' board?" Plus there are shallow rocks! And it's my new board. Peer pressure to say the least. He yells at me to take that wave, and I paddled like I was trying to beat the wave. That big board caught the wave no problem. I dropped down low and dragged my paddle. At that moment I felt like I was 7 years old and I could surf this big thing. I did, and made it till it got shallow, then bailed. About 6 months later I picked up an 11'6 Naish Nalu and started SUS'g. Then a shorter board and shorter...... Some much fun.   

thats a great story

[Rudyard]

What really helped me learn turning, balancing and getting getting the nose up to stop pearling was doing 360's in flat water.  Out in flat water, move your back foot all the way to the rear of your board, so you sink it and the nose is out of the water, and do wide strokes.  Do a 360 and drop the nose down and walk back to the center of the board and then go back and do a 360 the other way.  You can see videos of this on youtube for learning how to turn.

For me, this helped me turn to start paddling to drop into a wave when out SUS'ing, and although much more exaggerated it helped me from pearling to get the feel of the nose going up and down.  And I also got used to walking back and forth on the board.

Start in small waves, you'll have fun especially on an SUP.  Knee high or less for beginners is fun all day with virtually little risk of getting hurt.  The bigger the waves get, the more power behind them, so be careful.  Once you get comfortable in small waves, you can start to venture out into bigger waves.  Bigger is more fun only when you can handle it, otherwise it can be downright painful.

thanks for that, was hoping for some flat today to practice, but it was really choppy with a big wind. a lot of fun paddling through it, really starting to feel at ease on my new board. maybe the weekend will be flatter...

[Rudyard]

Just out of interest, do any of you paddle around Topanga/Malibu?

[sharkies]

I've been surfing for nearly 40 years . Started on a mat then short boards and longboards but injured my back a fees years back and got into SUP. started out in the surf a few weeks ago and despite all those years surfing I'm a bit wobbly but am catching waves. I just paddle right up the end of the beach away from everyone else just to be safe. I'm loving it though as I'm able to surf again although I'm trying
G to get the hang of turning a 10'6 board. I've discovered that its a lot harder than it looks but I'm stoked just the same. I'm about to get a 14 foot board for ocean paddling and training. 

[Mungo]

I've been surfing for about a year. My first time was in choppy 3ft shore dump. I'm a stubborn b*stard and I paddled out and refused to come in until I'd caught a few "good" waves. Needless to say, I didn't really start learning until I allowed myself some breathing space in smaller waves.

Here's a few tips I picked up from bitter experience.

1. When getting to your feet, slide your top hand to the paddle handle as soon as your hands leave the deck and before you straighten up. This enables you to use your paddle for stability as soon as you're up, instead of wobbling around trying to get a grip.

2. When heading out through waves, practice jumping into surf stance even for the smallest wave. Bend your legs and sink your paddle deep for stability and traction. When you get into bigger waves it will be second nature. Even if you wipe out, taking the wave in surf stance is best because you generally push the board over or through the wave so you don't lose much ground to the wave and the board is pointing in the right direction when you surface.

3. If you're standing in the waves waiting for a good moment to head out make sure that your paddle blade is on the opposite side of the board to you. A blade to the head is quite painful when it's got wave power behind it 

4. Wear a helmet. Even in small surf your board can pop out of the water and land on your head. The heavier the board, the worse the damage. I've been hit twice by my 9'5 Mana and it hurts. Luckily I changed my rear fin for a blunt plastic one otherwise I would likely have needed stitches

[stoneaxe]

Rudyard do yourself a big favor and don't limit yourself to flatwater and good conditions for practice. Flatwater practice is fine, especially to try specific things the 1st time (as deadbait suggested) but it's too limiting. Go out in the wind blown slop, crazy chop, fight your way through it...learn to love it for the workout that it is. Fall a lot....until you don't. I use conditions that most would call bad to workout in, I have to. I started SUP as balance therapy and it was those kind of workouts that changed everything for me. You get a burn from paddling into the wind and chop, you get full blown balance workout turning side on to it, you have blast catching glides on the way back and learn to catch waves to boot. Its also a big plus that there is nobody else around in those conditions. When I 1st started I fell every 5 minutes in flatwater...today I was hair dry (or at least head dry... ) for the 1st hour in knee to waist wind blown slop. Flatwater won't get you there. It's also not as much fun.

[supthecreek]

I grew up 200 miles from the ocean, but summered on Cape Cod... 50 miles from surf.
At 16 years old, my brother & I decided to hitchhike 50 miles to the ocean beach and go surfing. I made a sign that said "Nauset Beach or Bust" ...my brother took a picture of day one, before I had ever touched a surfboard... a surf virgin, on his way to a lifelong obsession!

Got to a rental stand, rented a board and hitched another mile to the beach.

No one knew anything. My first wave I stood up and rode it to the beach. Didn't get another ride for 2 weeks... but I was hooked for life.

Overweight and bad shoulders prompted me to buy a SUP 3 years ago... for the small days.
Day 1 - Paddled into the lineup... caught 1 wave on my knees. Fell over 100 times. So much for surfing experience making it easier.
Day 2 -  got 3 waves
Day 3 - I figured it out (how to stay upright while taking off)
Never rode a prone board again.

Tips:
-Stand in a "semi- surf" stance.... Your back foot slightly further back (3 or 4") and turned slightly to the rail. This will help you with front to back stability, which is hardest just as the wave lifts the tail and you begin to pick up speed.
-Keep the nose up a few inches from the water.
-Paddle smoothly when a wave approaches.
-When you feel the tail of the board lift.... Keep paddling till you feel the board "release" and begin to drop down the face of the wave.
- When you fall:
......avoid the board
......keep your paddle away from the board
......do NOT dive head first
......come up SLOWLY, with  your hand over your head.
.....look immediately out to sea.... Danger comes from THAT direction.

Repeat.

Remember how simple your life was before your first wave.

[ron.c]

Great story 'Creek

Was that the Fox Shop?  Next to Fancy's, when Fancy's was just a stand?

[supthecreek]

Laying around waiting for a car to go by at the end of Rt 151  ( corner of rt 28) in North Falmouth. Long way to go to get to Larry and Scoot McKinney's Rental stand in the parking lot of the East Orleans deli on the Rd to Nauset Beach. I bought my rental from them after 2 weeks.....a beat up 9'6 Newporter pop-out. I called it "the Sheik"

[mrbig]

My first wave was in Hawaii on a mat when I was three. Got a fifty-fifty Cardiff by the Sea with a huge Doyle fin in 65 and learned to surf in Ocean City, Md. Had a brief stint as an ESA contest groveler in the 80's. Switched to sup this year and caught nothing for a while. Wear a kook kord (big boy sups are heavy) and just go for it. Go out in crap. Don't be afraid to fall! And always take One More Paddle. And don't go too short on board length like Mr. Big the numbskull. Sup has a bit of the old stoke aloha vibe. Mo bettah!

[KiwiSupGreg]

I Caught my first wave wayyy back...winter 1983, I was 12 and on some random blue 5'8" with a huge single orange fin....Christchurch in the South Island of New Zealand. 

Still remember the absolute buzz I felt even though i couldn't feel my extremities because of the cold!

Surfed ever since (with a few big gaps from not having the time...damn kids  )

Ruptured my ACL late last year on a skateboard so start SUP....

The Stoke is back!

[Tom]

I learned to surf after I turned 50 years old. I grew up in the Midwest and saw the ocean for the first time when I was 21 years old. I moved to San Diego in my twenties and took up windsurfing in the mid-80s when I was in my 30s.

I spent a lot of time in Baja with ex-surfers that took up windsurfing at a wave sailing spot called San Carlos. I became a pretty competent wave sailor, but never tried surfing.   I didn't need to because I had guaranteed wind and waves in Baja. For some reason, there was a period of time that I was constantly getting skunked and without wind, there is very little to do at San Carlos if you don't surf. I would just mope around watching my surfing buddies who were having a great time.

I was sitting on a rock at the surf point watching my buddies when it occurred to me, how hard could surfing be. My friends make it look easy so I decided I'd learn to surf for the only reason that I'd have something to do I San Carlos when there wasn't any wind. Five years later I was able to finally ride waves at the point. Best decision I ever made.

Here's a picture of my on a SUP at the point that motivated me to learn to surf.

[Tom]

I learned to surf after I turned 50 years old. I grew up in the Midwest and saw the ocean for the first time when I was 21 years old. I moved to San Diego in my twenties and took up windsurfing in the mid-80s when I was in my 30s.

I spent a lot of time in Baja with ex-surfers that took up windsurfing at a wave sailing spot called San Carlos. I became a pretty competent wave sailor, but never tried surfing.   I didn't need to because I had guaranteed wind and waves in Baja. For some reason, there was a period of time that I was constantly getting skunked and without wind, there is very little to do at San Carlos if you don't surf. I would just mope around watching my surfing buddies who were having a great time.

I was sitting on a rock at the surf point watching my buddies when it occurred to me, how hard could surfing be. My friends make it look easy so I decided I'd learn to surf for the only reason that I'd have something to do I San Carlos when there wasn't any wind. Five years later I was able to finally ride waves at the point. Best decision I ever made.

Here's a picture of me on a SUP at the point that motivated me to learn to surf.

[Beasho]

. . I grew up 200 miles from the ocean, but summered on Cape Cod... 50 miles from surf. . .

Creek: With all due respect, How is this Possible?  This is like saying I grew up in Nantucket 50 miles from the surf 

PS: I agree I never rode prone after starting SUP.  In fact is proning really even surfing?  More like 98% bobbing, and 2% surfing.