If you  are new to surfing or if something you want to try there are some precautions you should definitely take before jumping in at the deep end

Here are our top 13 tips for beginners all the things you will need to know to get you started in your surfing fun and Adventures some are safety aspects some tips and trick, sum need to knows that should be in mind every time you head out on the sea

First things first surfing is  supposed to be fun, our tips are just to make your fun more enjoyable safe and effective in the long run I’m sure if you’ve surfed already you’re probably hooked and there’s a great group of people ready to join you in the water so Let’s Begin

1 Before paddling Out

If this is your first time surfing a surf camp lesson or teacher is always advisable this will help you pick up the basics I’ve surfing paddling and beach awareness far quicker.

An experienced teacher or other Surfer will have your back if you are injured or put yourself in danger after all we are all out there trying to have fun.

When choosing a camp teacher or friend try and get a referral from someone word of mouth is the best way to find a good teacher/ class.  a good teacher will also want you to progress and your love surfing, even more, when you feel safe and learn quicker

2 Board Choice

A foam board is a beginner’s best friend.  it’s the wide iron surface area to practice on and falling off will be a little less punishing on your body compared to a hardboard ( and you will fall off a lot) another benefit of a foam board is others around you it’s likely you’ll be surfing in the white water that can be very crowded at times with other beginners, paddlers, bodyboarders. whether you get hit by another board or you hit someone with your board a soft-top foam board  will nicer than a hard board sup or a pointy shortboard

3 choose your beach Wisley

Choosing a beginner-friendly  surf spot will speed up your success in the waves generally whitewater beach breaks with little rip currents will be the ideal beginner conditions

4 getting to know your surroundings

Just like choosing the right beach knowing the conditions where where to get in where the riptides are hidden dangers and hazards a good start is to spend some time on land first with your group teacher or friend work out the best spot to enter the water check over your gear leash, board, suit Whether you’re a beginner or advanced surfer most Surfers will check the waves before jumping in but the sea is unpredictable and can throw all kinds at you. Being aware of wave conditions can help you prepare for changes that might happen once you’re out in the water

5 Warm up and stretch

Maybe not the most exciting thing but can be one of the most important feeling tight cramping and simply fatiguing faster will all be a result of not warming up or stretching correctly in the beginning here’s  some info on best stretches and the best warm-ups for surfing

6 Calm and confident

Being calm in the sea will be your best friend when it comes to saving energy and controlling your breath you’ve got this far with all of the beach prep work you know the conditions by this point

7 Start small

Although the coined phrase is, “go big or go home” starting small as a beginner or even intermediate will get you warmed up to the conditions. starting off with smaller waves on the inside once you build confidence and understand where the ribs are you can all then work your way out back there is always a great feeling of catching big waves but as a beginner, you want to catch more waves so starting small is the key to catching more waves

8 Practice

All of the work you put in on the beach will now come into play and you’ll have to Almost drill this over and over on many waves sitting on the board paddling and the Pop-Up are your three main skills you will be rinse and repeating to get this to a fine art.  so I think he is also one of the sports, wear if it feels right it’s probably correct you can tell quite fast if your paddling in the wrong position on your board nose dipping under the water or you’re zigzagging side to side it will feel correct same goes for the Pop-Up you will know when it’s right.

9 The Shuffle

While sitting waiting on the board Currents and waves will move and rotate you overtime so keeping your feet dangling in the water and keeping your feet moving will help you correct yourself rotating your feet in One Direction will help spin the board and your nose pointing outwards towards the horizon. once on your bored you will also want to keep your feet moving and adjusting to find the correct position moving up and down the board will help you trim if you’re going too fast or too slow on a wave on bigger boards this can also help with tighter turns

10  nose diving and wipeouts

Just like practising all the good techniques practising how to fall off is also key.  counterintuitive I know but for anyone who has skateboarding or skied or any other board sport will know how to fall off correctly will limit the damage that you take. Similar to shuffling when you catch a wave you want to keep your nose out of the water as soon as your nose starts dipping under it’s almost game over.  you can avoid this by positioning yourself further back when paddling and lifting your chest higher. if you are very new to surfing or even being in the sea knowing when to hold your breath as a wave hits you may be a new concept as well once again practice over time will help. improving your breath-hold for ducking under waves or when falling off into deeper Waters will be a life-saving skill to develop in the long run

11 Go straight

The fastest way to you get used to  surfing without too many variables is to aim straight for the beach get your parallel stance Arms Wide for balance low and facing the direction you want to go

12  respect others

Surfing is a fun social Sport for the most part but there is some etiquette involved when turning up to a new beach.  paddling into every wave without consideration for others will not make you the most popular person if you’re with an instructor or a friend who has been surfing longer these people will be able to advise you on what waves to take.

To learn more about Surf etiquette check out our other post

13   know yourself and have fun

If you’re reading this  you have probably already had a lesson or surfed before  and hopefully it was a lot of fun for you that’s why you’re looking to improve.  but also knowing yourself, when you’re tired when you’re free no you’re not having fun anymore that’s the time to paddle in and have a break it is supposed to be fun after all and if you’re not having fun it’s not worth it

I hope these few tips helped you if you think we’ve missed anything important or want to know more send us a message

What’s the difference in volume with a hardboard and inflatable

if you’re just starting out in stand-up paddle boarding you’re likely to rent or get a lesson on an inflatable, for beginners this is a great place to start is usually and inflatable is more stable very flat a wide surface with high volume.

Amount of storage needed

Your first paddle board may also be a inflatable sup,  they can be deflated and rolled up and put into a backpack size carrier the paddles also can be unassembled to  take up less space so when it comes to storage the inflatable wins this round.

Storage good practices

Always store a  hard paddle board in its bag  this will reduce UV damage or anything knocking the board will be protected the same goes for inflatables but there may be  deterioration if rolled up for too long you may find if your board has been rolled up for a long period of time when you pump it up it has warped or stretch slightly.

A soft vs hard deck

If you’re a beginner and still getting your balance on a stand-up paddle board and then likely enough you’ll be falling in the water or on the board frequently one benefit the inflatable has is if you fall off the board or onto the board it’s softer and less impact on your body then a hard sup

What is more durable

Inflatable boards more durable in a sense that if you were to collide or hit obstacles then more likely to bounce off with less damage.  Banks rocks other boards or even falling on the board can all be things that damage a sup inflatable absorbs all of these with little effect on the board.

can I travel with Stand-up paddle board

Although you can take hard boards on a plane because of the size no matter how are you packet there is always a risk of it getting damaged where as an inflatable you can just put in as luggage and not worry about damage,  there is also the additional cost of sports equipment for a hardboard, ideal travel board

There are different length limits for sports equipment so it’s best to check with your airline before you go and book and check in advance

when it comes to performance

Performance Although inflatable technology materials have come a long way the improvements the hard boards are still unmatched proof of this would be if you were to watch any sup competition.  and see how many people are using inflatables over hard boards

The design of a hardboard can be far more technical more performance shapes can be mate when your shaping a board of foam and fiberglass/ carbon fibre think of it like the chiseled physique and the tubby brother.

There is limitations to inflatable stand-up paddle boards accurate rail profiles  channels on the bottom of the board more pressure through the fin True performance sup

What’s more Efficient

Hardboard if designed correctly will be far more efficient than inflatable everytime you paddleboard a certain amount of the energy will be absorbed into the board and the rest will propel you forward with a hardboard nearly all of your thoughts on your paddle is pushing straight through to moving the board forward.  With inflatables far more energy is being absorbed into the board so over time you will tire far quicker on an inflatable sup over distance. Best board for distance and Efficiency

What is stronger? hard boards or inflatables

For inflatable sup to get its strength it needs to be thick more material more air more fibres this is why you don’t see thin profile inflatables without them bending in the middle with the hardboard naturally it has far more rigidity and can use far better materials like carbon fibre, wooden stringers and layering technology of glass. For this reason you can stand much lower on the board and this provides once again a more efficient paddle stroke and paddle position your centre of balance is much lower so more Force can push you forward .

What is faster to get in the water

Hardboard has no setup time as soon as you get to the beach is ready to go no 10-20 minutes of pumping up, unravelling assembling it’s always ready to go I’ve heard inflatable sup enthusiasts say “well I can just leave mine inflated” if that’s the case then you have room for  a hard board

what about repairs

Repairing a laminated hardboard is a lot easier than most people think as long as you know the material your board is made from a safe bet is two part epoxy epoxy won’t effect polyester polyurethane boards but polyester resin will affect and an epoxy board.  inflatables similar to if you’ve ever had a bike puncture just needs a patch and some strong glue always test for air leaks before you set out

Foil fins and sup foil

This is specifically something that can be used on hard boards I have not ever seen a full on an inflatable simply because a large amount of pressure goes through the thin box and that kind of strength you will only get with the hardboard although it may seem kind of niche it’s a fun option

Beginner boards

Like many of the points above a beginner board will very much be dependent on how comfortable you are on each board I would always recommend 8 hardboard as it gives you a upgrade path to improving and you’re already one step ahead when it comes to upgrades if you are likely to use a bored only a summer or holidays and trips and inflatable may best suit you

Ultimate / pinnacle boards

For ultimate surf race downwind touring or all-rounder it’s going to be a point for the hard boards here laminated hardboard with a fiberglass carbon or other will always have a clear lead an advantage over an inflatable

Ultimate racer  / Ultimate racer 14  foot / Ultimate Surfs Up

maintenance or upkeep on stand-up paddle boards

With hard boards it’s simply taking out of the bag and checking over for any damage before you jump in the water and after a paddle it’s good practice to rinse off the sort of any board

For inflatables similar un-rolling your board checking for punctures making sure it’s correctly inflated And rinsing off before it goes in a bag

Buying advice

Before purchasing your first stand-up paddle board consider what you’re going to use the board for and try out both inflatable and hard boards most places will hire boards or even lessons you will have the choice sometimes of a hardboard or inflatable have a go on both and make up your own mind. our recommended first time sup

final thoughts

Each person reading this will have their own winner as it depends completely on your circumstances if you have an apartment or a small amount of  space to store a board or you just recreationally use a board for a summer holiday then a inflatable might make more sense to you

where as anyone who has been on a hardboard after using a inflatable will realise almost instantly how much better faster and more efficient 8 hardboard feels under your feet more responsive in all conditions, all-round improver board

Me and my brother when creating our boards have toyed with the idea of making inflatable paddle boards and With all the same reasons above and deciding to go with performance Hard boards for this reason it was very obvious the better choice to us and our customers. for more information why we only make epoxy boards see this article