Who’s learning to surf this summer?
Where did you head out at Andy? Sounds like perfect conditions to learn in which helps a great deal!
Nice work!
Day one:
Nikky has already had a few lessons but was way better than she let on. Straight up first wave leaving me.... I’ve got some work to do.
After 2 or 3 waves I managed to stand up but only long enough to sink and not really ride the wave.
It was taking me a long time to get up on the board compared to Nik who was jumping up like a champ.
(my excuse was there was no wax where my hands were and they kept slipping off, the reality was, there WAS no wax but really I was gripping on for life so hard that it caused my hand to slip off)
So my goal of the day was to get up properly, so I tried and tried, got frustrated and then tried some more.
And then finally I popped straight up and got on the wave properly and rode it for 5-10 seconds.
It was time for lunch but I was so stoked on the feeling that I insisted I had to get a few more so Nik stayed out for a bit longer.
The 3rd wave I got on properly I rode all the way to the shore and I was hooked right there and then. STOKED!!!Went in for lunch and chucked on some wax around where I put my hands.
After lunch it started raining but we went out anyway. After one wave the sun came back out and then an hour of the most perfect little sets I’ve ever seen. Nikky continued to kill it and got the longest ride of the day. I could see her getting more balance and comfortable on the board too.
We both got at least 20 more waves and I got a lot more confident too (shuffling my feet around if I needed too, tilting the board to stay up rather than just bailing off the side).Day one turned out way more awesome than I thought it would and wipe outs fairly friendly (sorry guys) although we both had a good nose dive each and I came up from mine covering my head, looking pretty dumb but I didn’t get drilled so that’s okay by me. Can’t wait for day 2!!!
Oh and if anyone is interested I couldn’t get beginner foam boards so we are both riding S7 Super Fish boards. I have nothing to compare it too but Nikky says they are a little harder to get up on but way more fun and have a lot better control.
Sounds like ya had a ball, Andy!!!!!
The 7S Fishes are awesome boards!!!!! They haven’t got a great deal of rocker in them (ie flat), and this can make the takeoff a bit more difficult!!!!! However once ya up they are a good stable board that can maintain its momentum through flat spots well!!!!!
A great board to own now that ya hooked!!!!!
Take offs… difficult… yes…. nose plunging under water….. agreed.
I do like the board though. I wish I had a short board now to see what the difference is. But this is probably the best thing for me to learn on anyway.
And Cords - We went to Umina beach. It’s where I grew up and I knew that it is about waist deep for a fair way out. Though we did go out the back for a while too. It turned out to be a great place to learn.
DAY 2:
Back to Umina. The waves were ride-able but not as nice as yesterday.
Nikky had a slow start but pulled it together eventually and got into it.
We both started getting up sooner and sooner on the waves until we started getting up before the wave broke like you are supposed to.
We also played around with pumping and once we got it were able to ride the waves all the way to the shore and get a much longer ride which made it more fun.
I started trying to turn at the end of the waves and then eventually turned a little with the wave the way it was breaking. I managed to drop in and turn frontside and backside once each which felt really good.
I also though it would be a good idea to try and hang 10… it was not. 
The board is a longer board but definitely not a Mal. The nose sank, I jumped off, I came back up covering my head like a surfer taught me and thank god I did. The wave pointed the underwater board right at me before it fired at my head! I smacked it away and jarred my hand a bit but I didn’t split my head open. I decided not to try it again lol.
The surf died down in the arvo but it was still a really fun day and I can’t wait for tomorrow. God Damn I’m sore everywhere lol.
Sounds like ya dedicated, Andy!!!!!! 
Are we gonna see any pics/footage?????
I’m thinking I’ll take a camera on the last day. Right now I need every minute I have to practice 
Day 3:
We started at Umina but it was flat so we then headed to Terrigal.
Terrigal was a fair bit bigger than we were used to and pretty choppy but we gave it a go anyway.
We. Got. Worked!!! We caught a few waves between struggling to get out past the break but then Nikky had an epic nose dive, hit the sand bar and had to sit out for a bit and then got back on it.
And I was next, I started experimenting with turning today and I tried to take off across the wave. 2 waves closed out on me, my nose went in and I bailed, tumbled around in the wave for a bit and managed to not get a board in the head.
After that we were both ready to move on so we went back to Umina in the hope that the surf had picked up.
Umina had picked up and we were stoked to be back at our nice friendly beach lol.
We both got better at pumping and I saw Nikky get a nice turn in.
I managed to turn backside on the wave and ride across it which I was stoked about! And after that I got 3 more in a row that I managed to turn a bit both ways and then again ride backside across the wave. It felt so good to have control to go in the direction I wanted. STOKED!!
When we decided to call it for the day we both got on the same wave and rode it so far that we jumped off the boards straight onto the beach.
BRING ON THE FINAL DAY!!!! (We don’t want to give these boards back 
)
I was thinking about giving it a go this summer, done lessons about 3 times, and ridden a mates 6ft-ish mini mal. I’m not great at it but it was heaps of fun, just have no idea what to look for when buying a board.. Anyone have any recommendations for a good beginner board with a bit of room for progression?
Well I’m definitely no expert but I’m learning on an 7S Super fish and I like it. It’s big enough to catch just about anything but it’s not a total beginner foam board. They are really expensive though.
I’m sure Spaz or one of the other hard core surfers on here will help u out.
Day 4:
We headed to Womberal beach today because Umina was flat again.
The waves were bigger and rougher than we were used to but we gave it a go anyway. We were catching a few but with the choppy waves and the rip it seamed like too much hard work so we headed back to Umina.
Still Flat lol.
So we headed back to Womby and found a different spot to surf. This one was better but still pretty challenging.
We got some decent waves but we were definitely just doing our best just to catch them rather than trying to turn like yesterday.
Still fun and rpoud we could hang in some bigger surf.
We got the cameras out for a bit and then called it a day.
It’s been an epic ride but now we have to give the boards back 
I’m definitely thinking about getting one of my own though.
I’m pretty damn hooked on Surfing now, I highly recommend anyone that’s thinking about learning to DO IT!
I can’t believe I grew up on the coast and it took me this long to learn, but now that I have, I’ll be surfing every chance I get!
I’ll post a few pics and vids from day 4 tomorrow (I wish I filmed day 3, day 4 was shocking lol)
Thats awesome to hear you’ve had such a productive few days surfing and enjoyed it so much! If I was near decent surf I’d be super keen to learn.
Looking forward to the pics mate.
Now get back on your skateboard! Im bout to head out myself haha
Yep Back on the skateboard now for sure. I just need a day to recover lol
It was so much fun surfing! I already want to go again! Maybe because I’ve had a lesson, but I found surfing much more rewarding than skateboarding, the progression i found was a bit faster than skateboarding. But then again, maybe it’s just nice to be in the water on a hot day.
Ive never ever surfed before but i got given an old board for chrissy, i live near some of the best surf spots around (Margret River, Dunsborough area in WA although it will be a while before i actually try and surf these spots haha) and ive never surfed,
to me this sounded silly and almost taking were i live for granted so im gonna give it a go
Any one got any tips? Should i go get some lessons or just jump in and work it out?? Trying to cue up some mates but the few that do surf are hard to get motivated to take me in the smaller stuff….
That’s great Mw!!!!!
If ya feel as though lessons might help, the they definitely wont hurt!!!!!
Some tips, be patient as it’s one of the hardest sports to learn, try and stay away from the crowds as not only will ya get in the way of more experienced surfers, ya will only lessen ya chance of catchin more waves and make the process harder!!!!!
And try to keep ya board relatively “Flat” in the water when ya paddling to catch a wave!!!!! If ya weight is positoned to far forward or backward, this will stop the board from planin, and make it near impossible for ya to get up to speed with the wave, and in turn make it almost impossible to catch the wave!!!!!
Oh, and have fun!!!!!