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3 common mistakes of surfing beginners

Ricardo Gonçalves
28 of June 2022
3 common mistakes of surfing beginners

Surfing due to several factors can be a sport in which evolution takes a long time. This factor can lead to frustration and even to give up the sport.

The slow evolution in the practice of Surfing is due above all to unavoidable factors (variables) of nature such as:

Wave size – sometimes too big, sometimes too small.

Tides – very low waves usually close in very quickly while at high tide they break too close to the sand.

Daylight – the impossibility of using artificial light, unlike other sports, greatly limits the number of hours available for this sport.

Praia da Rocha, Portimão

If, as in so many other sports, we could repeat the same technique several times, we would be able to optimize it and quickly improve it by watching our performance to develop rapidly.

However, this is not the case with surfing where you will never find two waves exactly alike.

Still, some tips can help you avoid the most common mistakes:

Wrong material

If you want to progress quickly, you’ll have to be patient and step by step from one board to another. This process allows you to get to that little board just like the “pros” but for which you are not yet ready.

This process can be expensive so you can buy and then sell used boards, rent them at a special price at a surf shop near you or invest in a local school that allows you to change boards as you progress.

Wrong beach

Here you can save a lot of time, money and energy. In an initial phase you should settle for a beach that has to deliver what you need most.

Conditions such as easier waves and less apparent danger, such as rocks, strong currents or many practitioners in the water.

Wrong time

If you don’t consult the tide table correctly, you run the risk of missing a big surf. Well, often only in a period of 3 to 4 hours the tide will be in the beach chosen by you.

Praia da Rocha, Portimão

Investing in knowing the beach where you will surf most often will guarantee those “happy hours”, so we advise you:

  • Talk to more experienced local surfers.
  • Learn to read a wave forecasting app like the Windguru platform.

When you hit the right board, beach and time, you will enter a rewarding cycle of evolution that will elevate your performance and confidence.

Until then, don’t despair and continue to do your “homework” and understand this phase as a screening to filter those who really overcome the adversities typical of the sport and will become serious surfers.

Accept the challenge and see you at the peak!

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