In a nutshell:
The chance to defy gravity and ride on top of a wave (then fall in!)

Tell me more!
Much like scuba diving, the urge to start surfing may hit you when you are holidaying abroad, standing on golden sands and looking at warm, clear waters. Even if this is your first experience, it is still possible to carry on with the sport back in Blighty as there are many suitable British coastlines that can provide the waves you are after, despite a probable 10 degree drop in temperature! Wetsuits become your best friend no matter where you surf as they will make the experience a lot more comfortable and, the more you practice, the more enjoyable the sport becomes! It is also a great route to take if you want to keep fit as paddling, standing up and falling off in water provides you with a whole body workout. 

The stuff you need
Surfing is all about technique and lots and lots of practise. You can contact a surf school and join a beginners group or take 1:1 lessons from an instructor. Boards and wetsuits are usually provided, which saves you shelling out for high cost items as you start learning plus the size and shape of the board you need will change as your skills increase. You will probably start on a softboard, also known as a ‘foamie’ which is long, soft and stable to ride, however, you will grow out of this quickly and look to progress onto a long or shortboard. As you practice on both types of board, you can get a feel for the one that suits you best. A hard longboard is over 8ft which means it is more buoyant, stable, easier to paddle and can be better to ride in poor surf conditions. A hard shortboard is 7ft and under and is most likely the type surfers use when you see them riding waves on TV. These boards are much easier to use for fast turning and acceleration but you really need to be good at surfing before riding one of these or it may take you a long time to actually stand on the board!

Cool things you can do
Once you spend more of your time on the board rather than falling into the water, you can progress to riding higher waves for a bigger thrill. If you have a competitive streak, there are many competitions you can enter locally, regionally, nationally and abroad. Master tricks and throw some impressive shapes on a long or shortboard to fascinate your friends (unless they are better than you already!) Try out new areas in Britain and foreign shores to experience different types of surfing conditions. Keep your eye on the other great surfers around you as watching them can give you hints and tips to improve your own surfing skills.

People in the know!
watertrader.co.uk/magazine/surfing-guide.htm
britsurf.co.uk/
a1surf.com/SurfReports/Default.aspx

Interested in this? Why not try kite surfing, mountain boarding, sailing, scuba diving, wild swimming

Learn some surfing lingo and watch a master in action!