HOW TO GET THE BEST OUT OF YOUR SURFS

After reflecting on past bad surfs, we thought “what could we do to avoid this happening in the future”?

So after giving it a good, hard think, here are a few little tips on how to get the best out of your surfs.

TIP 1: Lower your expectations. 

If it is absolutely firing, perfect conditions and perfect size for you. Kinda crowded but enough to handle. Still lower those expectations just a little bit.. Why? Because if you enter that water with the expectation that you’re going to get all the sets, surf every wave to the beach, pretty much come in with dry hair and have the best surf of your life then you may have already paddled out with the wrong attitude. Don’t get us wrong, we love this attitude, it is awesome to think like this but sometimes it can be a detriment. Instead, set little goals for yourself for your surfs. Maybe it’s something you’ve been working on with your coach that you want to try out there. Or maybe it’s trying something new. It could be something as simple as catching 4 to 5 waves and doing 2 to 3 turns on each of them. Keeping these goals achievable is what is going to really elevate your mood which we all know makes a surf way, way, WAY more fun!

TIP 2: Go out with your girl gang.

Having a hype crew is the best. Surfing with them… Even better. You know that feeling when you’re on a wave and do a big turn and ride out feeling like “that felt pretty sick” and next minute you hear your girls screaming at you because they thought it was so crazy?! Well, having your friends support you and go nuts when you get a good one is the best thing in the world and when you see your friends get good ones too, well that’s just even better. We all know that the smile can’t be wiped off your face when this happens. So embrace it! 

TIP 3: If it’s small, take a fun board!

If it’s a small, a-frame clean little peak. Mix things up! Take out a twinnie, single fin or even a Foamie and just go out there with the pure intention of having fun. It’s so important to have at least one fun surf a week. It’s a breath of fresh air and it allows you to step back from all the seriousness in your life, whether that’s family, school or work and it brings you back to the core of surfing, which is all about having fun. 

Tip 4: Breathe… Just… Breathe… 

You know those days where you just cannot catch a wave for the life of you? You sit and wait for what feels like an eternity for one to come through and nothing does, then you paddle to another bank and a bomb set comes right where you were sitting? Those days SUCK! If you’re having one of these surfs, breathe in and out, big deep breaths, at least 3-5 times to calm yourself, get more oxygen in your body to make better decisions and reset. Catch the next fun looking wave and just have fun with it. If breathing doesn’t work, you can splash some water on your face or even take your leggie off and on again to almost start fresh. And if none of this works, then maybe sit on the beach for 5 minutes, identify the best bank and aim to get 1-2 waves there to finish up your surf. 

TIP 5: Go back to basics.

If nothing is working and every wave you catch seems to get worse and worse. Well it probably means that you are trying to push it way too hard. Force something that isn’t there because you so desperately want to make a turn. Here’s a little tip, strip everything back. Start fresh on your next wave. That could be as simple as just taking off or racing the next wave to get speed and not even doing a turn, just feeling the flow of the wave and your board working together. We do this all the time and it seems to bring everything back. Slowing yourself down and making better decisions in the line up is going to get the best out of your surf and allow you to come in feeling happy and ready to tackle the day ahead. 

We all know these surfs can ruin your days, but you have the choice to not let it happen, so remember these few tips and hopefully they will help you get the best out of your surfs and ready for the next one!