Can I learn to surf in a day?

How quickly can I learn to surf?

In short, the more you put in the practice, the quicker you will learn. Learning the basics, i.e. to stand up on a board and ride a wave, can take anywhere between two hours and one month of practice.

Firstly, you will need to become confident and comfortable lying and balancing on a surfboard. This generally takes between half an hour to up to three hours.

The next stage is learning to paddle for a wave and then catch it. Depending on your fitness level, this can take an additional hour or two. The last stage is the most difficult for most; this is mastering the ‘pop up’. It is likely that while practising the pop-up, you will fall off your surfboard – a lot. You can also expect to be pounded by the waves. Many beginners find this frustrating, but if you can stick with it sooner or later, it will become second nature. Mastering the pop up is like riding a bike, once you have it you have it for life.

In our experience, people who book weekend surf lessons tend to learn at a slower pace than surfers hitting the waves up to four times per week.

Factors which might affect how quickly you can learn to surf:

1. How often you practice
2. The quality of the waves you catch
3. Your swimming skills
4. Your understanding of the ocean and conditions
5. Having the right equipment
6. Endurance. There is a lot of paddling and balancing in surfing, and you will require a short burst of power to carry out some of the moves necessary. Spending longer than an hour in the water will truly test your endurance.
7. Fitness, agility and flexibility. Surfing is a physically demanding sport, and the better shape you are in, the quicker you will be able to advance. You will need good flexibility in your knees and hips, and be able to shift your balance.
8. Confidence. Surfing is not a sport for the faint-hearted. You will need the nerve to dive in and take risks. If you fear waves, surfing is not the sport for you.