How to surf a wave

Riding a wave. 

Watch a couple of sets come through. Even on beach breaks the waves will be breaking in roughly the same position and that's where you want to be. Don't sit exactly where the crest is turning to white water, sit just left or right of that so that you will have paddled and popped up before the wave breaks where you are.

When you pop-up on an unbroken wave you will be much higher up than when you were popping up on the white water. The only thing to bear in mind here is that you need to be up and surfing away from the white water quickly or there is a chance you will be stood up on the crest as it breaks, pitching you several feet forward and down into the trough. This experience can resemble taking a running dive into an industrial washing machine and isn't recommended.

Once you are up and you want to turn left or right, simply place more weight on your back foot and as the front of the board rises, swivel on your rear foot with the front one moving the board. Additionally you can place more weight on your heel or toes to turn in that direction. The bottom turn is the first manoeuvre you will have to learn. Once you pop-up on an unbroken wave you will feel the exhilaration of the fall down the face of the wave, something akin to going down a kids slide on a pair of roller blades......

When you get to the bottom you will have amassed a considerable amount of speed and you need to use this to change direction so you are pointing down the length of the wave. Same procedure as all turns, bend your knees, place more weight on your back foot, pivot with your front and twist at the hips. You should now be staring down a wall of unbroken water!

Angled take-off.  

You don't have to pop-up with the board pointing straight into the beach. As the wave arrives paddle obliquely to the beach so you are already heading in the direction you think the wave will peel in. Then as you pop up you will already be pointing down the wave. You can also place your front foot slightly over to the wave side of the board to help you 'catch a rail' (get the edge of the board into the face of the wave), which is especially useful if you are close to the white water and on a very steep part of the wave.

The Floater

The Forehand Bottom Turn

The Forehand Bottom Turn is one of the key manoeuvres in surfing, as its where the surfer transfers his downward momentum into forward momentum and speed. When harnessed correctly it is this manoeuvre that allows the surfer to change direction and move back up the mave to perform tricks on the face of the wave. When perfected a good bottom turn can create enough thrust to get the surfer into the air. Have a look at this video from Trevose Surf School to see how to do it.

The Floater.  

No this doesn't refer to something bobbing about in the water with you - it is an advanced manoeuvre for riding over a section of breaking wave to get to another unbroken section at the far side. Attempt it as follows:

1. As you pull out of your bottom turn and start to ride back up the wave, look to the crest where the lip is beginning to crumble and turn to white water.
2. As you approach the top of the crest put pressure on your rear leg so the board points upwards, keep you body upright and keep the board as high up the wave as possible.
3. As the section of wave breaks underneath you and starts to drop down, drop into a more crouched position and float the board across the section in a side slipping motion. At this stage you want to stay as high up on the breaking section as possible, pointing for the unbroken section on the far side. You may be travelling sideways or even backwards at this point.
4. Turn the board and point it down the line of the wave and as you hit the unbroken face accelerate by putting pressure on your front foot.
5. Practice regularly!

Surfing Genie is not going to attempt to teach any more techniques off a website. That would be tedious, patronising and boring. Watch what other more experienced surfers are doing, watch a lot of surf DVDs and practice, practice, practice!