TRAVEL TIP – Compare Baggage Fees

We strive to share the latest travel tip news with you to eliminate surprises. Before you choose your airline you might want to check a useful tool that allows you to compare the baggage fees that airlines have recently introduced. Many guests travel with quite a bit of luggage and over-size sports equipment so baggage fees become an important point. We recommend traveling as light as you can which means more money for play once you’re here!

Go here for travel fee chart and information.

Learn To Surf

If you’ve seen our essential surf equipment guide, you should by now have the right idea on which surfboard to learn on and have hopefully chosen a good sized soft board, pop out or mal with which to take your first steps. Chose the Right Spot Surf breaks vary enormously and if you try to learn at the wrong one it can slow down the learning process no end, possibly get you hurt and lable you as a nuisance to other surfers.   The answer is to forget reef breaks (surf breaking over, rock, coral etc) and heavy, hollow beach breaks and pick a beach with an easy, spilling, mushy break wave in the 2-4ft range.   It may not be glamorous but it will be the best place to start.   Also try and find a spot with no crowds- battling with hundreds of other beginners and more experienced surfers is not the way to go.   If you have a little space it will be easier to learn. Paddling You have your new surfboard under your arm and you’ve chosen a mushy, uncrowded spot for a surf, its now time to paddle out!   Paddling is an essential surfing skill so lots of practice at this will bring its rewards.   Start in small waves and if possible paddle out when there is a lull in the waves.   Its best to walk your board out until you are in waist deep water, then lay your body on the deck of your surfboard.   On a shortboard keep your weight centered on the middle of the board and on a longboard position yourself so the nose is around 1inch out of the water.   The trick is to find the optimum trim position for the board which will provide least resistance when paddling.   Once you feel the board gliding through the water with ease you’ll have found the ideal trim, so remember your position and stick with it. Start to paddle using a crawl stroke with your arms, using cupped hands to increase the pull.   If you hit bumpy water or “chop”, lift your chest slightly and lessen your weight on the board so the nose and rails don’t go under.   Once you have learnt to balance your right and left sides, head, and legs, paddle your board out to the lineup you’re on the way! Duck Diving Duck-diving is a technique to allow you to pass under breaking waves when paddling out, rather than getting hammered by each breaking wave.   Duck-diving applys to shortboards which are smaller and lighter, for longboards there are a number of techniques used to achieve the same result.   To duck-dive a shortboard, try to have as much paddling speed as possible when approaching the wave.   At about two feet before making contact with the white water, grab both rails (edges of the surfboard) halfway between the nose and midpoint of your board.   Push all your upper body weight onto your hands and arms until you feel the nose begin to go under.   Point your head down and let your body follow.   Once your body is just below the surface, bend your front leg and use that knee to push the tail under the wave.   Your momentum should thrust you under the quickly passing wave and only require you to be under water for a short time.   As the wave passes let the flotation of your board lift you to the surface.   Now you have the skill to paddle to the lineup or to the next wave and duck under it. For paddling out on a longboard there are a few ways of tackling the breaking waves: The slice and duck, Eskimo roll, push-ups and the shoot and scoot.   On smaller waves the push-up technique is probably best.   Just push up your chest and the wave will pass under your body and over the board.   The shoot and scoot method is where you sit at the back of your board and sink the tail, grabbing the rails around the centre of the board so it raises above the oncoming wave.   Don’t grab the surfboard at the nose or allow the nose to raise too much as you’ll flip the board.   The Eskimo roll is the old school method of getting out back. Its simply a matter of grabbing the board and rolling it over so that the wave passes over the top of you.   This is maybe not the most effective method as there is a chance you can get drilled by the wave and pushed further back to shore.   The final method is the slice and duck which is executed by pushing down on one side of the surfboard so that it slices/sinks into the water, at the same time push down on the deck so that the boards nose ducks under the water in the same way as a duck dive. Catching a Wave To begin with, rather than paddling straight out the back into the line up, its best to catch a few broken whitewater waves in shallower water.   You should have your ideal trim/paddling position at this stage, so point your board directly towards the beach and as the whitewater approaches paddle towards shore.   The wave should pick you up and push you forward which is an unmistakable feeling, however if your board pearls or nosedives you have set off positioned too far forward on the board, likewise if the wave passes under you are positioned too far back on the board. Its fun to catch and ride a few to the beach whilst still laying down to get the feeling of the wave, after that its time to stand up which we will go onto in the next section.   Once you have the hang of catching white water its time to use those paddling skills and get out into the lineup to catch the unbroken waves which is what surfing is all about.   Once in the lineup, past where the waves are breaking, sit up and straddle your board (you might want to practice the art of sitting on your board as it takes a little time to find your balance).   Always face out to sea until you are ready to catch a wave.   Practice swinging the nose of the board left or right so that you can easily turn around to catch an oncoming wave.   Pick a wave that has not broken and be sure to sit far enough out among the sloping swells, not where the waves are standing up straight. As a wave approaches, turn the nose of your board toward the beach, lay down and begin paddling.   As you feel the wave lift you and your board, paddle as hard as you can and lean your weight forward.   The natural tendency is to lean back to keep the nose from going under water, but that will only slow your momentum which in not conducive to wave-catching. Lean forward but raise your chest so that your weight is just above the center of the board.   You should now be sliding down into the the trough of the wave.   The first phase of surfing will entail that you wait until you are in the flat water in front of the wave before you stand up.   However, the ideal is to begin standing just as you feel the pull of the wave. Now you are ready to work on standing. ExtremeHorizon Home Page > Surfing Information > Learn To Surf Learn To Surf If you’ve seen our essential surf equipment guide, you should by now have the right idea on which surfboard to learn on and have hopefully chosen a good sized soft board, pop out or mal with which to take your first steps. Chose the Right Spot Surf breaks vary enormously and if you try to learn at the wrong one it can slow down the learning process no end, possibly get you hurt and lable you as a nuisance to other surfers.   The answer is to forget reef breaks (surf breaking over, rock, coral etc) and heavy, hollow beach breaks and pick a beach with an easy, spilling, mushy break wave in the 2-4ft range.   It may not be glamorous but it will be the best place to start.   Also try and find a spot with no crowds- battling with hundreds of other beginners and more experienced surfers is not the way to go.   If you have a little space it will be easier to learn. Paddling You have your new surfboard under your arm and you’ve chosen a mushy, uncrowded spot for a surf, its now time to paddle out!   Paddling is an essential surfing skill so lots of practice at this will bring its rewards.   Start in small waves and if possible paddle out when there is a lull in the waves.   Its best to walk your board out until you are in waist deep water, then lay your body on the deck of your surfboard.   On a shortboard keep your weight centered on the middle of the board and on a longboard position yourself so the nose is around 1inch out of the water.   The trick is to find the optimum trim position for the board which will provide least resistance when paddling.   Once you feel the board gliding through the water with ease you’ll have found the ideal trim, so remember your position and stick with it. Start to paddle using a crawl stroke with your arms, using cupped hands to increase the pull.   If you hit bumpy water or “chop”, lift your chest slightly and lessen your weight on the board so the nose and rails don’t go under.   Once you have learnt to balance your right and left sides, head, and legs, paddle your board out to the lineup you’re on the way! Duck Diving Duck-diving is a technique to allow you to pass under breaking waves when paddling out, rather than getting hammered by each breaking wave.   Duck-diving applys to shortboards which are smaller and lighter, for longboards there are a number of techniques used to achieve the same result.   To duck-dive a shortboard, try to have as much paddling speed as possible when approaching the wave.   At about two feet before making contact with the white water, grab both rails (edges of the surfboard) halfway between the nose and midpoint of your board.   Push all your upper body weight onto your hands and arms until you feel the nose begin to go under.   Point your head down and let your body follow.   Once your body is just below the surface, bend your front leg and use that knee to push the tail under the wave.   Your momentum should thrust you under the quickly passing wave and only require you to be under water for a short time.   As the wave passes let the flotation of your board lift you to the surface.   Now you have the skill to paddle to the lineup or to the next wave and duck under it. For paddling out on a longboard there are a few ways of tackling the breaking waves: The slice and duck, Eskimo roll, push-ups and the shoot and scoot.   On smaller waves the push-up technique is probably best.   Just push up your chest and the wave will pass under your body and over the board.   The shoot and scoot method is where you sit at the back of your board and sink the tail, grabbing the rails around the centre of the board so it raises above the oncoming wave.   Don’t grab the surfboard at the nose or allow the nose to raise too much as you’ll flip the board.   The Eskimo roll is the old school method of getting out back. Its simply a matter of grabbing the board and rolling it over so that the wave passes over the top of you.   This is maybe not the most effective method as there is a chance you can get drilled by the wave and pushed further back to shore.   The final method is the slice and duck which is executed by pushing down on one side of the surfboard so that it slices/sinks into the water, at the same time push down on the deck so that the boards nose ducks under the water in the same way as a duck dive. Catching a Wave To begin with, rather than paddling straight out the back into the line up, its best to catch a few broken whitewater waves in shallower water.   You should have your ideal trim/paddling position at this stage, so point your board directly towards the beach and as the whitewater approaches paddle towards shore.   The wave should pick you up and push you forward which is an unmistakable feeling, however if your board pearls or nosedives you have set off positioned too far forward on the board, likewise if the wave passes under you are positioned too far back on the board. Its fun to catch and ride a few to the beach whilst still laying down to get the feeling of the wave, after that its time to stand up which we will go onto in the next section.   Once you have the hang of catching white water its time to use those paddling skills and get out into the lineup to catch the unbroken waves which is what surfing is all about.   Once in the lineup, past where the waves are breaking, sit up and straddle your board (you might want to practice the art of sitting on your board as it takes a little time to find your balance).   Always face out to sea until you are ready to catch a wave.   Practice swinging the nose of the board left or right so that you can easily turn around to catch an oncoming wave.   Pick a wave that has not broken and be sure to sit far enough out among the sloping swells, not where the waves are standing up straight. As a wave approaches, turn the nose of your board toward the beach, lay down and begin paddling.   As you feel the wave lift you and your board, paddle as hard as you can and lean your weight forward.   The natural tendency is to lean back to keep the nose from going under water, but that will only slow your momentum which in not conducive to wave-catching. Lean forward but raise your chest so that your weight is just above the center of the board.   You should now be sliding down into the the trough of the wave.   The first phase of surfing will entail that you wait until you are in the flat water in front of the wave before you stand up.   However, the ideal is to begin standing just as you feel the pull of the wave. Now you are ready to work on standing. Standing Up Standing up on a surfboard can look very easy but once you place that surfboard on a moving, pitching, surge of swirling water where you must simultaneously leap from a prone position while weighting and unweighting left, right, front, and back just to keep from diving face forward, you’ll soon realise a lot of practice will be needed!   The place to start to stand is on the beach.   Firstly you will need to know which foot will feel most natural to you in the forward position.   The left foot forward is called natural stance and the right foot forward is a goofy foot stance.   The way to find out which way you swing (!) is to stand up straight, close your eyes and ask a friend to gently nudge you forward, the foot that goes out first to steady yourself is your leading foot! The motion from prone to standing is called the pop-up, which is basically a quick push up to your feet.   Lie the board on the sand (watch the fins) and do a push-up, once your arms are at full extension, pull both knees toward your stomach and hop to your feet.   If you practice this regularly it will help when in the water. The next step is to get out there and do it.   It will be best to start in the whitewater: Step 1—Paddle for a wave and just as you feel the momentum of the surfboard flow faster than your paddling speed, you are ready to hop up. Step 2—With your hands firmly grasping each rail push up quickly. Step 3—Simultaneously, extend your arms completely and pull your knees quickly up to your chest.   Be sure to keep your weight centered with just a little slant forward. Step 4—Place your feet firmly on your board, one foot near the tail and one foot just above the midpoint of the board. Step 5—Don’t stand up completely erect.   Keep a low center of gravity by crouching down and focusing your weight on the midpoint of the board.   Keep your arms out, your eyes looking forward and balance. Angle on a Wave Once you’ve mastered paddling and standing, it’s time to climb to the next level of waveriding.   The real aim of any surfer is to angle along on the open face of the wave parallel with the beach, getting the longest possible ride with the greatest amount of speed.   You should decide which direction (right or left) you will ride as you begin paddling for an oncoming wave.   Understanding and predicting wave behaviour will come with time, but how you approach your drop-in will depend on the type of wave your are riding.   If you are surfing a mushy, sloping wave, then you may want to start angling to the right of left even while you paddle which is a more effective use of the wave’s energy and helps you to stay ahead of the whitewater. However, on a more critical/hollow wave, a surfer must follow his/her dropline to the flat trough of the wave in order to avoid digging a rail or nose and thus falling during the drop.   The technique of turning the surfboard is relatively simple.   While keeping a low center of gravity with legs bent at the knees, lightly lean your weight in the direction you choose and towards the wave face.   This will push the rail into the water and create a keel effect, cutting into the water and directing the board in the direction you choose.   On a longboard the principle is the same but you will need to use the rear section of your board to turn, if you lean whilst too far forward the rail will dig and its end of ride.

Which board to choose

Assuming you are a beginner, your weight, age and desired surfing style goal are the most important factors.   The elements you need to consider are:

Length – when beginning the length of the surfboard is one of most critical decisions and generally speaking the longer the better.   A board 1-2ft taller than your own height is a reasonable guideline, but the other factors will come into play.   A longer surfboard should help you to make paddling easier.

Thickness – A thicker board will provide more flotation which allows easier paddling and provide more of a glide when stood up.   You will need to consider a thicker surfboard the heavier you are- a 2.5″ to 3″ thick surfboard should be suitable.

Width – A wider surfboard will be more forgiving when learning, again being easier to paddle and provide a more stable platform.   Look for width in the nose, centre and tail of the board.

When it comes to surfboard construction (see our surfboard design page for more info) there are a number of types, but in basic terms there are the custom boards, epoxy, softboards and pop-outs.   If you are going to surf regularly and look to progress then a custom or epoxy board may be the way forward, but if you are only looking to surf during holidays or your board will take a lot of abuse perhaps look at softboard or pop-out.   Mals and mini-mals are ideal beginner surfboards.

	Softboard – Softboards or “Foamies” are as the name suggests made of foam and are soft, which allows them to be more forgiving to the novice.  These surfboards are very buoyant, big and stable in the water.
	Pop-outs – These are tough beginners boards with plenty of float.  They are made of a foam core with a thick fiberglass coating and can stand a lot of abuse!  They tend to be a cheaper alternative than a custom surfboard and hold their resale value once you want to trade up to a custom surfboard.

Wetsuits

In many parts of the world the water temperature is such that without a wetsuit you just aren’t going to be able to get in the water or if you do you wont be able to stay in comfortably for any length of time.   So unless you are one of the lucky ones surfing every day in warm tropical waters a wetsuit is a must.

Wetsuit technology has advanced dramatically over the past few years with new innovations happening all the time so a decent wetsuit, appropriate for your local conditions should allow you to stay in the water for as long as you like, even in mid winter.

Construction – Wetsuits are made of a flexible material called neoprene, a type of rubber which is stitched together in panels for each part of the body.   A wetsuit works by trapping a thin layer of water between the rubber and your skin which your body then heats which in turn insulates you.   Wetsuits are measured for the conditions by their thickness, basically the colder the water the thicker the neoprene required. A single wetsuit can have varying thicknesses of neoprene to allow more flexibility and the panels can be vary in type i.e a chest panel is often a slick rubber which helps reduce windchill.   The stitching of wetsuit panels also varies between flatlocked, blind, taped, and glued stitching.   A winter suit will need to be blind stitched/taped to provide a seal, whereas a cheap wetsuit or summer suit may be flatlocked which will allow water to pass through the seams.   Wetsuits come in a range of thicknesses from 6mm through to 2mm.

Living in Central California, I opted for a 4/3 O’Neill and I absolutely love it. It fits like a glove, which well it should and my range of motion is pretty good.

Types – There are a few types of wetsuits: a full wetsuit or “steamer” with full length arms and legs- standard thicknesses are 6/4 or 5/3mm for winter or 3/2 for summer.   A Convertible- which has full length arms and legs but the arms are detachable if the suns starts to shine!- usually a 3/2.   A Shortie which is for spring/summer and has short arms/legs and can be 3/2 or 2/1mm.

Wetsuit sizes – When buying a wetsuit you need to ensure a good fit.   The wetsuit will need to be a snugg fit but not tight.   Also if its too loose it will be prone to flushing which is where the water floods in through the neck or arms which can be a chilly experience!
Rash Vest – A must have item, which is made of a soft neoprene and nylon mix, worn under a wetsuit to protect the skin from irritation especially under the arms when paddling.   A Rash vest can also add an extra layer of insulation in cold water and can be bought with a thermal lining for extra warmth.   On the other end of the scale a rash vest can also be worn in semi/tropical regions where the water is warm enough to forget about a wetsuit.   Its advisable to wear a rash vest in the tropics to help protect from the sun as the vest will have a high UV protection rating.

Boots, Gloves, Hood – If your local breaks fall into areas of high Northern or low Southern latitudes or is influenced by cold ocean currents and you want to surf year round chances are your going to need these.

Boots – Similar to wetsuits, boots come in different thicknesses. Essential as the cold sets in and to protect feet.

Gloves – These gloves lessen the whole surfing experience but your fingers will thank you!

Photos taken by Patty Holbrook

I know this has nothing to do with surfing. But it’s heartfelt and adorable and I wanted to share it.

Watch here to see this loving interaction.

Consider how surfing can heal as well as thrill. Last year, Julie Carruthers, who’s now the volunteer coordinator of fundraising for The Association of Amputee Surfers (AmpSurf), searched for aquatic sports she could join. Her Google quest took her to the organization website AmpSurf.org, where she learned the group has helped hundreds of disabled veterans and others in the disabled community experience the healing powers of the ocean and adaptive surfing.

On Saturday April 10, at Pismo Beach, the nonprofit group hosted one in a series of surf clinics for people with disabilities. The lessons will start at 8 a.m. and continue to 12:30 p.m. Instructors will cover the basics of surfing on the beach, then guide participants in the waves. “We get surf and water safety instruction from a surf instructor volunteer, and then they get us out there. There are two or three volunteers per participant who make you feel very secure,” Carruthers related.

Carruthers had been a black-diamond skier but lost her leg to bone cancer nine years ago. She refers to her limb loss as a high-level amputation, known technically as hemipelvectomy, in which the leg is removed up to the pelvis. At first, she turned to adaptive snow and water skiing, but soon sought more adventures.  When she became involved with AmpSurf, she wanted only to help, not participate, because she assumed it was strictly for injured soldiers. But Executive Director Dana Cummings encouraged her to get in the water at the first clinic last year.  “It was absolutely the thrill of my life. It opens up your mind: If I can do this, then, what else can I do? It was the camaraderie of the other participants and the other volunteers that meant even more to me than getting up on the board,” Carruthers remembered.

The program was originally devoted to maimed veterans, but is now open to people with any disability. Participants include individuals who are blind, paraplegic, and who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.

The clinic was  held on the south side of Pismo Beach Pier.

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If you are aching to get to Maui and surf and ride some big or small waves, take United Airlines up on it’s offer. Here are some more sample fares.
Terms
Purchase by April 30, 2010.
A fourteen (14) day advance purchase is required.
Travel must be complete by June 30, 2010.
Travel is valid Monday through Thursday. Fares for travel on other days of the week may be higher.
A three (3) night, Friday night or Saturday night minimum stay is required and a maximum stay of thirty (30) days is permitted.
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Fares below are subject to availability and may not be valid on all flights/dates.

I am Andrea Thomas, the owner of this site. In 1980 I started Maui Surfing School. ‘Specializing in Beginners and Cowards’ was my slogan for as long as I had the school, which was until 1998, when I shut it down when I moved from Maui and moved to Santa Monica. I taught literally tens of thousands of people from all over the world, all walks of life and all ages and it was some of the best days of my life. I enjoyed just about each and every class. The classes I didn’t enjoy was with whiney kids and with adults who I could not get any of my points across to no matter how many ways I approached it. My technique was one that I developed and I have yet to see anyone use my superior teaching method. My lessons were guaranteed 110%. Yup- if you couldn’t get up in one 2 hour lesson I’d give the student the price of the lesson back and then some. I would proclaim “If you can walk, I can teach you to surf” and I did indeed. My beach instruction lasted about 15-20 minutes and then we’d spend the rest of the 2 hours in the shallow waters at the south end of Lahaina Breakwall. Many people couldn’t make it for the entire water segment of the lesson. Their arms would give out. They got tired from paddling. For many years I would paddle out with the students and have them paddle the board on their own to catch the waves. That is not easy because the timing is a learned experience. In about my 5th year of teaching, instead of paddling out with my students, I would put on water shoes and walk out with them. I had more control over the students and could give them a much needed push when the wave came and just at the very perfect time. This eliminated most of the paddling on their part and they got a chance to catch the wave and then stand up. It was as thrilling for me as it was for them. If you have seen Bret Favre’s excitement after throwing his umpteenth touchdown pass, well, that is how I felt after my student stood up. Some students would come back for a follow up lesson and some would come back year after year. I might not have remembered their name or face, but I usually remembered what part of the country they lived in and then it would ring a bell in my head. Surfing has changed so much on Maui over the years. Back then there were just a couple of us teaching. Now there are many surfing schools teaching on just a few breaks. It’s congested and crazy and not like it used to be. But what is??

Back in the 1980′s, when I was the beach tip girl for the first cable channel on Maui, I had a series of tips that ran day and night. One of the best pieces of advise I can give is whether you are getting ready to get into the ocean or just standing on the beach, NEVER turn your back on the ocean. You just never know what a rogue wave or a large wave from a set can grab you and either pull you out or slam you down on your face. Many drownings and serious injuries has occurred because people just don’t follow this simple and basic rule.

Don't turn your back on the waves