When did you start getting waves?

[Rudyard]

I've been SUP for a few weeks now. Fell in love from day 1. Pretty comfortable in the open water even when it's choppy/windy and think my balance is improving daily. Really want to start trying some waves and spending a fair amount of time just out of the line up, watching and looking at technique.

How long did you wait before you dropped in, and if there was one tip you could pass on what would it be? And is there a specific skill set I should try and master before doing this?

I'm realistic about what I would be trying to catch (small...very small) and also being away from anyone else who's day I could mess with!

[spookini]

Since you only asked for one tip:

1.  Wear your leash.
1.  Realize that you trim the board by moving around front-to-back.  Moving fwd will speed the board up but also bury the nose if you're not careful.  Moving back will slow the board, and it also keeps the nose from burying during takeoff.  So, wave-riding is about getting comfortable moving around on your board -- you don't stand flat-footed like you do while flatwater paddling.  Took me awhile to figure this out.  Wish someone had told me.

1.  Quit wasting time just watching.  Go try a wave!! 

[1tuberider]

I was 12 when I caught my first wave.  First wave was around 3 foot and I did a bottom turn. I was hooked for life. 

You are ready. Just do it! Don't worry about being a kook just have fun. 

One tip is to go off by yourself till you get some basics and wear a leash. Ok two tips.

[stoneaxe]

Just go for it in a spot where you can be safe. Spook already gave you the most important piece...learn to walk around and trim your board.

[crtraveler]

Stay away from others while learning... it's hard to concentrate on what you want to do when you are having to avoid hitting or being hit by others....

[Rudyard]

Since you only asked for one tip:

1.  Wear your leash.
1.  Realize that you trim the board by moving around front-to-back.  Moving fwd will speed the board up but also bury the nose if you're not careful.  Moving back will slow the board, and it also keeps the nose from burying during takeoff.  So, wave-riding is about getting comfortable moving around on your board -- you don't stand flat-footed like you do while flatwater paddling.  Took me awhile to figure this out.  Wish someone had told me.

1.  Quit wasting time just watching.  Go try a wave!! 

Got the leash - very good suggestion.

[Rudyard]

Stay away from others while learning... it's hard to concentrate on what you want to do when you are having to avoid hitting or being hit by others....

My local break has a point with a lot of prone surfers, but there is a more relaxed spot just off to the side so going to try there, well out of their way.

[Rudyard]

I was 12 when I caught my first wave.  First wave was around 3 foot and I did a bottom turn. I was hooked for life. 

You are ready. Just do it! Don't worry about being a kook just have fun. 

One tip is to go off by yourself till you get some basics and wear a leash. Ok two tips.

You're very lucky to have been in a situation you could do that at 12! I've loved watching surfing since I was a kid, but was land locked until a couple of years ago.

Thanks for the advice.

[SlatchJim]

Stay away from others while learning... it's hard to concentrate on what you want to do when you are having to avoid hitting or being hit by others....

My local break has a point with a lot of prone surfers, but there is a more relaxed spot just off to the side so going to try there, well out of their way.

Initial Question: I went out and caught waves on my first day with a rental Laird Softtop.  It was only 3 or 4 ankle to knee high rollers, and it helped to have a longboarding background.

The quoted tip is the one I would go with as primary, but since that was made, here is my second choice.  Find a buddy that has done it a while and take him with you to coach you.  A second set of eyes sometimes catches the missing piece to a successful effort.

[Rudyard]

Stay away from others while learning... it's hard to concentrate on what you want to do when you are having to avoid hitting or being hit by others....

My local break has a point with a lot of prone surfers, but there is a more relaxed spot just off to the side so going to try there, well out of their way.

Initial Question: I went out and caught waves on my first day with a rental Laird Softtop.  It was only 3 or 4 ankle to knee high rollers, and it helped to have a longboarding background.

The quoted tip is the one I would go with as primary, but since that was made, here is my second choice.  Find a buddy that has done it a while and take him with you to coach you.  A second set of eyes sometimes catches the missing piece to a successful effort.

Thats a good idea. I actually really love the quiet I get when go out, so normally paddle alone, but I am sure this would help things alone.

[sup_surf_giant]

After 2 flat water sessions I got aw wave. Couldn't take the boredom of flat water.

[Board Stiff]

Not having any idea what I was doing, I took a lesson the first time out in the surf (a few weeks after I got my first board) and caught a few waves that time. Today I probably could have figured it out myself just by watching all the other SUP surfers out there and trying and failing a lot, but in this case, the instructor showed me where to line up (way out before the waves were breaking), told me to start in parallel stance, lean forward, and dig hard as the wave approached. That was enough to get me into waves on my cruiser. After that, trial and error has slowly improved my ability, and tips from Zoners are accelerating that too.

[piece of 8]

   I practiced about a week on totally flat water on an 11 foot all arounder. On my first surf sesh , I caught nothing,2nd- half a ride, 3rd- my first full ride. There is no specific skill set to master before you SUS. You have to SUS to master that skill set.
   Spookini gave the best tip about footwork. Working your way to the front of the board will get you off the crest and down the face. Stoneaxe gave me some good advice a couple of weeks ago... don't just walk towards the front, pump it. Jump up and down on the front to get you going and drop back when your in.
   Remember this as I did when I learned a couple of summers ago: once you start accelerating on a wave, the board is much more stable, therefore, all this advice will become much clearer.
    One tip? Learn proper etiquette and don't hog waves.

[TallDude]

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.   

[supsurf-tw]

Flat water for awhile to get the strokes down and learn to move around on the board and turn it while paddling it. You'll have a much better learning curve once in the waves if you hammer out some technique issues before taking on all the surf variables. Once you're out there stay clear and off on the side for awhile. You don't want to be a menace out there