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| Hire Surf Equipment Here | Book Surfing Lessons Here |
This is a free service brought to you by The Little Pink Shop!
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| Hire Surf Equipment Here | Book Surfing Lessons Here |
The author accepts no responsibilities for any accidents or injuries or fatalities which may arise as a result of using the advice given.
SURFBOARD BUYERS GUIDE WETSUIT BUYERS GUIDE
This page is about how to actually surf....you also need to read the page on Beach Safety
which can be found here
YOU MUST HAVE READ THE PREVIOUS PAGE ON SAFETY BEFORE PROCEEDING.....
THE OBVIOUS BIT
You must have the right equipment, if you haven't already done so read our pages on SURFBOARDS and WETSUITS. (We rent all the right equipment, take a look at our HIRE page)
TYPICAL BEGINNERS BOARDS- FREEBIRD 7'3" POP OUT, 8' SWELLS SOFT BOARD, 7'10" WAVE-TEC, 9' WAVE-TEC. WE KEEP MANY BOARDS SUITABLE FOR BEGINNERS TO HIRE FROM OUR SHOP.
BSA Approved Surf Schools must offer Softboards (Swells/second from left-above) to beginners but it is quite possible to learn on any board - the bigger the better (within reason) Our BSA approved instructors give coaching/tuition on all types of boards and to all levels...from Swell Softboards to competition shortboard standard, the only proviso being that the equipment used must suit the ability of the rider...
As a total beginner you will start on the "Swells Softboard"
We are constantly updating our hire fleet with the latest products...
NEW BOARDS RECENTLY INTRODUCED TO OUR HIRE FLEET, FROM LEFT TO RIGHT:-
7'6 Tiki Epoxy (hard), 7'6 Tiki Soft 'n' Hard, 9' Tiki Soft 'n' Hard.
9' Tiki Soft 'n' Hard at Putsborough....
New generation- Good weight, plan-shape, proper rails & thruster fins-soft deck...
For more info on boards and construction visit our Surfboard Buyers Guide.
THERE IS NO REASON WHY YOU CAN'T LEARN ON A CUSTOM BOARD AS LONG AS IT IS BIG ENOUGH. FROM LEFT TO RIGHT, 7'4" 7'6, 7'8" 7'10" GULFSTREAM CUSTOM MINI-MALS. SIMILAR BOARDS ARE FOR HIRE FROM OUR SHOP.
This Gulfstream 6'7" is a good example of a board that is unsuitable for learning on.
(We also hire intermediate boards and custom boards for the more experienced........)
New for Easter 2002...A completely new hire fleet of custom boards ranging from 6'4" to 9'6" Check them out here...
A BOARD TO LEARN ON SHOULD BE AT LEAST 1 FOOT TALLER THAN THE RIDER, WITH PLENTY OF VOLUME. THE BIGGER YOU GO THE EASIER IT WILL BE TO STAND ON BUT LESS MANAGEABLE IT WILL BE IN & OUT OF THE WATER.
You must also stay safe. If you haven't read our page on SAFETY then read it NOW.
Think of a water skier, he is sunk below the water when stationary but as the boat gathers speed he rises to the top and "planes" The faster he goes the less planing area he needs to support his weight, -tow him fast enough and he can even do it on bare feet.
As a beginner you do not yet have the ability to plane so flotation is needed to help hold you up.This is why the Soft "Mr.Blobby" learner boards are to 8 foot long x 4 foot wide x 2 foot thick!
We hear lots of talk along the lines of "My board won't float me" or "I'm too heavy for it". Unless the surf is very weak this actually translates into "I do not have the ability to make this board plane/ i.e. ride this board" If this is the case you need to either speed up the learning curve by surfing more often or try a bigger board until you improve...it's not necessarily the board's fault!
THE "PLONKER ON THE BEACH" BIT
The first thing most Surf Schools do is to lay you on a board
on the beach and make you look like a complete plonker. This is a little difficult
on-line, but not impossible! If this is going to be a true surf school experience and you
don't want to miss out this bit you'll have to improvise...... get out the ironing board,
or make a cardboard cut-out of the board, lay it on the floor and away you go! Be warned
however, you will find it a bit more difficult with a board in the water.
The object of this exercise is give you an idea of where to lie on the board to achieve the correct trim, show you the alternating over-arm paddling stroke and for you to practice the techniques for getting to your feet.
Correct trim, easy, when paddling on flat water the nose of the board should skim the water about 2-3" above the surface. Higher and waves will tend to leave you behind on take off, less and the nose is likely to submerge, very nasty and definitely to be avoided!
This lady is nicely trimmed on flat water but she may need to move back just a little (and put something on, before hitting the surf!)
This is a free service brought to you by The Little Pink Shop!
The author accepts no responsibilities for any accidents or injuries or fatalities which may arise as a result of using the advice given.
Paddling, easy again, just as it looks. Fingers together, alternate arms.
Video Download-Learner first time up on one of our 7'6" Soft & Hard Mini-mals
The-spring-to-feet-in-one-go technique for getting up:-
Not difficult on dry land! Place your hands flat on the deck, push up until your arms are straight. Immediately bring your legs up under you and assume a low crouch with you feet about half a metre apart and bridging the centre line of the board. This should be done in one smooth movement. Your position on the board should be roughly in the centre. (You weight the front or rear foot a little to trim the height of the nose.)
The 'Fat-Git' method of getting up:-
Most people find it relatively easy to get to their knees so once kneeling swing one leg around in front of you and place your foot flat on the board. Next, push upward (piston-like) into a low standing stance - piece of cake!
GROVELLING ON YOUR KNEES!
A lot of people have trouble getting to their feet and wobble about on one or both knees & can't seem to get any further before running into the beach. If this is you then try the "fat-git" method. As long as you are getting up, exactly how you achieved it isn't important! -however you will waste a larger part of each wave with the "fat-git" method than with the spring-to-your-feet-in-one-go technique.
NATURAL or GOOFY FOOT?
You will by now have ascertained which foot is going to be at the front. Most people are "Natural" which is left foot forward, fewer people are right foot forward which is known as "goofy". It makes no difference except that you attach the leash to the rear foot. (The leash should be checked for defects.)
This is a free service brought to you by The Little Pink Shop!
The author accepts no responsibilities for any accidents or injuries or fatalities which may arise as a result of using the advice given.
WAX
If you are riding a hard board the DECK should have sufficient wax so as to eliminate slip and provide good traction. You do not need to wax the bottom or fins, leash or your own feet! Do not eat the wax. SEX-WAX has nothing to do with sex. Waxing is largely unnecessary with a soft board.
Next wade out to waist or chest depth, with the board beside you (pointing seawards), tipping the front up and over each wave. When you are far enough out, turn the board around. Avoid having the board broadside to the surf as much as possible!
There are two ways of catching a broken wave.
Method 1 / Select a (broken) wave. As the wave reaches the tail of the board launch onto the wave by pushing off from the bottom, mounting the board from the side.
Method 2 / Lie on the board and paddle in front of your chosen (broken) wave. You need to be in that trim position, remembering- too far back & you won't catch the wave, too far forward and you'll die! Most beginners err on the side of caution & this is o.k. especially in boisterous conditions but if you are not catching waves then you probably need to move forward and get that nose down.
ON THE WAVE!
Once you've started catching waves, trim the board by adjusting your position on it. The nose of the board should be skimming a few inches above the water ahead of the wave. Now grab the sides ("rails") of the board & "rock" left and right, get a feel for the stability of the thing which you are about to attempt to stand up on. Practice tracking to the left, then to the right, then both on the same wave. Do this a few times until you feel comfortable with the board. Now all you have to do is stand up and you've cracked it.
This is a free service brought to you by The Little Pink Shop!
The author accepts no responsibilities for any accidents or injuries or fatalities which may arise as a result of using the advice given.
Remember the spring-to-your-feet-in-one-go and the "fat-git" techniques you practised on your ironing board? Well now's the time to put them to the test! You will, of course, fall straight off! Once you have the techniques just keep practising the one that works best for you. When you can catch a wave and stand up more often than not, you are on your way becoming a surfer. Once on your feet you can soon begin to steer the board by weighting your rear foot a little and angling the board to the left or right. As you become more confident you can start putting more weight into it. Heavily weight the rear foot and carve it around- your first bottom turn! Surfing is not so much about balance but about developing an instinctive counter balance, which is a different thing altogether.
Trying to stand up too soon, you see it again and again-be sure the board is on the wave and planing.
Getting up too far back,- get that nose in trim or board will not plane & you will be left behind!
Both of the above at the same time...as above.
Lying to far forward, -dive! dive! dive!
Selecting an unsuitable wave,- only experience will help with this one, watch other people.
CATCHING UNBROKEN WAVES
Wave selection, timing & trim are far more critical. When you've got it right you will feel the board begin it's launch down the face of the wave, you must be on your feet quickly because you have to be up and in control for the bottom turn. As you get to your feet you weight your rear foot and thus prevent the nose of the board from digging in. Combine this with a turn and you are surfing along the wave rather in straight in with it. Along facing the wave you are on your forehand, along back to the wave you are riding on your backhand.
Best not start at low tide Croyde as you want a wave that "feathers" and approaches vertical in a slow predictable way. Saunton is a good place.
SOFTBOARDS 'V' HARDBOARDS 'V' SOFT'n'HARD
Surf-schools are obliged to offer softboards to beginners as they are safer to use. They also have massive amounts of float which will help hold you up until you learn to make the board plane. Unfortunately they don't plane very well themselves or turn from the tail like a "real" surfboard. As soon as you can stand on one, ditch it!
Hard & Soft boards are a very good transition between Softboards and Customs...Modern technology has kept the weight down and they plane properly and ride well. Their durability makes them popular with hire shops (though they are not cheap to buy).
Hard boards plane better, their turning ability is always superior but their performance is related to their size & weight. A moulded pop-out is slow to turn (forgiving to a learner) whereas a small custom can become an extension of your own body language and thus impossible for a beginner. A 7'3" to 8' mini-mal however makes a great first board. All hardboards can damage you but surfing is an adventure sport so "no pain-no gain"!
For more info on boards and construction visit our Surfboard Buyers Guide.
This is a free service brought to you by The Little Pink Shop!
The author accepts no responsibilities for any accidents or injuries or fatalities which may arise as a result of using the advice given.
WIPING OUT
Try to fall off the side or rear of the board, so that the wave takes the board away from you. Try not to hurt anybody else. If need be submerge with your arms protecting you head to avoid being run over!
This is one of the most difficult things and often the least mentioned in articles like this one. Briefly, you have to learn to minimise the effect of the wave hitting you and lose as little ground as possible. It's all about learning how to avoid the power in the waves.
Small waves you can go "up and over" with the board or do a "press-up" on the board../board goes under the wave, your body goes over the wave...
Unbroken waves you can punch though, (even at the last minute as long as you can get your head under the lip).
Broken waves you will have learn to "duck dive". As the broken wave approaches you, you push the nose of the board under the water and follow it with your head. The bigger the wave the deeper you must go. The wave rolls over you and you pop up the other side. How much ground you lose depends on the success of each dive, fitness, youth & agility really come into their own here! Beginners boards by virtue of their size & volume do not easily duck dive, you will have to learn to ride a narrow nosed real surfboard before paddling out becomes easier!
Experienced surfers also use lulls in the sets and rips to "get out the back on big days" Epic surf you see in magazines is usually at pointbreaks and reefs, despite the size it might even have been a dry hair paddle out!
This is a free service brought to you by The Little Pink Shop!
The author accepts no responsibilities for any accidents or injuries or fatalities which may arise as a result of using the advice given.
BODYBOARDING
A lot of people think that Bodyboarding is an easy way to start surfing. True, it is a more immediate way to have fun in the sea. It is also a valid and enjoyable branch of surfing in it's own right, however if you plan to progress onto a stand up board then why not get on with it from the outset? If surfing for you is an occasional pursuit or a holiday fad then maybe bodyboarding is for you....
The best boards have a slick bottom and a separate core.This allows flex, with the board returning to it's original shape time after time.(this is known as the board's "memory") Non-slick cheap floppy boards have no memory and "bounce" along with little or no real control,-tourist stuff!
Memory is achieved through sandwich construction, the board being laminated up out of five or six different pieces. This is why real bodyboards are expensive. If it isn't expensive it probably isn't a "real" bodyboard!
Bodyboarding in its most basic form it is a bit like using the old plywood belly boards. Stick it in your stomach and when the wave hits your bum -you launch! Skilled bodyboarding however is quite like an aquatic version of BMX bike riding, in that you use the wave as a ramp and pull off air-borne manoeuvres.
FLIPPERS/SWIM-FINS, a.k.a.FINS
Flippers (fins) are intended as an aid to paddling out and for catching larger unbroken waves.Wear them with unsoled neoprene "sox" for comfort & little leashes (fin-savers) Unless you have previous experience wearing fins in surf over 3 feet is tricky, better to get the hang of it in small surf first. When buying fins it is vital to follow our sizing advice. Bodyboard leashes usually attach to the wrist.
Check out our Bodyboard & Fins Buyers Guide Here
FINALLY
We are here, so use us! Our advice comes absolutely free. This includes the best place to surf on the day, (or even if we don't think it is safe to go in the water at all!). The best board for your height and weight, summer or winter wetsuit recommendations according to the sea temperature and prevailing weather conditions.
All the lessons, expensive equipment and designer surfwear in the world won't make you into a surfer. Only you can make yourself into a "surfer" by determination, commitment and sheer bloody obsession....And remember- "If surfing doesn't cost you at least one serious relationship, your not trying hard enough!"
From our shop we hire out practically everything you might need to go surfing summer and winter whether you are a beginner or experienced. We talk to plenty of people who have bought boards they can't ride. Our advice is to spend a bit of money trying our different boards out before you buy anything. It will be money well spent since you will know what you can & can't ride & you won't make an expensive mistake when you do buy.
OPENING
HOURS
We are open pretty much 7 days a week
from Easter to November and every week-end throughout the year. We are often open during
autumn half-term and over the Christmas and New Year period however we advise you to phone
to make sure if you are making a special trip. Hire equipment is available, in reasonable
hours, anytime, by arrangement.
North Devon (Croyde in particular )boasts some of the best surf in the U.K. Given the right weather conditions, we enjoy world class waves. Our shop and hire department is situated on the approach to Croyde Bay, approximately 400 mtrs from the sands. We offer equipment rental, local knowledge, advice and expertise which will enable even the complete novice to take full advantage of the prevailing conditions.
To find us
M5>exit 27>A361(North Devon Link
Road)> Barnstaple> Braunton...Turn left at lights B3231>Croyde Village>1st
fork left (Croyde Bridge)>past garage on left 100yds>turn left towards Croyde
Bay.(a.k.a.Moor Lane) SLOW DOWN NOW We are just 100 yds on the left.
This is a free service brought to you by The Little Pink Shop!
The author accepts no responsibilities for any accidents or injuries or fatalities which may arise as a result of using the advice given.
A SECURITY
DEPOSIT IS REQUIRED ON ALL HIRE EQUIPMENT
i.e.
Access/Visa/Mastercard/Switch/Amex/Passport etc..
( Other arrangements can be considered,...ASK!!)
The Little Pink Shop
Phone/Fax us on 01271/890453
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