The smartest thing you can do when it comes to safety is taking a class or visiting a week-long SUPSurf coaching clinic. The items you learn in the water with a coach are unmeasurable. SUPSurf safety for beginners isn’t something you can master on youtube.

Without a coach, you might end up learning the hard way. SUPSurfing can have you injured and not wanting to continue the sport or have you frowned upon by other surfers and not wanting to continue the sport. 

Do Your Part to Stay Safe

While we can’t prevent an injury if we are not there, we can say we don’t take stinky-eyes too seriously. If you are reading this E-Book, you are already doing your part to try and not be a Kook.

With any adventure activity, safety for you and others should always be first in mind. Once you get the safety measures in place, they will eventually feel like second-nature, and you won’t be overthinking them in the water. Here are the basics of SUPSurf safety for beginners as you begin your SUPSurfing career.

• • Know Ocean Conditions –

    if you play in the ocean, you will realize soon that it is a lifelong learning experience to understand the ocean. Very few are experts or close to being experts, and you should never act like one. Be humbled by the ocean and do everything you can to understand what you can. This will include storm conditions, wind speed & direction, tides, rip currents, pollution, unpleasant marine life, and knowledge that things can change. We use the app magicseaweed.com for updates on the conditions. Here you will find and learn the different conditions that affect surfing conditions. 
  • Sunscreen –
    Not much needs to be said here as most should know why sunscreen is necessary. If you are going out often, it probably doesn’t hurt to use some zinc oxide on the nose. Your packing list for any adventure outdoors should include Sunscreen.

• • Passing board over a wave –

    when a lock is going to break, you can put the nose in the direction of the wave, pressure down on the back of the board, so the nose lifts over the whitewater coming towards you. This allows your board to go up and over the wave.

• • Never be between breaking waves and boards –

    one of the quickest ways to end your surfing career is to get caught between a breaking wave and your board. If you are struggling to get out and feel a wave is coming quickly and can not pass your board over the wave, you want your board to be between you and the beach.

• • Paddle Correctly –

    Another way to end your career or put it on pause is not paddling correctly. Work with a coach and video footage to make sure you are protecting your shoulders. Paddling can be very harmful to your shoulders if you already suffer from bad shoulders and your form is not done correctly. SUPSurf coaches will adapt your paddling technique to work with your body type and any injuries you might have.

  • Give up on wave or Learn to wipe-out –

    One of the first things you need to learn how to do is either give up on a wave or learn to wipe-out. Too many people skip this process when trying to learn on their own. You will quickly understand the simple techniques to protect yourself and wipe-out like a pro with a coach. 

  • Bend your knees –

    we find many people that lock their knees or keep them too stiff. The ocean is continually changing, and your knees should be bent, allowing them to adjust more smoothly to the changes. Locked knees over a long period can be damaging.

  • If tired, call it a day –

    One of the hardest things to deal with in safety is calling it a day. Tell the ocean gods you will be back soon and lay in the sand and drink a coconut.

Common Injuries – shoulders, foot cuts, and sprains. In the last chapter, you will talk about exercises to prevent different injuries.