Surfing is one of the best ways to view tourist attractions and gain an appreciation for marine environments across the world. However, it can also be a risky and difficult sport to pick up on since you’ll need to understand how to be safe, respectful, and competent all at once. Here are a few tips to get you started before your first surfing lesson.

What Should First-Time Surfers Do?

1. Choose the Right Board

As a rule of thumb, shorter surfboards are more difficult to control, making them less ideal for beginners. Newcomers to the sport should look for larger varieties. Their length, thickness, and width equate to better floating qualities. Longer soft-top boards are generally easier to paddle, stand on, and control. Kids under 12 and adult beginners should choose an option in the 7- to 8-foot range.

2. Master Stance

Learning how to stand up and ride a wave is the hardest part of learning to surf, next to paddling. This ability requires lots of practice to gain the dexterity, stability, and strength needed. 

Visiting the gym for several sessions before the first lesson can help build up strength in your shoulders, legs, and core. You can also practice popping up, which is the act of standing up on a board in one smooth motion, by pressing your hands to the ground and jumping up to bring the legs beneath you.

3. Mount the Wave Safely

Once you grasp the basics, head out to the water and put them into practice. Paddle out and look for a wave you want to catch. After spotting a likely one, turn the board around to point toward the shore. Lie down, and begin moving back in the direction you came from.

Using your peripheral vision, gauge how close behind the wave is. Upon feeling a surge of pressure and speed, stand up in a single motion and keep your eyes fixed ahead. For balance, place weight on the back foot, bend the knees, and spread your arms.

Between viewing the wealth of tourist attractions Maui has to offer, book a surfing lesson with Sea Maui to try your hand at this marine sport. Based in Lahaina, HI, the staff at this local tourist attraction offer private, semi-private, and group surfing lessons to help you master the sport’s basics and tackle your first wave off Maui’s picturesque coast. Call (808) 732-6284 to book your lesson, and visit them online for more information on their available activities.