We polled a few of the surf instructors Southwest Surf House work with and asked them what are some things that beginner surfers do that make them chuckle. Here’s what they came up with…
When you’re a beginner at anything, you’re bound to commit a few faux pas. These are often totally excusable and part of the learning process. No foul, no harm done.
In saying that though, there are definitely some things that still make the Southwest Surf House instructors chuckle when it comes to teaching people to surf. These aren’t related to a learner’s abilities, mind you.
Given the nature of surfing and that it’s damn hard, pretty much everyone trying it for the very first time starts from the ground up anyway. And even our instructors had to begin somewhere.
No, the things we’re referring to are more like innocent oversights. Probably committed by us on more than one occasion and therefore totally relatable from our instructor’s perspective.
Read about the most common ones below, have a laugh and feel free to let us know if you’re guilty of committing any of them.
Ask us to carry your board down the beach
Southwest Surf House provides pretty much everything you need to nail the perfect surf holiday. We’ve got comfortable accommodation, awesome places to chill, food that’ll have you begging for thirds and premium quality boards and wetsuits to hire.
What we don’t offer though is to carry your board to the beach for you. We know, we know… they’re heavy and cumbersome and we’re fully aware that they can be awkward to carry. It’s just that carrying your own surfboard to the beach is part of being a surfer. It ain’t golf after all, so don’t expect a caddy.
Rock up to your lesson hungover
You’re guaranteed a good time when you book a stay at our surf house in Hossegor. It’s a beautiful part of the world. With plenty of bars to while away the evenings in plus some pretty trendy restaurants to check out.
Before you consider sending it the night before your first ever lesson though, consider the fact that a big night on the town is made all the more painful when you need to backup for a surf the next day.
It’s not something we condone, but it happens. And truth be told, we see it time and time again. So if you roll out of bed, bleary eyed and still half asleep, that maniacal laughter isn’t your own mind chuckling at your predicament. It’s your instructors.
Putting on your wetsuit backwards
Putting your leash on incorrectly, waxing the bottom of your board, inserting the fins the wrong way around… all of these things pale in comparison to the sheer amusement we get from watching someone put a wetsuit on backwards.
The effort required to actually get it on this way plus the look on a person’s face when they realise their error makes this feat priceless. Although we have to admit, newer model wetsuits without zippers can be tricky. Our advice? When in doubt, check the kneepads are covering your knees. Although it’s funnier for the instructors at our surf house in Hossegor if you don’t.
Totally overcook the ‘shaka’ hand gesture
The ‘shaka’ is a hand gesture whereby the thumb and little finger are extended outwards from a closed fist. This gesture has a lot of different meanings, but within the international surfing community, it’s used as a greeting, a goodbye or a simple expression of approval.
It has its origins in Hawaiian culture, but it’s since become such a popular gesture that it’s been adopted by surfers from all over the world. There’s nothing wrong with this of course. But to spend more time throwing shakas for the camera than actually surfing is a little bit redundant. Especially if you’re yet to master standing up. Then again… the surf instructors at our surf house in Hossegor do get a kick out of it.
Turn your back on the shorebreak
Since recreational surfing doesn’t have its own version of police who patrol the lineup, righting wrongs, protecting the masses and otherwise establishing a bit of much needed order, surfing comes with a lot of unspoken rules. Most of which relate to etiquette and how you should conduct yourself in the water.
There is, however, another one that we teach at our surf house in Hossegor. That is – never turn your back on the shorebreak. For those who do, you’ll quickly be punished with a breaking wave to the back of the knees. Taking your legs out in the process and depositing you like a sack of potatoes on the sand. Most probably at the feet of a couple of laughing surf instructors. Never turn your back on the shorebreak and always respect Mother Nature.
Book a stay at today with Southwest Surf House today and embark on the surf trip of a lifetime at our legendary surf house in Hossegor
