Surfing is a water-surface sport. A surfer travels through the water on a specially designed board and their skill is measured by the size of waves they manage to ride successfully. It's a challenging sport and demands a lot of patience; you are likely to fall of your board over and over again.
Have you ever been surfing? If you are interested in learning how to surf we have many surfing companies located throughout the U.K. Maybe there is a surfing school closer to you than you think.
Starting your surfing journey
The most important tool that you will need is a surfboard. Although they all look similar, each one is originally designed. When buying a surfboard you have to consider it's manoeuvrability, balance and floating capacity. A beginner surfer will start on calm waters to get to grips with the board, before moving on to waves and learning to stand-up.
The mains types of surfboards
There are many different surfboards models to choose from depending on the kind of waters you tend to surf. Here is a brief description of the two most popular types:
- Shortboard: primarily used for surfing big waves, it is between 4 and 8 feet long.
- Longboard: this board is better-suited to smaller waves and is the standard chioce for beginners.
Specialist surfboards
Furthermore, these specialised models have one of the following qualities:
- Fish boards: designed to use when the surf is not very good. It has a good buoyancy and is easy to paddle.
- Retro boards: similar to the fish board, it is suited to calm waters. The design is inspired from the 70s, hence the name.
- Gun boards: designed to surf the biggest waves. The perfect board to pick up speed whilst maintaining your balance.
- Stand-up paddleboards: ideal for small, gentle waves. The surfer has to be standing at all times, and is able to move the board with a flexible paddle. This board design is relatively new.
Tell us about your surfing experiences below! What kind of board do you favour? Would you recommend it?
