5 Classic Mistakes Beginner Surfers Make

Starting your journey to becoming a surfer is a fun time, there's nothing more satisfying than learning something new and seeing yourself improve. Here are our top 5 things to avoid to help progress your surfing faster.

1. NOT HAVING ENOUGH VOLUME.
   How it feels: Paddling will be slow and you can't get a wave easily. It feels like the wave controls you. You feel frustrated.
   Solution: Volume is possibly the most important thing to consider when choosing a surfboard. Check out our volume calculator to help you find the best volume for you and your skill level.
2. PICKING A BOARD BEYOND YOUR ABILITY.
   How it feels: You may struggle to paddle and feel bouyant, you can't get a wave easily. You feel frustrated.
   Solution: As a beginner it is aways better to go for a longer board with more volume - that way you can concentrate on improving your paddling style and wave catching without having to worry about balance and bouyancy.
3. TEACHING YOURSELF TO SURF.
   How it feels: you struggle to catch a wave and your surfing doesn't improve. You get tired very quickly, you feel frustrated.
   Solution: Lessons from a reputable surf school is the best way to learn the correct way to read the waves, paddle and popup from the get go. Technique and beach knowledge is everything.
4. NOT FINDING A USER FRIENDLY BEACHES THAT SUIT LEARNING AND HAVING THE WRONG EQUIPMENT.
   How it feels: you struggle to paddle out past the white wash. You have no control, you feel exhausted. You might feel like giving up.
   Solution: To learn to surf you need small clean waves that break gently. Hint: go where the surf schools go. Less hectic conditions allow you to concentrate on refining your technique and confidence before heading out to bigger waves.
5. SKIPPING THE SOFTBOARD PHASE OF LEARNING AND JUMPING STRAIGHT TO A HARDBOARD.
   How it feels: You struggle with bouyancy, padding gets you nowhere and you can't catch a wave easily.
   Solution: Learning to surf on a softboard allows you to concentrate on your techinque without having to worry about bouyancy, they make it easier to paddle and catch waves by helping maintain balance when you popup.

To become a better surfer the key ingredient is to get more waves. The tips above will help you get there faster. Our range of surfboards, especially the beginner boards, have been designed to take you through the various stages of learning to surf from a beginner to an experienced surfer. We suggest that you read some more and check out our blog post Surfboard guide for beginner and intermediate surfers.