5 things I wish I knew when I started surfing

What about wave pools and the new standing waves where you can use fins? I could never go beyond straight up and down airs and never rotated past a few degrees before landing. Currently landlocked so not surfing much, but I think that it's more possible to learn stuff like that with wave pools.

As you get older. Like in your 60’s. Your muscles and stamina start to be lacking. Especially when a lot of your free time has to be spent make a living for a family.
I found that if I got a thicker board. With addiction length and width. And also used an EPS foam Epoxy for increased buoyancy.
That my surfing improved with a board that was more adaptable to my age.
If your not having fun and catching waves. Then something needs to change in your equipment. Adapt to your strengths.

lol I'm 53 and still progressing, surfing 20 years now and still more to learn

had a lesson with Edelberto in Playa Saladita, Mexico, last year and he really helped my style improve

never too old to learn, never too experienced for a lesson!

I was learned how to swim in a bad way so during all my life I was scared of diving. And it was a big blocker for surfing. I've started to practice with smaller waves and I feel much better now and I have started getting a bit of enjoyment of surfing. 😅

What about the mid 50's? Is there a hope our should I buy a wheel chair? ;)

Love the video.. dont tell people.. that zero foam.. mean less waves😂
Good clipp .. if your not catching waves yah not surfin..
Keep surfin champ.
Stay hi on a cool wave ❤

U can progres at any age. Here I am at 69 ( yes 69) just doing my best to improve my surfing ( why not?)

#5 was super helpful to hear. Great content, many thanks!

Great tips, totally agree, I've noticed with gradual exposure to bigger waves they became less intimidating. I have three boards, 7'6",6'6"and a 5'6",i can't manage the 5,6 at all, 6'6" i can barely manage to get onto waves without the buoyancy, and i can't manage steeper faces with the 6,6. The 7,6 is spot on, stable enough to get up and ride the waves, even the big broad less steep waves, though the other day i managed a couple of relatively steep waves on it.

To solve the volume vs performance issue could a board be shaped to have volume through the midsection and nose but stepped down thin rails ? Or am I missing the point??

I almost feel ashamed to call myself a "surfer" I have been scared of anything over 4 foot my whole life 😂😢

One of the best takeaways is progression. If you’re a natural lifelong learner, anything can be learned.

I resonated most with the recommendation to try surfing with more volume. Modern surf style is based on what scores well in contests. To surf in that style you seem to need a low volume short board. Living inland an hour and three quarters from my preferred break, I only go when conditions are forecast to be good- not that often where I live- New England. Which is to say, I'm not as strong a paddler as someone who lives on the coast and can go almost everyday. I learned on a longboard at age 12 in '67, got a "shortboard"- 7', soon after, then a 6'6"- not shortboards by today's standards.

I've been riding a 6'4" KG Twinzer Fish since '08. It has a lot of volume compared to what people ride as shortboards today. I find it serves me well in all but the most critical conditions. It's easy to paddle, it turns really easily carving off the bottom and on cutbacks, and has a lot of speed even in pretty gutless surf. It's a different style of surfing; more like what you used to see back in the 70's, cruisey, fast, and functional for staying in the curl down the line. People are always coming up to me saying "I used to have one of those boards- one of the best boards I ever had".

hello i'm a regular surfer but with a skate i'm goofy ... (i don't improve my surfing with skate). i have ever see this case ??? thanks

Always interesting to hear what you have to say Kale. Very enjoyable, and I always feel I know a bit more.

(From a surfing nutcase in Gijón, Spain.)

I just want to ride a barrel at teahupoo or pipeline.

Hi Kale, thanks so much for all your videos. I love your surf skate program and am using it at by my pump track. Regarding board volume: I want to keep my volume high 31liters @ 60kg (intermediate), but it makes duck diving pretty tough in 5ft. Stick it out or drop the volume, kind of a catch 22.

Lookin forward to trying surfing with my visit to Wakiki Beach in Oct...My mindset is...I ride unicycles...I luv my longboard & esk8...I can surf !!!...Reality I bet it's a different animal...But so excited to try...

I'm really scared to start surfing because I'm scared people might make fun of me

What if u use different stances between surf skate and surfing. For example I use my left foot behind when I surf and when I skate I use my right…. What can I do?

Because child boat accident, im afraid of sharks even they are few in my country. So surf is not pleasant. I think i have to get hypnose

Thank you so much for doing videos like this, its really helping me build confidence to charge bigger waves

Don't start, it will control your life in everything you do; family, work, relationships, travel, money, where you live...(pssst, it's all true but totally worth it 😄)

Kale ive been suRfing for sbout a year now and im getting pretty good on my log when should i transition to short board?

Skating and a bigger board really helped me.

Thinking of getting back into it after years, I literally work across the street from the beach in HB. Don't really want to ride a long board though.
Great video, I needed this. Thank you!

Wait maybe I got tip #2 wrong, but swimming without a surfboard is actually way scarier for me 😅

I used to be 20 pounds lighter before covid and I had a 5 foot eleven inches board. Worked great, every since I gained pounds it’s so difficult to stand since my gut blocks me standing on it 😂

Jimmy 😮😅
Hi my n
🎉






Nunnery

I started 4 months ago at age 63 after never doing anything ocean related. I go nearly every day and today I got a 3 second ride!

I’m only scared of 1’ waves. 🤣

Your comment about the board size. I’m new to surfing and practice adaptive surfing so I hate having to need help carrying my board to the water. I have to let go and except help until I’m ready for something smaller and that I can manage on my own.

Good information. I’m 64, haven’t surfed for years. I am going to Bali in Sept. ‘24. I like yourself surfed a modified fish in my early 20s. Later surfed a 6’7” thruster. Im going to get a 7’ mid tri fin for Bali. Should accommodate my weight and lack of surfing for so many years!

The waves don’t particularly scare me. It’s a fear of sharks that stops me from heading out the back.

that was awesome, im not a surfer,but now i want this

I have a waveboard and I'm pretty well on it, do you think that will help me learn surfing faster?

I'm insulted by the suggestion that 4ft is "no surf". My local beach regularly gets 0.1 meter waves... That's a third of a foot

I just turned fifty and I’ve been surfing for 28 yrs but when Covid hit me in 2019 and again in 2020 I’ve haven’t surfed until just 5/26/23 and I’ve lost that automatic reaction to surfing is there like an exercise that would get my body in better shape ?

I’ve already upgraded from the wavestorm to the Gerry Lopez 😂

Awesome video, as usual! Made the same mistake with board choice. Started out big and downsized progressively over the years till I got a fish, loved it and used it, as if it were my only board, on all types of waves for 4+ years --then stopped enjoying surfing because I felt stuck. Friends who suggested trying other boards. Right on point. Tried a couple of my friends' boards, one felt perfect, and I also got compliments on my surfing on that session (clearly the board allowed me to do what I was already ready to do but the fish didn't allow me to). Bought the same one, just a size smaller since I didn't need the volume. Game changer. Surfskating while I wasn't surfing really helped improve my backside bottom turn to (just last year, wish I'd know earlier!).

Kale- I'd love your opinion on something. I live 2 hours from the coast, and 4 hours from "good" waves. However I used to live at the coast and had access to good waves several times per week. I cannot move my family to the coast, because we are too entangled in our current community, especially my kids. We've thought of buying a vacation home at the coast but that is a huge undertaking. So my question is this... Can I progress, at all, if I skate every day and work on my pop ups everyday, along with paddle training using resistance bands? I typically paddle with the bands for 5 minutes, then do 10 pop ups, then skate for 5 minutes, and repeat for 30 to 60 minutes as time allows. I currently get to surf about once per month, and the conditions are usually bad since I can't pick and choose my conditions.

All I want is to catch the waves I go for, and ride down the line. Maybe get in a turn or two at times. I am an intermediate at best... but I am a surfer and it feels like a curse since I am landlocked. Your thoughts would be most appreciated! Keep putting out content, I think it's awesome!

Hey Man! What kind of skateboard is that? A Carver?

Margies skatepark 😍

This video is awesome. Thank you.

30 years of surfing and this is the first technical video I've ever watched. Thanks for it!

Having some one to surf with would make a huge difference too.

This is such garbage

Mmmm … fear of big waves. Thank you for your advice. As a 16 yo I regularly surfed Long Reef Bommie, Dee Why Point, Fairy Bower. But coming back after 50 odd years I find a 4 foot beachie scary. Damned if I know why. Might try body surfing those bigger days instead.

I liked the video, however you didn't say anything about the conjunction of using your arms or your upper body with your turns and maneuvers depending on what you want to do. Although you were using them to surfskate

Number one- paddle, paddle, paddle, paddle and paddle some more.