If you really want to be able to get in touch with a piece of ancient Hawaii, then the sport of surfing is a good place to start. It is an ancient Hawaiian traditional, that was the sport of the kings. It could also be your sport. If you want to start learning how to surf, we recommend that you get a good teacher. However, we did want to cover some of the basics with you.
Let’s start by talking about surfboards. You want to make sure you buy your first board very long. The longer length will help you stay up easier. Once you become more experienced, you can get yourself a shorter board.
You will also want to make sure that you are using leashes in the beginning. The leashes will help you keep some contact with the surf board. In case you get knocked off the board, the leashes will help you retrieve the surf board. Knowing this, you do not need to be concerned about losing the board; spend more of your time concentrating on staying on the surf board.
One of the first things you will want to get good at is paddling. Work on being able to build up the muscles in your arms, as you use both arms to make your paddles. You will do this best buy laying on your stomach to begin with. Practice using wide strokes. This will give you as much forward energy as possible. Some people kneel on a board, but this will not give you the kind of muscle building practice you need.
You will also want to practice some duck diving. Duck diving is the art of diving under waves, so that incoming waves do not knock you backwards. As you are practicing, make sure you are able to stay under the complete length of the wave, and then come back up to the surface. This will help you get far enough under water to reduce the amount of pull on your body.
Learning to read the direction that a wave breaks is also good practice. When a wave is coming at you, you will want to move in a direction opposite of the way the wave breaks. So, if the wave coming at you breaks to the right, you do not want to head in a direction to the left.. This will keep you in the direct line of the wave. It not unlike the way you have to learn to steer out of a slide in your car.
Find a spot to practice that has smaller, less popular waves. These types of waves may not look as cool, but they will keep you safer. In time, you will build the skills necessary to be able to take on more dangerous waves. Rolling, deep water waves can also be better for begging surfers. You do not want to have something bad happen, just to get to the bigger waves quicker.
The other big thing about learning to surf is being aware of the some of the potential dangers that can happen in the water. Occasionally, surfers have been attacked by sharks. This is always a possibility, while in the water. You need to keep an eye open, while practicing your surfing.
Another thing to look for would be rip tides. They can be very dangerous, especially when people do not know how to work themselves out of a rip tide. If you paddle parallel to the short, the waves will eventually push you to shore.
Don’t be afraid to talk to professional surfers either. Many of these folks will be glad to pass on some tips to you. Amateurs may not be as helpful.
Seek out the help of a qualified surfing instructor as soon as you are able to do so. These folks will really be the best help you will get, in the long run. They can not only help you perfect the basic skills we have discussed, but they will be the principle source of teaching you surfing techniques, helping you improve your balance, and a host of other skills related to the sport of surfing. If you get a chance to take long term surfing lessons, you will obviously be able to build upon your skills over time. This type of systematic approach to learning will actually get you up and surfing well quicker than just learning on your own.
One last thing to remember is to respect the culture from where surfing was born, respect other surfers while in the water, and most of all respect the Ocean... Surfing can be a great sport. While vacationing in Hawaii, it can be an activity that will bring you a lot of joy. Good surfing!
