Surfing a reef for the first time

Rossdoc81

People are always asking on here about surfing their first reef break. I was in the same situation a couple of years ago and didn't know any good surfers I could ask for advice. Its can be fairly scary trying to figure it all out yourself so here's what I reckon is the best way to go about it.

Pick a reef you will be surfing on your front side. Wear booties. Don't do a load of stretching on the reef just before you paddle out.

1. Spend a good few hours watching people get in and out on different days. Ask other lads for advice on where to paddle out.

2. Surf it on a shoulder high day, and as the swell is dying so it doesn't start pumping while you're out there. If your worried about low tides, surf it on an incoming tide.

3. Sit way out on the shoulder for the first 20 minutes, watch other people and get your bearings.

4. If you think you can make the wave, gradually work your way in, and wait for priority (if you don't know what this is go learn about surf etiquette)

5. When you paddle for a wave you have to go. If you are paddling for waves and pulling back you'll piss the whole line up off as they watch good waves go by unridden. Better to paddle into a wave and take the beating, then let the wave go by unridden.

6. Get caught inside early, take one on the head, and get it out of the way. It won't be as bad as you think.

If you are getting in the way or have no chance of making your waves, go back to a beach break for a few months.

I was surfing a beach break 3 times a week for a year and a half before I surfed a reef for the first time, but I suppose it all depends on ability, not time. My board at the time was a 6'8" x 20" Circle One. You should be able to get to your feet quickly, do small turns, and duckdive decent.

Have a bit of cop on and you'll be sound. If you are out of your depth you will know it and you should head in. Don't stay there pissing everyone else off and making a fool of yourself.

Low Pockets

Iv always felt this was a pointless issue. If your able for it, its not going to be a issue. The first time I surfed a reef it hadnt registered with me til afterwards when I thought about it because it wasnt a issue. Its just surfing. If its big and hollow, it doesnt matter if it beach or reef, your either able or your not. Be sure (and honest) of your own abilities and hopefully your never gonna need the coast guard to come get you.

rodento

Low Pockets I think your been kinda disingenuous

There is way more to reefs than simply surfing the wave, take getting into and out of the water for starters. It requires a confidence/fitness that is only gained from spending plenty of time in the water

Mickeroo

Low Pockets wrote: »

Iv always felt this was a pointless issue. If your able for it, its not going to be a issue. The first time I surfed a reef it hadnt registered with me til afterwards when I thought about it because it wasnt a issue. Its just surfing. If its big and hollow, it doesnt matter if it beach or reef, your either able or your not. Be sure (and honest) of your own abilities and hopefully your never gonna need the coast guard to come get you.

I think it differs from person to person. I had surfed reasonably big waves on beaches similar to what I went out in the first few times I was out on a reef but I was still much more nervy on the reef.

I think it was a combination of knowing there's rocks underneath rather than sand, the level of other surfers in the water and also the amount of people confined to one peak that all added to the intimidation factor. It was still beneficial for me to be in the water them few times as it gave me a good feel for how it works out there.

I was also probably older when I started, don't think I'd have given it a thought at all if I was in my teens or early twenties. Not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing though

rodento

Rossdoc81 wrote: »

People are always asking on here about surfing their first reef break. I was in the same situation a couple of years ago and didn't know any good surfers I could ask for advice. Its can be fairly scary trying to figure it all out yourself so here's what I reckon is the best way to go about it.

Pick a reef you will be surfing on your front side. Wear booties. Don't do a load of stretching on the reef just before you paddle out.

1. Spend a good few hours watching people get in and out on different days. Ask other lads for advice on where to paddle out.

2. Surf it on a shoulder high day, and as the swell is dying so it doesn't start pumping while you're out there. If your worried about low tides, surf it on an incoming tide.

3. Sit way out on the shoulder for the first 20 minutes, watch other people and get your bearings.

4. If you think you can make the wave, gradually work your way in, and wait for priority (if you don't know what this is go learn about surf etiquette)

5. When you paddle for a wave you have to go. If you are paddling for waves and pulling back you'll piss the whole line up off as they watch good waves go by unridden. Better to paddle into a wave and take the beating, then let the wave go by unridden.

6. Get caught inside early, take one on the head, and get it out of the way. It won't be as bad as you think.

If you are getting in the way or have no chance of making your waves, go back to a beach break for a few months.

I was surfing a beach break 3 times a week for a year and a half before I surfed a reef for the first time, but I suppose it all depends on ability, not time. My board at the time was a 6'8" x 20" Circle One. You should be able to get to your feet quickly, do small turns, and duckdive decent.

Have a bit of cop on and you'll be sound. If you are out of your depth you will know it and you should head in. Don't stay there pissing everyone else off and making a fool of yourself.

When I started with reefs, I did it slowly.

I found myself a reef to surf, studied the conditions and the numbers surfing it and only went out when it was small and less busy (crack of dawn/mid week kinda thing) and kept away from it when they were busy. To start with I'd have one session on the reef and than head to the nearest beach for the rest of the day.

Also save some energy for getting out of the water;)

Low Pockets

Low Pockets wrote: »

Be sure (and honest) of your own abilities and hopefully your never gonna need the coast guard to come get you.

rodento wrote: »

It requires a confidence/fitness that is only gained from spending plenty of time in the water

I honestly dont think it matters half as much as people harp on about. If your able your able, if your going to get yourself in ****, it doesnt matter is its a reef or not (but if your stupid enough to paddle out to somewhere like PMPA, you deserve to be in the ****)

First reef I ever surfed was the peak at maybe chest high at a push. As we pulled into Bundoran I nearly wet myself as it looked gorgeous but it was late in the evening. There were 4 lads out there so I thought **** it, hop in for a few while the boys are out there and til be grand (more so that Id never surfed the place and I was on my tod) As I was making my way over the rocks they got out. Thought Im in my wetsuit, Im half way across the reef, there's probably an hour or so of light, Ill get a few. Walked over and judged where I should get in, probably did it too far back in retrospect and had to paddle too far, got my few waves and as it got a bit more dusky, paddled back in. No issues, no drama because, I could surf and have some common sense.

It was only when I was walking back up I thought to myself that it was my first time on a proper reef. (i was just delighted it wasn't a close out, I had been spending a lot of time surfing garretstown...)

agreenyblue

OP's post worth a sticky, oldguysrule made an excellent contribution in another post, I've copied and pasted it below. It's an important safety issue in surfing and tough to get good advice about if you're not in with a crowd.

The oldguysrule post:

For my money, there are two steps in surfing reefs for first time(s).

1. Watch from the shore as several sets roll through, get a feel for the place and the way the water moves around. Paddle out on a reasonable day and watch others (especially those catching waves well) from well off the shoulder - where they paddle out, where they sit, what the line up atmosphere / pecking order is like, the take off position and line, the pull out section, the action of the tide on these positions, where the channel is, where the safe section for the clean up set is etc. Think of these sessions as a learning experience, but I would really caution not going for a wave until you have gone through the above. As you surf more and more, these observations will become instinct and you will generally read a spot from the shore but there is no substitute for watching from reasonably close.

2. Paddle out on a smaller quiet day, feel the rips, sit in the line up, watch the order of those out catching waves, do not get in others way, if the opportunity comes along, take a wave and see how is goes.