[youtube=http://youtu.be/J6dd9bJBXjU]
The waves aren’t perfect every day. Sometimes it’s small and kinda closed out, lumpy, and plagued by riptides. But the sunrise is beautiful, the beach is empty, the water is warm. Even if the waves aren’t firing, the surf lifestyle is awesome. On this day, I took my two dogs for a sunrise surf session, caught a few little waves, and just appreciated the moments.
[youtube=http://youtu.be/ycpafeySMfk]
After catching a wave and standing up, learning how to generate your own speed is the most important skill in learning to surf. The success of every turn relies on having enough speed. Unfortunately, it can be tricky to learn how to pump, but practicing on land on a skateboard is a great way to learn!
Having the right skateboard for the lesson is important. A longboard skateboard is key, and I prefer a Sector9 Sidewinder series skateboard. Check out the video for tips on how to improve your pumping by playing around on a skateboard.
Want to get your own Sector 9 Skateboard with the Sidewinder trucks? Click here!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8weMFBLNL_Y]
A couple years ago Holly took a trip to Ecuador with the Sector 9 girl’s team and scored with miles of uncrowded beach break, warm water, and great long smooth hills for skateboarding. One day we might even head back there with a group of Amigas.
Would you be excited about a retreat to Ecuador? Let us know by posting a comment!
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Continuing our theme of highlighting ladies who overcome fear, this is the story of Debbie Teng.
Debbie Teng is a classic character with a big laugh and an awesome attitude. She came on her second retreat with Surf With Amigas to El Salvador and paddled to the outside for the first time. Despite big waves and a lot of fear, she overcame and caught her first green waves which left her feeling totally empowered, like she could conquer anything! If you have a great attitude, willingness to go for it, and trust in our instructors, we will help you achieve your dreams!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-O2Dixa907c]
It’s that time of year again, baby sea turtle season! As of this year, Surf With Amigas has taken over the funding of the Waves of Hope Sea Turtle project.
For any long-time followers of this website, the video will seem familiar. We posted it a year ago, but nothing has changed so here it is again to get you fired up on the November and December retreats. Check out the schedule for dates and availability. Come surf and do yoga with Surf With Amigas and support baby sea turtles!
[youtube=http://youtu.be/IgBvVxROZ-E]
Sisters Therese and Thera came on a retreat together with very different goals. Thera had always imagined herself a surfer and as an athlete who excels at everything she tries she expected to be awesome at surfing right away. Therese was badly injured by a suicide bomber while serving in the military and came on the retreat primarily to support her sister without a lot of interest in surfing herself. The two of them together were incredibly inspirational. Check out their story.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RW8esar7kD8]
When I first started Surf With Amigas, I had envisioned a place where girls that already knew how to surf could come and improve their skills. In reality we end up doing a lot of surf lessons for beginners, which is fun too. This trip to El Salvador had the most shredding shortboarders we’ve ever assembled which was amazing! Check them out shredding it up at a variety of spots in El Salvador.
We are headed back to these spots in October! Come shred with us!
[youtube=http://youtu.be/vLRUwXi4Dd8]
In the first episode of our new series “Surf Completely” Holly Beck talks about how to turn your surfboard. This is the first step of learning to surf after the very basic part of standing up and riding is mastered. Watch and learn and remember to “use your boobs!”
[youtube=http://youtu.be/0_cpZJQCY7s]
One day Nadia was minding her own business out surfing the Boom (gnarly tubular wave rarely surfed by girls) when Holly paddled over and started in with 20 questions. “what’s your name? where are you from? where are you staying? how long are you here? have you ever taught surf lessons? want to come work for me?” It’s rare to see smiling girls out shredding with the boys and Nadia was out there with a big smile, paddling around and dropping into bombs. She spent a few weeks in November with Surf with Amigas and came back for two months this summer. We hope she’ll be back again! This is why….
Learning to surf is tricky. There’s the physical part, the mental part, and the ocean part. The physical part you can practice. The mental part you can overcome. The ocean part you can learn. But all of that takes time. It’s a process. Whether you’ve come to a retreat and learned the basics and are now testing your new skills in your home waters without the protective guidance of an Amigas instructor, or you are struggling on your own while you count down the days to your retreat, here are a few tips to get you in the water with more confidence.
• Watch the waves. The hardest part of surfing is reading waves. Even if you aren’t going surfing, actively watch the waves. Imagine where you’d paddle out, where you’d take off, and in which direction you’d ride. The more you pay attention, the more you’ll see the subtleties that will help you read waves better.
• Admit your skill level. As a beginner surfer, it’s intimidating to paddle out into a crowded lineup of surfers waiting to catch waves. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Pick out someone who looks like they know what they’re doing and has a smile on their face, and approach them. Compliment them on their last ride, explain that you’re a beginner and need a little help figuring out the best place to sit to catch a wave.
• Be determined. Don’t give up when something goes wrong. You will feel off balance and think you’re going to fall, but…try to regain your balance and adjust your footing. If mentally you are thinking, ‘Uh-oh, I’m falling,’ you will definitely fall. If you think, ‘Stay on, stay on,’ you just might.
• Ride the wave all the way in. When you are first learning to catch waves, you ride green waves, which are the unbroken part of the wave that comes before the white water. A lot of people stand up, ride for a few seconds and then jump off their board so they don’t have to deal with the hassle of paddling back out through the white water. Even if it’s just whitewash, the more time you spend actually riding a wave, the more you’ll improve, so ride it all the way to the sand.
• Focus on fun. Every wave is different, which makes it really hard to practice consistently. Focus on the joy of being out in the ocean, the thrill of getting pushed by a wave. If you remember it’s all about fun, you’ll be a happier surfer, which makes you a better surfer.
