Not surfing like a pro? Don’t worry about it! Here are our top 3 tips.
25/01/2023

Not surfing like a pro? Don’t worry about it! Here are our top 3 tips.

Rip Curl Team Riders standing together on a beach in Fiji.Rip Curl Team Riders standing together on a beach in Fiji.

Sometimes we turn up the pressure to be really good at our hobbies. Maybe we’re making a hilarious yet impressive progress reel to show how far we’ve come, or turn that love for our new hobby into a side hustle. But surfing? It’s a long game – ask anyone in the line-up and they’ll probably admit they wished they surfed better. 

How about if we decided to dial down the expectations and remember why we started surfing in the first place? It’s because we love surfing and there’s nothing else like it.
Next time you feel a bit bummed about your average surfing skills, here’s 3 hot tips to give you some pep:

Mason Schremmer watching the waves from her board in FijiMason Schremmer watching the waves from her board in Fiji

1. Turn down the expectations - being really, really good at surfing takes time. 

Surfing might be one of the many things you love to do, so don’t sweat it if you’re not doing turns and catching waves like a pro. Just keep going. Low expectations as you paddle out is the key – you may surprise yourself with a ‘wave of the day’ or even be complimented on your surfing style by a fellow surfer – who isn’t your hype girl ;)
Rip Curl team rider clapping her friends achievementsRip Curl team rider clapping her friends achievements

2. Dial up the froth – feel excited about surfing for the sake of it. 

Only surfed one wave in the session? Doesn’t matter. You still made the effort to wax up your board and get out there. You may have even challenged yourself a bit and arrived out the back with your heart pounding, but it feels great. You did it!

3. Enjoy the whole surfing experience – the good and the bad!

Maybe you nearly knocked yourself out with your surfboard after a wipe-out set. At least you can laugh about it over your debrief in the carpark afterwards. Or maybe you didn’t manage to score a wave in the session but you saw the most amazing sunrise over the ocean as you paddled out with mates. Every surf brings something a little different. It helps to shift the focus from how your surfing went in the session to appreciating the whole experience – from jumping in the car at dawn right through to rinsing out your wetsuit later in the day.