We've got a lot to get through, so let's go!

WHAT IS A NOSEDIVE ON A SURFBOARD?

Nosediving on a surfboard is when the nose (the front) of your surfboard digs into the wave causing you to wipeout. 

Nosediving, or pearling as it’s also known, is a common issue for beginner surfers which can lead to some very bad habits (the downward spiral of doom) as compensation techniques as a result.

WHY DO I NOSEDIVE ALL THE TIME?

Nosediving happens for a variety of reasons.

Let's go into each in a little more detail on why below:

1. TOO FAR FORWARD

Probably the most common of the lot is where a surfer is positioned too far forward on their board when paddling for a wave. 

All this excess weight at the front of the board causes the nose of the board to dig into the waves face as it picks you up. 

The tendency when this occurs is to compensate by leaning your weight much further back on the board, however, as you’ll see later in this post, this isn’t always the answer…

2. TOO LATE

The earlier you can enter into a wave the more gradual the incline, likewise the later you enter a wave the steeper the incline will be.

Steeper waves increase the risk of nosediving considerably.

3. SUCKY WAVES

Certain waves go from ground swell to pitching wave virtually instantly, and it's these waves that are the culprit for a LOT of nosedives.

If you're an advanced surfer, sucky waves needn't cause you too much of an issue, but for a beginner they can be a nightmare.

THE DOWNWARD SPIRAL OF DOOM

Ok, so before you ask, the way to avoid nose diving is NOT to move way further back on your surfboard, and here’s why.

Welcome to the downward spiral of doom…

So, you move further back on your board and you think that’s it, problem solved.

…think again.

When you move too far back on your surfboard here’s what happens:

Reduced Paddle Speed: When you move too far back on your surfboard you create lots of drag, which in turn slows you down when you paddle.

Struggle To Catch Waves: This reduced paddle speed makes it difficult to catch waves.

Move Closer To Shore: Now that catching waves is much harder you move closer to shore.

Waves Get Steep: The further towards the shore you move, the steeper the waves become.

Nosediving Increases: Catching steeper waves is way harder, and increases your chances of nose diving.

...the cycle continues. 

The answer to not nosediving counterintuitively lies elsewhere…

HOW TO STOP NOSE DIVING - 7 COUNTERINTUITIVE TECHNIQUES

1. FIND THE SWEET SPOT

Ok, we mentioned earlier how simply moving way back on your board isn’t the answer, instead we need to find the sweet spot, the spot where you’re not too far forward or too far back. 

That perfect spot where your board is able to plane over the surface of the water with minimal resistance. 

2. ARCH BACK, CHIN DOWN

If you arch your back when you’re paddling (which you should) you’ll notice that the sweet spot as mentioned above shifts a little further up the board. 

This is a good thing.

Let me explain.

With your back arched, and the ability to lie a little further up the board you have the benefit of a couple of things. 

You carry a lot of weight in your shoulders and head which can be pushed forward when a wave picks you up, this helps you to catch wave earlier. 

Catching waves earlier you avoid those nasty late drops, helping you to stop nosediving as a result.

Arch back, chin down - and go, go, go!

3. TAIL HIGH TAKE OFF

With chin down, naturally the tail of your board will rise with the wave as it picks you up, and this is a very good thing.

As the tail rises with the wave, gravity is on your side which helps to connect you and your board to the wave and help you to catch it way earlier - making everything easier as a result.

4. PADDLE BETTER, FASTER

Everyone can paddle to a degree, granted.

However there’s a big difference to being a good paddler and everything else.

Practice makes perfect, and although paddling has nothing to do with surfing itself, if you perfect the art it’ll work wonders for the rest of your surfing across the board.

5. TOP POP, THEN DROP

We see it all the time in our surf school, students catch a wave, look down it and freak out, then ride down it on their bellies thinking it's the safest thing to do.

It’s not.

Quite the opposite in fact.

And as you’d expect, going down the wave’s face on your belly is a great way to nosedive that’s for sure.

So, from here on in commit to popping up at the top of the wave and riding down it on your feet.

It’s much easier (I promise), much safer, and you’re way, way more in control.

6. CUT OFF THE ANGLE

The steepest way down a wave is to go straight, right?

So, naturally, the way to reduce the steepness is to cut off the angle and go across it instead.

Just like a skier goes down a mountain from side to side to cut off the angle, surfers can do this too by angling their surfboards when taking off.

It's called an angled takeoff and it's something worth knowing for sure.

7. COMMIT

A lot of nosedives happen because people fail to commit.

They see the steep wave, freeze, and do the exact opposite of what’s needed. 

Sure, looking down a wave can be scary at times, but you’ve got to find a way to fight that instinct and embrace it. 

Only when you fully embrace it and commit, will you give yourself the best chance of not nosediving.

WRAPPING IT UP

Avoiding nosediving entirely is almost impossible, I mean even the pro’s do it from time to time.

But, what you’ve learned here will severely reduce the likelihood of it happening to you.

Practice makes perfect right?

Yew!

Rowan

APPS FOR WAVES (FORECASTING)

Surf forecasting apps track the movement of waves in the ocean and predict conditions at beaches around the world.

These apps for waves track everything from swell direction, wind, weather tides and much more.

SURF TRAINING APPS

Gone are the days when surfers would just bum around all day doing nothing, drinking beer and living on noodles.

Nowadays, surfers are looking for any/all ways to get the extra edge, and surf training has become a big thing.

With at home workouts, and full routines to help you stay at peak performance - even if you're not surfing everyday.

SURFING GAME APPS

Watch out, as some of these surfing games can be super addictive (guilty).

A long time has passed since the very first surfing games like Kelly Slater Pro Surfer back in the early 2000's, and now, we have full-on surf games in the palm of your hand.

SURF TECHNIQUE APPS

Just like other popular sports out there, surfers are now seeing the benefits of professional surf coaching.

And with the internet at our disposal, the the worlds best coaches are now available to all, wherever you are in the world.

This has seen the proliferation of surf tuition apps, helping surfers learn how to surf, refine their techniques and improve.

SURF ENTERTAINMENT APPS

To be honest, most if not all surf entertainment comes via social media like Instagram and Facebook nowadays, with very few independent media platforms out there.

There are however still a couple of little guys that haven't been completely shut down by the big conglomerate media companies.

WRAPPING IT UP

Well there you have it, all the best surf apps on the market right now.

I've done my best to make the most conclusive list of surf related apps I could but maybe there's something I missed?

If so, chuck your favourites in the comments below and I'll add them to the post.

Yew!
Rowan

By the end of this article you'll have all the tools you need to create a new income pipeline for your business, one that you never thought possible before.

With no financial outlay, and little to no physical effort on your part.

Sound good?

Keep reading for more.

WHAT IS AFFILIATE MARKETING?

In a nutshell affiliate marketing is a way to earn a commission by promoting other people's products.

They create the product, handle shipping, customer support, returns, etc. 

And you get paid to promote it (when you make a sale).

Affiliate software tracks any traffic and sales that you generate by promoting the products, and pays you money.

WHAT TYPES OF AFFILIATE PRODUCTS WORK BEST IN THE SURFING NICHE?

Far and away the best type of affiliate products to promote are digital based.

Why?

Well, the commissions are WAY higher (oftentimes upwards of 50% for the good ones), and they're global - meaning they can be sold to anyone around the world.

Compare that to a physical product that only ships within a certain country and you can see why digital products are the go-to for most people.

But, having said that, the digital product options in the surfing niche are slim to say the least, however (as you’re about to see), if you know where to look there are some hidden gems…

BEST AFFILIATE PRODUCTS FOR SURFING

Like I mentioned above, digital affiliate products work best in the surfing niche (or any niche for that matter), so I’ll be starting with digital first, then moving to physical down the list.

DIGITAL AFFILIATE PRODUCTS FOR SURFERS

Digital affiliate products are by far the highest converting and best paying affiliate products....

...but, there isn't a whole lot of choice out there.

Regardless, below is the cream of the crop.

SURF HUB

Surf Hub is a digital info product library for surf schools, surf media, and influencers.

What does that mean?

It means that they have a catalogue of digital products built exclusively for the surf industry.

Furthermore, the payouts are big too.

Affiliate’s earn a base rate of 50% across all sales, couple that with the high ticket items they have in their product range and the income generating potential can be huge.

Take for example their Surfing Made Simple product. 

A premium course designed specifically for beginner surfers just stepping out of their first lesson. 

For surf school looking to leverage their audience of students, all that’s needed is a quick affiliate link in an automated thank you email showcasing the offer, and boom, new income stream right there.

With a payout of roughly $200 per sale, even if you converted a couple of students a week that money soon adds up.

It’s pretty potent if you ask me.

And they have other products too:

…and a bunch more.

Furthermore, it's free to sign up, and you could be up and selling within minutes.

AFFILIATE PROGRAM SIGN UP URL: 

https://surf-hub.com/apply/

SURF STRENGTH COACH

The Surf Strength Coach has an affiliate program for its subscription app for surfers.

The app claims to have over 50k downloads which is pretty impressive, meaning there’s obviously a demand for this type of thing, which is a good indicator as to whether it’s worthwhile promoting it to your audience.

The app has a number of different add ons and upgrades, with everything centred around fitness, strength and endurance for surfers, and pays out a 20% commission on all sales.

Here’s a pricing breakdown of their affiliate commissions:

AFFILIATE PROGRAM SIGN UP URL: 

https://surfstrengthcoach.com/affiliate-registration/

PHYSICAL SURFING AFFILIATE PRODUCTS

Generally speaking, selling physical affiliate products kinda sucks with the constraints of physical postage, distribution, and all the complexities that go along with that.

Regardless, if you’ve got an audience that’s frothing for product and you’re the right one to point them in the right direction - then the affiliate programs below are definitely worth a look.

SURF STITCH

Surf Stitch are one of the biggest surfing hardware and apparel distributors in the world.

Servicing mainly the Australian & New Zealand market they’re a bit limiting if your audience is based elsewhere, however, they do have a reasonable affiliate program that might help out.

Their affiliate program is free to join and pays out 10% commission on all sales, which is not bad for a hardware retailer I guess. 

AFFILIATE PROGRAM SIGN UP URL: 

https://www.surfstitch.com/info/affiliate.html

GO PRO

If you’ve never heard of Go Pro before you’ve likely been living under a rock. 

This independent company has become an industry leader in one of the most competitive industries in the world, camera’s and technology.

A global brand, with global reach.

Which is great when it comes to affiliate selling.

But…

…well, their affiliate payout rate isn’t all that flash. 

A poultry 3%.

Granted, the average order value will be quite high ($700+), however, 3% is still quite menial if you ask me. 

Better than nothing though I guess, and if you’re promoting them for free already, then you may as well earn a buck along the way.

AFFILIATE PROGRAM SIGN UP URL: 

https://gopro.com/en/us/legal/gopro-affiliate-program

BILLABONG

Billabong, the global surf brand, has its own affiliate program.

What’s great about Billabong is they’re a company known worldwide - with distribution channels in the USA and Australia - which alleviates some of the geographical complications with hardware and apparel sales online.

The commission rate of payout is 7% which isn’t too shabby either.

AFFILIATE PROGRAM SIGN UP URL: 

https://www.billabong.com/customer-help/affiliate-program.html

GLOBAL SURF INDUSTRIES

If you have an audience that froths on new surfboards (who doesn’t) then Global Surf Industries’ affiliate program could well be a good fit.

An umbrella company for some of the top selling beginner surfboards in the world.  

Brands like:

And a whole bunch more.

For the beginner market, these boards sell like hotcakes, so well worth a look if that’s your target audience.

AFFILIATE PROGRAM SIGN UP URL: 

https://www.affiliatly.com/af-1038586/affiliate.panel?mode=register

WRAPPING IT UP

As you can see there are affiliate marketing opportunities in the surf industry, if you know where to look. 

I’ve searched far and wide and these are by far the best options available right now, so what are you waiting for…

Go get yourself signed up, start selling, and start getting paid whilst you’re getting tubed.

Yew!

Rowan

You ready? 

Keep reading…

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT STANCES IN SURFING?

There are just two different stances in surfing, one where you ride with your left foot forward and the other with your right.

Although we only have two different stances in surfing, we strangely have three different names for them…

…go figure.

SURFING STANCE NAMES

HOW DO I KNOW IF I’M GOOFY OR REGULAR STANCE

You’ll know whether you are a goofy of regular footer by feel. 

Whichever stance feels more balanced and natural, is the stance for you.

But it’s not always this easy.

Some people are more ambidextrous than others and feel comfortable riding with either stance, this can make the whole process confusing.

What then?

Ok. Well if you fall into this category and you’re still unsure which stance you are, here are a few tests you can do to help figure it out:

STANCE TEST 1: SLIDING ON ICE

Imagine you were about to run and slide on an iced lake. 

Which foot do you lead with?

If you lead with your left, you're likely a Natural footer, and if you lead with your right you'd be Goofy.

STANCE TEST 2: LEAN & FALL

Stand with your feet together and slowly lean over until you fall. 

Whichever foot you reach out to balance with will likely be your leading foot in your surfing stance.

STANCE TEST 3: RUN SKIM RUN

Imagine yourself with a skimboard in hand about to run and skim across the water.

Which foot would you lead with? 

Run through this in your mind, and your leading foot will likely dictate your stance.

*If you've tried all of the above and you're still unsure, lead with the assumption that you're a Regular footer. Why? As you're about to find out, most people are Regular footed anyway.

ARE MOST SURFERS GOOFY OR REGULAR STANCE?

It turns out that roughly 80% of people surf with a regular stance.

Why?

In the same way that most people are right-handed, most surfers are regular footed too.

It has a lot to do with genetics and the way we process things in the brain, but that's beyond the scope of this article so we'll leave it there for now.

SURF STANCES TO AVOID

Alright I know I said earlier that there are only two stances…

…well, I kinda lied.

Sort of at least.

Correct, there’s only two real ways you can ride a surfboard - left foot forward or right - but there are a couple of other stances you want to avoid.

THE SKIER STANCE

The skier stance is when your front foot (or both feet for that matter) are pointing towards the nose of the board, rather than across it.

Why is this a bad thing?

Well, what it does is open up your shoulders and flatten off the chest (note the difference between the angle of the shoulders of a snowboarder vs a skier), and it distributes your weight across your board in a strange way - making things real wobbly and hard to balance as a result.

THE POO STANCE

If you’ve not heard of this yet, you soon will.

The poo stance in surfing is the furthest thing away from good surfing style that you can get.

What is is?

The poo stance is where a surfers stance is wide, with both knees pointed outward in a squat-like position, just like when you’re about to crouch down and take a #@$*

This stance may be practical (to a degree), but it’s ugly as hell so don’t do it!

HOW WIDE SHOULD YOUR SURFING STANCE BE?

Your stance should be a little over shoulder width apart.

If your legs are too close together you’ll find it hard to balance, and if they're too far apart you’ll fall into the poo stance category mentioned above.

AT WHAT ANGLE SHOULD I POINT MY FEET?

A good surfing stance will see you with your back foot at roughly 90° to the stringer, and your front foot roughly 45°.

HOW DO I FIX MY SURFING STANCE

Alright, a bit of troubleshooting is in order I think. 

Here goes:

COMMON PROBLEMS WITH STANCE AND HOW TO FIX THEM...

1. STANDING TOO TALL

2. POO STANCE

3. BENT AT THE HIP

4. DOUBLE TROUBLE

WHERE DO YOU PUT YOUR WEIGHT WHEN SURFING

There are two answers to this question:

ANSWER 1: WHERE TO PUT YOUR WEIGHT AS A BEGINNER

When you’re just starting out the answer is to put your weight over the stringer of the board, right in the centre - evenly distributed between both feet to help the board plane over the surface of the water.

ANSWER 2: WHERE TO PUT YOUR WEIGHT FOR INTERMEDIATES (AND ABOVE)

There is no fixed answer to where to put your weight at this stage as it all depends on the type of board you’re riding, the type of waves, what you’re trying to do, and when.

Weight distribution at this stage is so nuanced that there’s no hard and fast 'catch-all' rule.

Instead the answer is, “it depends”.

WRAPPING IT UP

Now, whether your surf stance is Natural or Goofy is besides the question.

What’s important is that you’re doing it right.

Get your stance right and you’re on the right path for improvement. 

Better to be at the bottom of a ladder you want to be on, than at the top of one you don’t, right?

So, even if you have to take a few steps back in the short term to fix any bad habits, the long term payoffs will be worth it.

Yew!
Rowan

MEGA LIST: WORLDS MOST FAMOUS SURFERS 

CONCLUSION

Like I said at the start this list takes into account more than just Instagram followers, and instead focuses on legacy and impact too. 

This list of the Worlds Most Famous Surfers is accurate for all the right reasons, and if it wasn't for these athletes, we wouldn't all be where we are today. 

Is there anyone I've missed (I'm sure there is) that absolutely has to be on this list?

If so, chuck 'em in the comments below:

TRUTH 1. YOU’RE TOO LAZY

Let me ask the following:

If you’ve answered no to all of the above it’s no wonder that you’re bad at surfing, you know why, surfing is frickin hard and if you want to get good at it, you’ve got to put in the time.

You see, it’s no coincidence that the best surfers are the ones that’ll be out there regardless of the weather or conditions - that’s the stuff that got them good in the first place. 

So if you want to improve, do the work, get in whenever you can and you’ll see results quickly.

TRUTH 2. YOU’RE OVERWEIGHT

Be honest with yourself, go take a quick look in the mirror and what do you see? 

Is everything where it should be? Or are you carrying a few extra kg’s?

If you are, then yes, this extra weight will go a long way to making you surf badly. 

Just think about it, each time you pop up to your feet is like a full push-up, and any extra weight you're carrying will slow down that process, and make it way harder. 

So if you’re committed to surfing better, you’ll want to shed that unneeded weight as soon as you can. 

And the best thing, if you follow along with truth #1 above, the weight loss will take care of itself.

TRUTH 3. YOU’RE INFLEXIBLE

Surfing well requires the ability to contort your body into all sorts of strange shapes and positions, so without being flexible, you’re really going to struggle. 

Again, this is something that’s totally in your control and not something you’re powerless to remedy. 

Follow truths #1 & #2 above, plus add a little 10 minute daily stretch routine and before you know you’ll be like a nimble little gymnast.

TRUTH 4. YOU’RE RIDING THE WRONG BOARD

More often than not the reason people are so bad at surfing is simply because they’re riding the wrong boards. 

Here’s what I mean.

Typically a surfer will start surfing, and within a week or two will be scouring the internet for the smallest board they can possibly ride. 

Smaller boards make it way harder to catch waves, they're less stable, and much harder to surf too. 

All in all, you’ll catch less waves, have a way harder time getting to your feet, fall more often, and miss out on all that opportunity to improve. 

Do yourself a favour, and get on the right board for your level, and downsize only when you’re ready. 

TRUTH 5. YOU HAVEN’T HAD PROPER TUITION

There’s a lot of B/S that gets thrown around on the internet teaching people how to surf, and even more of it getting pumped out on the daily in surf schools too. 

So beware of whose advice you follow, and make sure they can walk the walk - as well as talk the talk - before taking their word as gospel. 

And I hate to break it to you, but the vast majority of surf coaches at surf schools around the world have usually been surfing for a couple of years at best. 

So if you’ve had bad tuition in your past it’s no wonder you’re so bad at surfing, but you can rectify all of that here. 

TRUTH 6. OVER INFLATED EXPECTATIONS

You might not fully know this, but surfing is hard, like real hard. 

In fact it’s quite possibly the hardest sport in the world. 

So, you’ve got to lower your expectation a little. 

If you typically pick up sports quickly - or even if you don’t for that matter - I’d recommend at least halving your current expectations of where your surfing level should be. 

That’ll likely be a much more realistic measure.

Drop your expectations, cut yourself some slack, and there you go, you’re already better than you thought right there. 

CONCLUSION

If you are bad at surfing you know what, embrace it, because it doesn’t get any more fun when you get better I promise. 

You simply increase your expectations, and are no longer satisfied with the small things. 

But it's human nature to want to grow, to evolve, to get better, so I get it. 

For your sake, I hope these brutal truths will help kick you into gear, and jolt you out of your surfing plateau, and get you shredding in no time.

Yew!

Rowan

SURFING PROGRESSION TIMELINE: FROM 1-5 YEARS AND BEYOND

Before you start being hard on yourself (or getting ahead of yourself) if you're not at the right level of progression on this timeline, please don't be bummed out, as everyone learns at different speeds. 

And, it's no secret that surfing is ridiculously hard. 

What's more, that's kinda what our coaching retreats, and weekends are all about too - helping you push through to the next levels when you're in a rut. 

So without further ado, here's your timeline of progression.

YEAR 1: THE START OF SOMETHING NEW

Year one is where it all starts. 

Having never surfed before you’ve got a lot to learn, and as such, you’ll need to start with the absolute basics. 

But that’s cool, we all start somewhere right. 

1-3 MONTHS

Your first three months surfing will be spent on a bigger surfboard shape, likely in the region of 8ft - 9ft. 

The best beginner surfboards, the type that you should be riding, will be made from foam (aka soft top), be nice and wide, and have plenty of volume. 

Your expectations for the first three months should be to be able to catch your own whitewater waves unassisted, and pop to your feet successfully most of the time. 

If you’re hitting these targets, you’re on track with our progression timeline expectations, and if you’re using our surf levelling system you can consider yourself a level 1.

3-6 MONTHS

After three months or so in the water you should be starting to leave the whitewater behind once and for all, and begin venturing out further to catch the unbroken waves (on smaller days).

You should anticipate being able to catch your own green unbroken waves now, and have a reasonable success rate whilst you’re at it. 

You’ll also be able to turn left and right, and you should begin to have a degree of control over your surfboard. 

The surfboard you’ll be riding at this stage should be no longer than 8ft. 

6-12 MONTHS

After the 6 month mark you should be comfortably, and confidently, catching green unbroken waves only. 

You should now feel comfortable in the lineup, be able to recognise the different types of waves, and position yourself in the right spot at the right time. 

You should also have a decent level of board skills whereby you can navigate through waves, over and under to get out the back, also have the skills to turn your surfboard quickly and make positional refinements on the fly. 

It’s during this time that you might consider dropping down in board size a little, but be sure not to do so too soon, as this’ll hinder your progression.

YEAR 2: THE QUICKENING

Alright, we’re into year two, and you’ve got a whole years worth of surfing under your belt. 

During the first year you made big improvements quickly, with each session offering noticeable performance improvements. 

In year two however, big progression steps are harder to come by, and you’re now well and truly in that stage of nuanced refinements. 

This will likely be your time to upgrade, and downsize your surfboard as manoeuvrability is now the most important factor. 

Year was all about stability and wave count, but now those things are handled, it’s time to begin moving towards a more progression based surfing approach.

The first things you’ll be learning is how to trim and pump down the line, you’ll also now be looking to keep yourself in the power pocket of the wave at all times too. 

And after another full year of hard-out surfing you should expect to be able to take off on steep waves - and make them, angle/knife your take-offs, perform shallow bottom turns, pump and maintain speed, and start doing the early stages of cutbacks too. 

If you’re here by the end of year two, you’re doing well.

YEAR 3: LETTING THINGS CLICK

Year three may see another refinement in your surfing equipment as you hunt for more maneurverability, and more performance. 

You’re now fully comfortable surfing waves over head-high, and you’re actively hunting out good surf rather than just hitting up your local each time. 

You understand the ebbs and flows of the ocean, your positioning in the lineup is becoming second nature, and virtually all conscious thought of technique is long gone. 

You’re beginning to feel more connected to your surfboard, with it beginning to go the places, and do the types of things you want it to do.

And so come the progressive manoeuvres. 

By now cutbacks are a very real thing and set the foundation for much of your surfing.

No longer are you nursing bottom turns, but you’re able to lay a little weight on it and come out from this turn with more speed than you went in. 

You will likely also be starting to do whitewater floaters, and small closeout re-entries too. 

All in all, at year three you’re now attacking the surf, rather than surfing with fear and just trying to hold on.

YEAR 4: TIME TO PROGRESS

Year four should see a whole new level of comfort in the surf. 

By now you may have been on your first surf trip abroad (hopefully with us), and have developed a degree of experience whereby you can rock up to a new beach and instinctively know when it’d be good, what type of tides it would like, and how it might break. 

You’re also now fully dialled in with your equipment. 

You’re no longer riding a board that’s built in any way for stability, instead your equipment if focused purely on performance. 

In crowded lineups you’re competing for waves, you’re taking off late, and your the cause and not the effect at all times. 

Your positioning is on point, and your paddling is top notch, and from this basis you’re now able to really start pushing things. 

Whitewater floaters now become lip line floaters, and closeout re-entries now become snaps down the line. 

Roundhouse cutbacks will start to creep in around this point too, and you’re able to surf the wave from start to finish without bogging too much, and without losing speed. 

YEAR 5: THE PERFORMANCE STEP UP

In year five, if you’re still here and still surfing flat out, this should be when all of the foundational skills come together. 

You’ll be commanding a spot in the lineup, maybe not right on the peak just yet but certainly picking up the scraps from the top guys. 

Speed, power and flow are things you’re now beginning to focus on - bigger turns, in more critical parts of the waves, and maybe even the odd tube here or there. 

Really in year five you'll probably be 75% of the way to surfing as good as you’re ever going to surf. 

If you’re still struggling at this point, it’s very unlikely for you to ever progress to an elite level. 

However if you are one of those people that pick up the sport quickly you'll be well ahead of the curve at year five anyway. 

YEAR 6 ONWARDS: ETERNAL REFINEMENT

After about five years the improvements in your surfing will come much slower, and will be much harder earned - with huge amounts of time in the water needed for even the smallest of progressions. 

Sure, you can - and you should - be getting better your whole life until the age of about 40ish, but in truth the progression leaps are much less. 

From five years onwards it’s all about refining what you already know, and pushing for the small gains. 

CONCLUSION

As you’d expect it’s very hard to create a surfing progression timeline that’s going to be accurate for all people, all of the time. 

But having had hands on experience with literally thousands of students over the years, this timeline should be a pretty good guide. 

If you pick up sports quickly, you can ditch everything you’ver read above and you’ll probably move through all five years of progression in a single year, and likewise if sport doesn’t come natural to you, you may never get past the expectation of year two. 

Nevertheless, whatever speed you move through this surfing progression timeline at, you’re going to have one heck of a lot of fun along the way.

Yew!

Rowan

DIFFERENT WAVES, DIFFERENT TIMING

There is a big difference in the timing between popping up on a broken whitewater wave, vs popping up on a green unbroken wave. 

In fact the two techniques couldn't be more different. 

For that reason, I've broken down this post into two sections: one for beginners surfing in the whitewater, and one for intermediates and above surfing out the back.

Skip to the section that's relevant for you.

WHEN TO POP UP SURFING WHITEWATER WAVES

Timing the pop up on whitewater waves is a relatively binary, straightforward process. 

As broken waves move to shore, simply paddle and get picked up by the wave, and once you're connected and moving with the waves energy - that’s your cue to pop up. 

Pretty simple, pretty straightforward. 

COMMON MISTAKES

POPPING UP TOO EARLY

Oftentimes beginners will paddle for a wave, wait for it to hit them, and at the moment the wave touches their feet, pop straight up. 

This leads to popping up too early, with the wave passing by underneath you - without you on it. 

To remedy this wait for the wave to push you forward first, before committing to popping up to your feet. 

POPPING UP TOO LATE

The flip side of the above is a when a surfer will paddle for a wave, wait for it to pick them up, then keep waiting and waiting before popping up to their feet. 

By then the wave has fizzled out and there’s nothing to ride - don’t be that guy. 

Instead, as soon as you feel the forward propulsion of the whitewater pushing you towards the beach, use that as your new cue to pop up to your feet. 

WHEN TO POP UP SURFING UNBROKEN WAVES

Popping up on unbroken waves is when things start to get much more complex, and much more nuanced. 

So let's break down a few key points before we move on.

CATCH IT AS EARLY AS YOU CAN

The way to increase your make-rate, and have more success all round is to catch waves as early as you possibly can. 

Catching waves early reduces the severity of the waves' steepness making it much easier to pop to your feet.

Doing this right will rely heavily on your timing and positioning in the lineup - something that can take years to master.

TOP POP THEN DROP

When popping up on green unbroken waves its important to pop up to your feet at the top of the wave, not at the bottom. 

Why?

Well, popping up to your feet at the top of the wave is good for a number of reasons:

COMMON MISTAKES

TAIL LOW TAKE OFF

When you take off on a whitewater wave the surfboard is horizontal, we call that a tail low take off, and that's the opposite of what you need to do when popping up on an unbroken green wave. 

Instead, you actually want to encourage the tail of the board to raise with the wave (Tail High Take Off), as this helps connect your board to the wave enabling you to catch more waves, far easier.

BELLY DROP FLOP

We touched on this a little earlier, the idea of riding down an unbroken wave on your belly first before popping to your feet. 

This is not the way things are done. 

Popping up like this is dangerous, increases your chances of nosediving and injury, and makes things much, much harder. 

THE ZERO POINT

The Zero Point is an analogy to help you understand the exact moment of when to pop up surfing - notably on green unbroken waves. 

Let me break this concept down for you below:

When you’re paddling for a wave and it begins to pick you up you’ll notice that you begin to rise up the oncoming wave. 

And subsequently, once you’ve caught the wave, you proceed to move back down .

First rising up the wave as it picks you up, then moving down once it’s caught. 

That brief moment whereby you are no longer rising up, nor falling down, is what we call the ‘Zero Point’, where for a split second you’re weightless, and completely stationary. 

This is the perfect time to pop up.

CONCLUSION

The perfect timing for when to pop up to your feet surfing is a very nuanced affair, requiring high degrees of sensitivity for when to time it right. 

I'd love to be able to give you a formula you could take away with that'd work for every wave you catch, but unfortunately that's not possible. 

Take what you've read above and apply it to your surfing, test it out in different types of wave breaks, different environments, and get aquatinted with the sensation of the waves energy transferring to your board, as that's your moment to go. 

Hope this helps.

Yew!
Rowan

BUT FIRST, WHAT DO WE MEAN BY LINEUP POSITIONING IN SURFING?

Lineup positioning in surfing refers to a surfer's ability to put themselves in the right spot at the right time - to catch the best waves.

It sounds easy in principle, but it’s much more difficult in practice. 

To optimise their lineup positioning experienced surfers will make countless moment-by-moment computations, constantly reading the ebbs and flows of the ocean, wind, swell, rips and other surfers, to put themselves in the best spot possible. 

Just like a poker player will calculate the probabilities at each stage of a hand to put the odds in their favour, so to do surfers constantly make adjustments to put the probabilities on their side. 

12 POTENT SURFING POSITIONING TIPS FOR BEGINNERS

1. LOOK FOR SPOT X: THE APEX OF THE BREAKING WAVE

In our weekend courses and weeklong incubator retreats we oftentimes refer to the ideal takeoff position as ‘Spot-X’.

What is Spot-X? 

Let me explain.

Spot-X is the perfect takeoff position on any given wave, the apex if you like, where the wave is at its highest. The spot where if you were mind-surfing you’d put yourself every time. 

That’s Spot-X right there. 

And now that you know what it is, now that you’re aware, you need to constantly be hunting around a lineup, changing your position as you go, to put yourself in that spot when a good wave comes. 

Easier said than done, but at least you now know what to look for as a base to get you started. 

2. MONKEY SEE, MONKEY DO: LOOK FOR WHERE ADVANCED SURFERS ARE SITTING

If you’re not yet familiar with the pattern recognition required to read the waves and adjust your positioning accordingly, why not just follow the experienced surfers in the lineup? 

Doing this will take away 80%+ of guesswork for you. 

But beware, this does come with a few downsides. 

If you’re just a beginner surfing amongst a bunch of more experienced surfers, sure you might be in roughly the right position in the lineup, but you’ll likely struggle to catch waves as the good surfers will be able to out-position you and catch all the waves before you do. 

So, use this tip with your own discernment.

3. KNOW YOUR SPOT IN THE LINEUP

This tip leads on nicely from the last, and it’s all about knowing your spot in the lineup. 

Not so much knowing where to sit, but instead knowing your spot within the lineup hierarchy. 

You see, surfing has a book of unwritten rules that dictate the pecking order out in the surf. 

It might seem counterintuitive at first (and it is in a lot of ways), but when surfers stick to the rules, everybody gets their waves and everybody stays safe. 

It’s when these surf etiquette rules get broken that accidents happen.

For a detailed breakdown on surf etiquette click here.

4. LONGITUDINAL & LATITUDINAL POSITIONING

Ok, if you’re a beginner you’ve likely been spending a bunch of time surfing in the whitewater.

In the whitewater, your surfing positioning is very rudimentary:

Positioning once you’re out the back surfing green waves however is much more nuanced and involved. 

To put yourself in the right position to catch waves out the back requires more than just one simple frame of reference, instead it requires multiple. 

We call this latitudinal and longitudinal positioning. 

This refers to how far out you are, plus your position left and right across the beach. 

For latitudinal positioning use landmarks on the beach:

And for longitudinal positioning use:

Sounds really complicated I know, but effectively it’s finding things around you that you can anchor your position to, so that you know where you are in the lineup at all times. 

5. STUDY THE WAVES BEFORE YOU GO IN

A large part of positioning yourself in the surf comes before you even hit the water. 

For an experienced surfer they may be able to understand the conditions simply at a glance, but for beginners however it will take a little more time observing. 

So, before you paddle out next time take a moment to analyse the lineup, look for where the waves are breaking, and look for where you’d like to position yourself out the back before stepping foot in the water. 

6. LOOK FOR CLUES FROM PREVIOUS WAVES

All waves that break leave visual clues behind them, so it’s always good to study the whitewater trail left behind broken waves as it can tell you a lot. 

Here’s what I mean.

Let's say you paddle for a wave, only to pull back last minute because it was too steep.

Rather than simply turn around and paddle straight back out, look for signs as to how the wave broke. 

By studying the wave after it’s broken you can further refine your positioning to put yourself in a better spot next time around.

7. PADDLE AROUND, DON’T STAY STATIC

Beginner surfers love to get out the back, sit, and soak it all up - maybe even have a lovely little chat whilst they're at it. 

This is fine and all, but it’s not a great way to position yourself to catch more waves.

You see, the chances of your current position being the perfect takeoff spot are virtually zero, so better to be hustling around the lineup than being static in one place.

8. MAKE MULTIPLE MICRO ADJUSTMENTS

This point kind of leads on from the last, and it’s all about making micro adjustments. 

Just like a tennis player will bounce on their toes making multiple tiny adjustments before a serve is hit, so too is it beneficial for a surfer to make these micro adjustments in their positioning when surfing. 

A metre to the left, a few extra paddles out, a hold and wait can all be the difference to catching a wave or not. 

So in short, try to add multiple micro adjustments to your positioning to get yourself in the absolute best spot possible.

9. BE ASSERTIVE, HOLD DOWN YOUR SPOT

As a beginner it’s easy to feel intimidated in the lineup and forgo a dominant surfing position to someone else to not ruffle any feathers. 

I get it, this is human instinct, but as long as your playing by the rules and know your spot in the lineup there’s no need to be so submissive. 

If you’re in the right position and it’s your turn to go, put your head down and fully commit. 

Be assertive, and hold down your spot.

10. ALWAYS BE READY

There’s one thing you’ll notice about experienced surfers, they’re always ready. 

They could be mid flow in a deep conversation about the meaning of life, but they’ve always got one eye on the horizon, and they’re always ready to break of the chat for a wave coming their way. 

In short, they’re always ready - and you should be too. 

Never allow yourself to take your eye off your surroundings, and never allow yourself to switch off.

11. POP, CORK, & GO

You might not know it yet, but there’s a subtle, sneaky way that advanced surfers catch waves with little to no paddling. 

With this technique in hand they’re able to make even more refined micro adjustments, and be able to turn and catch a wave in under 0.5 seconds. 

Sure, it’s an advanced technique, but this is a skill that’ll set a beginner apart from an intermediate surfer and above. 

We call this technique the ‘Pop & Cork’. 

This technique allows a surfer to go from stationary to full paddle speed in a split second - just like a fighter jet on the back of a carrier ship. 

Harness this technique and you’ll be able to scavenge and hustle for more waves than ever before.

12. MASTER LATE TAKEOFFS

If you’re no good at taking off late on steep waves you're going to reduce your margin for error with your positioning, forcing you to be incredibly refined and on-point with where you sit. 

Become a master of late take offs however and you open up the door to more waves, with a higher chance of making them each time.

The result?

You can afford to be a little out with your positioning yet still make the wave. 

A skill worth investing in if you ask me.

Click here for How To Take Off On Steep Waves

CONCLUSION

A surfer's positioning in the lineup is key to catching and successfully riding more waves. 

By following along with all the tips in this post you’ll be putting yourself ahead of 90% of the people in the lineup, helping you to catch way more waves each time you hit the surf. 

Got any lineup positional tips to share?

Pop them in the comments below and I’ll add them to the post. 

Yew!

Rowan.