Summer Fun :: Learning How to Surf

My husband has been waiting patiently for our daughter to be a strong enough swimmer to teach her how to surf. He has been dreaming of one day heading to the beach with her and surfing the waves together since she first started to walk!  But he had to wait to teach her how to surf  and make sure she was a strong swimmer. Strong enough to take a couple tumbles in the surf.  I would advise the same if you are looking to teach your kids how to surf or have them try out a surf day camp.  If you are on the coast – check into local surf camps and see if it is something your child would like to do!  Here are some tips that my husband shared with us about the steps he took to teach our daughter how to surf.

 SURFING 101:

Make sure your child is a strong swimmer:  Maybe enroll your kids into swimming lessons if you are unsure how well they can swim.  We are working on her strokes at the moment but she has been in the pool since she was one and spends hours at the pool each week so we feel she is ready to start learning how to surf (in small waves of course).

Get a wetsuit:  The weather can be finicky and sometimes it might be sunny but the water is cold.  Check your local Craig’s List or eBay for a wetsuit.  They are sized according to their ages. So an eight year old would get a size 8 or 10 depending on how tall they are.  You could go in to your local surf shop and have them try on the different sizes. Or ask around to your friends to see if they have one they might want to sell or even give you!  You can either get a long or short sleeve wetsuit – it’s a personal preference really.

Have them spend time in the water:  My husband took our daughter out in the water and had her get use to how the waves feel underneath the surfboard.  And a very important lesson is to duck your head under the wave before it breaks if they are just swimming around in the water.  It is not fun to have the waves crash on you (speaking from lots of experience).

Practice standing on the surfboard:  Have them practice standing on the board on the sand – teach them the correct place to put their feet.  Whatever foot feels most comfortable should be in front of the other.  A goofy foot is when the right foot goes forward and when they want to place their left foot forward it is called regular foot.  It is recommended to have them start on a soft top surfboard.

Head back to the water: Now that they understand how to stand on the board – have them practice when there are small waves.  Here is YouTube tutorial on how to get up on the board.

The most important thing is to have fun together and enjoy this quality time.  My daughter has had more wipeouts than actually standing on the board – but she loves it!

And don’t forget to head over to your local donut shop to celebrate their attempts!

If you are interested in surf lessons along the coast check out this site for more information.

If you want to read more about our Summer Fun Series check out our Nature Day Camp post here and our Family Vacation Tips post (includes an 18 page Vacation Journal you can download for your next trip!).

 Have you ever tried to surf?  Or would like to?