• Probably the most important… Be cordial with the local surfers. Ask them questions!  Like our Instructors, many surfers are more than willing to teach you the ins-and-outs of surfing, the tides of your local beach, how to paddle out without being pounded to a sandbar and the courtesy involved with the sport. If you are new, ask for help.
• Buy the right board for your area.If your area has extremely small waves, don’t buy shortboards. Buy a longboard…typically about 8 or 9 feet. This will give you increased surface area for the wave to catch. These boards also sit much higher on the waterline, thereby decreasing fluid friction on the board and allowing maximum paddling efficiency. Shortboards tend to plow through the water and you will not be able to paddle fast enough to catch small waves. On the other hand, larger waves demand great maneuverability… this is best provided by smaller boards. These small boards often feature a stomp pad on the back which is used in extremely tight maneuvers such as cutbacks (placing weight on the back of the board creates a pivot-point around which you can swing the board). If you are unsure about the board to get, ask the local surf shop employees in your town (We like Nor’Easter in Scituate). They generally know local conditions and will help you anyway they can.
• Use the right wax for your conditions! This is extremely important. One of the most frustrating things is to be out in the water and start slipping off the board because you used the wrong wax. There are typically two types of wax. Cold-water wax is softer and stickier than warm-water wax. If your water is cold enough that this type of wax will not melt in the sun, use it. Empirically, this is the better grip wax… that is, disregarding weather conditions. Warmer weather, however, is problematic for cold-water wax since it has a low melting point and will run off the board leaving your fiberglass board slippery and you will fall off every time you try to stand up.
• Surf the outside break! We at Veteran Training can not stress this enough. I see too many new surfers trying to surf the shore break. This is the most common mistake I see. These are not the waves people surf. If you surf these you will never get any significant rides. You will also put your board at risk of damage if you surf the shore break… the skeg (stabilizing fin on the bottom of the surfboard) will get caught in the sand and snap off, probably also sending you flying into the sand. Look for sandbars where the waves break away from the shore. This allows you to ride waves over the sufficiently deep water over the sandbar and not break your board. It also gives you room to maneuver.
• If you live in a cold climate, do not go surfing in winter. It may be tempting, and the waves are often best in winter. Many surfers do go surfing in winter, but this is not really a good idea. We commonly hear about someone who went surfing in cold water in winter, and over time developed a condition called “surfer’s ear.” This is basically a growth in the ear, and he has lost significant hearing ability in that ear. It is caused by cold water entering the ear canal. If it seems unhealthily cold in the water, it is! Go home! It’s not worth losing your hearing to catch a wave.

Veteran Training Instructors know that Surfing is an adventure sport and should be treated with respect. When participating in surfing note should be taken of the following safety advice:

1. If you are starting surfing have a lesson with an approved school. Here you will be introduced to the sport in a safe environment. We suggest East Coast Hui.

2. Do not attempt surfing unless you can swim.

3. Never surf alone. Do not enter the water as dusk is approaching or if you have been drinking alcohol.

4. Always let somebody on land know where you have gone and when you will return.

5. Check the weather and tides before you paddle out. Learn to observe the ocean so you can identify rips, wind changes and other hazards.

6. If you are unfamiliar with a break, check with local surfers or other water users in the area.

7. Ensure the waves you are surfing are of a size and power suitable to your ability. Do not get too confident. Stick to beaches until you become an experienced surfer.

8. Make sure your equipment, especially your leash, is in good order. Remember it is much easier to spot a brightly coloured surfboard or wetsuit at sea in the event of you requiring rescuing. Consider other safety equipment from NorEaster.

9. If you find yourself in difficulty it is important to stay calm and always stay with your board.

10. If you get caught in a rip do not try to paddle against it, paddle across it.

11. When you ‘wipeout’ do not come to the surface too soon and when you do come to the surface protect your head with your arms.

12. Always check behind you before abandoning your surfboard to dive under a wave.

13. Never ‘drop in’ on another surfer. ‘Dropping in’ is taking off on a wave in front of another surfer who has right of
way. (See illustration below).

14. Be aware of other water users and always show respect regardless of craft. Above all, keep a good attitude.

15. Always respect our rescue services. Should you see a surfer in difficulty in the water DON’T DELAY phone 911 and ask for immediate help. Even the most experienced surfer may at some time require assistance.

Important!

The surfer closest to the peak has priority. •Do not drop in.
•Hold on to your board. •Paddle for the whitewater to avoid a collision

Respect the Line Up

A surfer riding a wave has priority over a surfer paddling out. It is the responsibility of the surfer paddling out to avoid collision. When paddling back out you must never obstruct someone else who is up and riding. Either paddle wide of the wave breaking area or into the white water. This allows the surfer who is up and riding to continue without having to dodge you. (However if the situation arises where a collision is inevitable the surfer riding the wave has the maneuverability to avoid the collision. There is no justification for running over another surfer.)

Learn to respect the ‘line up’. This is an informal line of surfers, particularly at point and reef breaks where each surfer waits their turn with the surfer whose turn it is next sitting deepest. The line up can break down when one or more surfers consistently paddle inside those surfers waiting their turn. Such behaviour will cause the ‘line up’ to break down turning the session into a free for all. Beach breaks tend to feature multi breaks with several take off areas, therefore there are more waves for everyone but even at beach breaks the line-up exists at each of the various peaks along the beach.

If you are surfing a peak where you have an option to go right or left you must communicate with other surfers in the line up your preferred direction, to avoid ‘drop ins’ and unridden waves. At some breaks you may be able to paddle out into a position that gives immediate access to the inside take off position. You should not use this artificial positioning to jump the queue. Doing this poor etiquette will lead to bad feeling among fellow surfers. Instead either let the surfers, already sitting and waiting, take the waves they want until the line up is clear, or paddle wide to the outside and move into position along with everyone else.

Surfing is one of the healthiest sports in the world, but there are also hidden, often slow, and insidious dangers. Surfing, combined with ADL (Activities of Daily Living, things like sitting at a computer, driving, and sleeping) causes muscles in your body to become shortened and weakened due to imbalances from overuse and lack of flexibility. Our Surf Instructors know the importance of Stretching, Fitness and endurance development when starting this great sport.

The idea is that if you contract a muscle, it shortens. Continued use of that muscle will cause the body to react by setting that muscle into a shortened position. Since muscles attach to your bones, the shortened muscles pull your joints slightly out of alignment. This puts stress on the joints and signals your nervous system to further shorten and tighten your muscles to protect the joints that are under stress. In time, these unnatural positions become the main reasons why some new surfers bodies breakdown and become injured. We are preloading our joints before we even use them. Stiffness and arthritis set in and all you’re left with are the memories of the good old days.

I: (FRONT PORTRAIT)

A. Imbalances caused by overuse and lack of flexibility, combined with being right or left-handed result in postural stress, pulling the shoulders, neck, and head forward and out of alignment.

B.Surfing creates tight hip flexors. The front foot hip rotates forward, pulling the spine, hips, knees, and ankles out of alignment.

C. The buttocks contract and shorten, rotating the hip, so your back foot turns out. When muscles are overused and under stretched, the joints of the spine, hips, knees, and ankles become prone to injury.

II: (BACK PORTRAIT)

A. Tension created by imbalances in the hip cause core instability; your surfing ability decreases, making surfing less enjoyable.

B. Increased muscle-shortening keeps the right shoulder under stress and out of alignment, decreasing its flexibility, coordination, and strength.

C. Due to resistance in only one direction when pulling the arms through the water, the muscles responsible for pulling become overused and loose their flexibility.

D. Muscle imbalances from being right-handed causes the right hip to draw upward as the right shoulder is pulled down, creating ongoing stress that over time affects all of the joints in the body.

III: (PADDLING PORTRAIT)

A.The neck, chest, and the internal rotator muscles of the shoulders all shorten and limit normal range of motion in response to routine activities.

B. The natural curves that support the spine and proper posture are altered and increased stress and muscle imbalance is created.

C. Not only are the muscles and joints in the neck and shoulders under extra stress and working harder, but the lower back muscles are also working harder to hold up the torso, fatiguing the muscles that protect the lower back.

Both hearing and balance occur within the ear.

In hearing, sound waves pass from the outer ear into the auditory canal. They strike the eardrum, making it vibrate.

These vibrations travel to the middle ear, setting into motion three tiny bones: the hammer, anvil, and stirrup.

The vibrations continue through the cochlea and deep into the inner ear, which contain a fluid reservoir.

As fluid ripples across membranes, it stirs tiny hairs connected to nerve endings. The stimulated nerve endings carry impulses into the brain where they are interpreted as sound.

Also located in the inner ear is the equilibrium, or balance center. The center sends continuous messages about the body’s position to the brain. This information helps us maintain balance.