The Environment of Surfing
Surfing has changed since Christian missionaries observed Polynesians in the waves centuries ago. Light, new materials and a variety of body board shops have opened surfing to more people while allowing expert surfers to ride more waves in different ways.
Choosing Your Style
The first surfboards were heavy wooden body boards over 10 feet long and 11- to 14-foot boards are still used for tandem surfing, where two people ride together. Today, most surfing is done on long boards of 9 to 11 feet or on short boards, around 7 feet or less.
The style of surfing is heavily influenced by the size of the body board. You will probably start with a long board, but you may end up dismissing dreams of nose-riding for the agile, aggressive style of the short boarder. And you may end up with a garage full of boards of all lengths and let the waves or the mood choose your approach.
Learning the Basics
The basics of surfing start long before you select a body board and learn to stand on it. They include beach safety and learning to read waves. If you cannot swim, you should not surf. You may think you're safe attached to a large flotation device, but what if your leash breaks?
When you learn to read waves, you'll be observing how frequently the sets come in, where the wave is breaking, and how well-formed (and surf able) the wave is. Every surfer takes time to watch the waves before getting in the water, and sometimes what they see is that the beach isn't good for surfing that day.
The best way to learn to read waves is from an experienced surfer. But not all of us have a good friend who wants to help us work into the local surf spot (more about territoriality later).