Faxia

Walk out holding on to your surfboard near the nose, with most of the board training behind you. The less board that sticks out in front of you the better. Try to always keep your board pointed straight out as you head out, or straight in as you get ready to go on the wave. Avoid letting your surfboard swing around sideways or the next onrushing wave may return your board into you in an unfriendly manner. Whenever possible, lift your board higher than the oncoming wave as you walk out or you will be losing more ground as you go. Walk out just past your waist and then see if you have enough time to turn your board around. If so, lift your board in the middle using two hands and point it straight toward the beach.

The only three things that matter in catching the whitewater are... the board and the wave must be perpendicular to one another, the body must be centered properly on the board, and the board must be already moving into the beach when the wave hits you. So, as your wave approaches you, line up the board so it is pointed straight towards the beach, and when the wave is about 10 yards away, jump onto your board and begin to paddle. As you go you must keep your board perpendicular and flat. Too much angle to the beach will cause the board to flip over. You must also have your body centered correctly. If the wave hits you and you are too far forward on your surfboard, you will pearl or nosedive. Too far back on the board and you won't catch the wave. Now that you are perpendicular and centered, its time to start paddling.

You will need 7 or 8 strokes to get up enough speed to catch the wave. As the whitewater wave rushes onto the back of the board, stop paddling and hold on tight to the rails at chest level. As the wave hits you hold tight. You will then feel the wave pick you up and propel you in front of it. Now is when you want to pop up, landing in the middle of the board.

Top Surf Tips

A short history lesson today guys. Surfing can be dated back to before Captain Cook’s discovery of the ancient Hawaiian kings riding on the crest of a wave back in the eighteenth century and yes much has changed in the sport since then. Through out the past 300 years, one thing that remains the same is the uncontrollable, throw your hands in the air and scream to the gods feeling you get when you stand up on your first wave.

How you explain it I'm not sure, and even if I did it wouldn't do it justice. Picking the right wave, paddling like a madman or woman, feeling the wave begin to propel you forward and take control and then you pop to your feet. For a split second you think you’re in control but then you realise the ocean is fighting to throw you in the dunk. Experiencing it firsthand is the only way you can really understand what I’m talking about so get some gear and get wet.