Surf Like a Girl
When I was learning to surf in my twenties, it was the first time I had consciously became aware of, experienced mindfulness, through an action oriented sport. Even though I was involved in many sports prior. There was something about the ocean's constant sway, the feel of the sand and water all around me, that made all my senses wake up. And in those moments I knew surfing would always be a part of my life. It was ethereal. It was sublime and serene and more than what I had imagined watching on YouTube shorts , or with people surfing in movies, because at that time, I had yet to come across the myriad of documentaries made about surfing. And, Just like the boys I had seen in lineups on the t.v screen, as bloodied and bruised as I became, I wasn’t easily swayed to give it up. These tumbles and minor setbacks included a smashed clavicle, nail in the foot, torn ligament, and being bit by a sand shark, among many others and yet I just couldn’t stop myself from suiting up, waxing up and zincing up before heading out. This shows the testament of how powerful it can be to get in the mindful flow of nature, where our methodical tendencies fade away into the vast abyss of the ocean.
After twenty years in the water and teaching countless friends, family and even random kids on the beach, I became a surf instructor for all ages and levels, I noticed after watching tutorials I would often recommend to students and working with other male surf instructors, that there was an underlying current of linear direction that left out the intuitive aspects of surfing, I so loved.
So here it goes. On to intuitive lesson one…
Lesson 1 - Mindset, stretching and warmup. Don’t be afraid to look stupid on and off the beach. As with anything in life. We have to begin somewhere and in the case of surfing even after twenty years in the ocean I am still humbled. You will crawl before you walk. And using that analogy you could use the same one for surfing, quite literally, you should be crawling around on the sand on your hands and knees practicing your pop up, doing some stretches and a decent warm up! Loosening up your hips is especially important and isn’t a stretch that is normalised in typical avenues of sports. Those muscles and joints you haven’t used in awhile won’t be as nimble when you take to the waves, if you don’t do this.
Lesson 2 - Know the goal! If you aren’t already an avid ocean dweller, get used to the waves and board alongside you first. The goal in your first few lessons won’t be to stand up. The goal will be to read the waves in order to facilitate the movement you need to stand up.
Safety tip - never let the board turn horizontally in front of you. You will be furiously attacked and then tossed around like your pajamas in a washer machine, and if you’re not ‘stoked’ on surfing yet. This might turn you marching back to the shoreline.
Lesson 3 - If you’ve gotten to the point where you are confidently out in the ocean with your beginner foam board perpendicular next to you. Swaying with the lull of the ocean, Thịs is where observation comes in. Is the current pulling you in a certain direction? How large are the sets coming in. How often? Notice these things so you can pinpoint a land item to adhere to while out there. Keep shifting to stay in the same place you started or close to it. Trust me on this. You do not want to end up a mile down the beach slogging your board with you.
Lesson 4 - Feeling balanced in movement…. Balance is hugely relevant in how we show up in life as well as on the surfbaord. For me it has been a constant theme in giving myself grace. In knowing that I can shift experiences to one side or the other and feel somewhat more aligned in the direction I am going. This mindset of growth helps me to surf with grace for myself as well, allowing me to tip the scales back to motivation. If you know you have the ability to shift your weight on the board at any given moment, you can easily let go of the fact that maybe you started off in the wrong spot.
If you’ve gotten to the stage of coasting with the wave on your own whether with a push or hopping on from the side and being able to read the rhythm in which the wave will push you, the next step is to get to your knees, but first, If you would like to get onto the board laying down on your own, adding a few paddles if needed, you will want to learn the side hop. To do this just takes a little prototyping. This is also where you will want to get out of your head and use how you feel, to discern on which side you will easily jump onto the board from. When you do hop on, where do you end up on the board? From which side is it easiest for you to feel centered while laying down? You will want to make sure you’re not too far forward or too far back and this depends on wave size as well. The bigger the green wave or whitewash, the farther back you want to be so as to not plummet forward. Adjust your body instinctually while craning your neck to see the wave behind you. When you’ve hopped on and when you see the whitewash it’s time to either move up or down on the board shifting your weight forward or back in order to feel aligned. You can even shift your weight off the front of the board by pushing up into a cow pose (yoga reference).
Remember that you will make mistakes, you will plummet forward a few times and that’s a good thing because intuition often builds off of experience and if you aren’t sharing in a few laughs with your instructor then you probably aren’t trying. Give yourself grace as balance takes practice, in all avenues of life.
Safety tip - If you do end up plummeting forward into the wave because you were too far forward, always remember to put your hands up, if submerged, because guess what. If you have properly strapped your bored to your ankle it’s coming for ya!
Story time - After a long surf session where I should have called it, I forgot to put my arms up to protect myself from a boomerang surfboard that nailed me in the face. Luckily I kept all my teeth but I had to explain to my family in depth why I had a bloody and fat lip for the rest of the week. Don’t be me! Arms up!
Lesson 5 - So you’ve gone from crawling to kneeling while side hopping onto your board and timing it well enough to pick up momentum. Your timing is seems to be in flow with the waves energy. You’re figuring out when to move and inch or two forward or backwards while laying or kneeling. You’re feeling the momentum and you have gotten to your feet! And the dance begins. Just like if you’re balancing on a tightrope. You’ll be ever moving and shifting in order to accommodate the board on the wave. It will feel like your dancing with nature! Standing and swaying and shifting your feet while keeping your gaze to the right or left down the line of the wave.
Tip - Standing up before you have full momentum will leave you lifeless behind the wave wondering what happened. Just feel this one out while laying down or kneeling first. It’s just like riding a bike. The more momentum you have the easier it will be to balance and actually ride the wave.
Lesson 6 - This is one of the second biggest lessons behind reading waves, it’s the dancing you’ll be doing, while standing on the board! Just like when you are kneeling or laying down you will be shifting and moving with your feet and this is where your intuition will guide you to be in sync with the wave. No surf instructor will be able to tell you exactly where you need to be on the board on every wave unless they are on the wave with you! Which some will do, but most surf instructors are going to be behind you, giving you that extra shove for momentum.
If you’re interested in a lesson please reach out!
