Hang in there, girly.
Have you ever felt like you’ve been surfing consistently, trying to grow your skills just to feel like you’re going backwards? Well hunny, we’ve been there too.
Surfing is one of those tricky sports/artforms that you can’t just pick up overnight. It is literally unheard of to be a good surfer in one go, and here is why:
Ocean Knowledge: For some that have grown up by the ocean this will come a bit more easily to them. However, for the most of us this was something that had to be learnt from the get go. When you’re out in the surf try notice where the peak of the wave tends to form, notice if there is a sweep & make a conscious decision of where to sit with your type of board. On longer boards you have the option to sit a little wider and pick off smaller waves that short-boarders can’t get on. On the other hand, short-boarders should always try sit near the peak or pocket of the waves, so they can paddle onto the steeper points.
Learning to read a surf report: I’m not sure if this was just me, but I never used to look at surf reports or even cared, really. I just went out in whatever conditions no matter what & didn’t realise there were reasons I wasn’t always having the best surfs. It took me about 6 years of surfing before I even considered looking at a report and trying to figure it out. They may look scary at first, but knowing what conditions will work best for a particular break, will be a huge factor in improving your surfing. As a rule of thumb, try to aim for offshore winds (e.g. winds coming from the land, pushing out to sea) & wave size that’s most suited to your ability. Most of the time, this is when you’ll get the cleanest conditions.
Testing out boards & finding the right one for you: When I was younger I had a seriously tunnel visioned mindset when it came to surfboards. I truely believed short-boarding was the only option for me & long boarding was some arbitrary thing that only older men did. It took me a solid 7 years of surfing until I was enlightened to the female long boarding culture that was becoming more and more popular. As sad as it is, the big brands were only sponsoring short-boarders when I was a teen. In fact, it’s only a recent addition that they have a few “token” long boarders on their teams. Long-boarding is like the underdog to surfing. Just because you think you’re a decent surfer doesn’t mean long boarding will just work for you, because it’s “easier”. Find what boards work for you and your style. Don’t be disheartened if this takes you almost 10 years like it took me. It was sooo worth it.
Don’t let fear of judgement get in the way: Come-on girly, you can do it. I’m being serious when I say, the only people that care about beginners “being in their way” are the surfers that aren’t skilled enough to get around the beginners. We all deserve an equal chance in the waves but you have to go for it. It’s very rare to find someone encouraging you to paddle for a wave (unlike Groove Girls), so you have to grow the courage and do it. Be mindful and aware of those around you, but don’t let them make you feel like you’re not good enough to paddle for a wave. It’s up to you girly, & you can do it!