Duck Diving: You may be wondering what duck-diving actually is. Any breaking wave over approximately two feet requires that you duck under the wave rather than float over it. Thus, the term "duck-dive!" Honestly, duck-diving wasn't something I learned until I had surfed for a couple of months. Yet for sake of chronology, let's discuss this skill before we learn to stand up As you approach an oncoming wave while paddling, try to have as much speed as possible. About two feet before making contact with the white water, grab both rails (side edges of board) halfway between the nose and midpoint of your board. Push all your upper body weight onto your hands and arms until you feel the nose begin to go under. Point your head down and let your body follow. Once your body is just below the surface, bend your dominant leg and use that knee to push the tail under the water also. Your momentum should thrust you under the quickly passing wave and only require you to be under water for a short time. As the wave passes let the flotation of your board lift you to the surface. Now you have the skill to paddle to the lineup or to the next wave and duck under it.

Turtle Rolling Under Wave: Once known as the Eskimo Roll or turning turtle, this is a mystic way of taking your board through the waves. It's also good to know just for recovery purposes. Grab both rails just forward of the thickest part of the board. By twisting you're your body sharply to either side to roll the board beneath the surface, holding the board with its deck facing down. Now roll back upright, twisting your body once again as if you were swimming. If you can't manage the roll-upright first time, just swing yourself out from under the board, flip it over and remount. The Eskimo Roll, or turning turtle is a big deal on longboards, but on shortboards it has been superseded. You will have been able to tell exactly why it has been superseded from the first moment you spent upside down beneath your surfboard with water forcing itself up your nose. A hint: before rolling, take a deep breath. While under, expel the breath slowly through the nose, keeping the old sinus cavity as clear of salt as possible. Simple.

Catching A Wave: Now that you've paddled out and ducked under the breaking waves, it's time to get yourself one. Again, be sure you are picking a small, mushy surf spot to get your initial experience. Once you've made it to the lineup, sit up and straddle your board with your butt situated just below the center-point of your board, so that you can easily swing the nose left or right. Pick a wave that has not broken and be sure to sit far enough out among the sloping swells, not where the waves are standing up straight. As a wave approaches, turn the nose of your board toward the beach, lay down and begin paddling. As you feel the wave lift you and your board, paddle as hard as you can and lean your weight forward. The natural tendency is to lean back to keep the nose from going under water, but that will only slow your momentum which in not conducive to wave-catching. Lean forward but raise your chest so that your weight is just above the center of the board. You should now be sliding down into the the trough of the wave. The first phase of surfing will entail that you wait until you are in the flat water in front of the wave before you stand up. However, the ideal is to begin standing just as you feel the pull of the wave. Now you are ready to work on standing.

Choosing A Beginner surf spot: Okay, you've got a big, thick used board to start, now where should you go to ride it? On many occasions, I have encountered new surfers who are frustrated. They say they can't get a wave from the crowd, or the other surfers are yelling at them. However, those are the lucky ones. Others get dinged boards or dinged bodies because they aren't familiar with proper escape procedures when a loose board is bearing down on them. The bottom line is that inexperienced surfers should not pick the most critical surf spot in town to practice their art. Instead, they should seek out the opposite. An easy, rolling wave with deep water is very helpful since a reef will only slow down the learning process and cause possible injuries. If you live on the East Coast of the U.S. , finding a mushy wave is pretty easy, but other areas may warrant you to check weather forecasts to be sure that conditions won't change too quickly. There is absolutely no shame in learning to surf in small, unpopular waves. In fact, others will be thankful! Get away from the crowd! Crowds suck, everyone knows that, and nothing can get in the way of the learning process more than a bunch of wave hogs. You'll be one yourself soon enough, but first you need some space. Find somewhere you can catch different kinds of waves and really practice your technique without getting in the way of the more experienced surfers. Get a mentor! This sounds a bit serious, so don't actually call him or her your "mentor". What I mean is find someone who is better than you to talk to about surfing or to watch while you are in the water. There are some things you can only learn "in the field". This idea will follow you throughout all levels of your surfing life. As an example, I thought I was at my peak until I went to Hawaii and saw guys doing things I had never dreamed of. This pushed me to the next level. There is always another level. In summary, get yourself an old, thick board and go to an uncrowned, mushy spot. Watch and talk to good surfers, and watch videos (all levels). In my opinion, the best non-surfing activity is to watch surf videos. That subliminal power is very persuasive. You won't even realize you're learning. Also, keep an eye out for my upcoming video review section.

How to Choose A Beginner Surfboard: Nothing is more important to the beginning surfer than having the right board. Those thin, narrow rockets the stars are riding sure look exciting, but they are a disaster for those learning initial techniques. Therefore, keep these tips in mind when making your choice. Go Cheap!!! You're going to ding and scratch a board if you really put it to use, so don't spent too much. A $400 board will ding as easy as a $100 board. It's not about looks, so ignore minor yellowing and small dings. However, dings that show foam or any "delaminating" (see glossary) should be avoided. You're going to beat the heck out of your board, so pay the least amount possible. Go Big and Thick!!! All the cool girls and guys have small, narrow boards, right? So what! You're not cool yet. Get a board that will give flotation and allow for easy paddling. A good average size would be around 7 feet long and 19-21 inches wide and at least 2-3 inches thick. This all depends on your size, so be sure you can comfortably carry and wield the surfboard in the water. Generally, a 120 pound surfer should look for a 6 feet 10 inch board while a 140 ponder might look towards a 7 feet 2 inch. Don't Chase Tail!!! Don't worry about the tail or number of fins. For the first 3-6 months, you really shouldn't worry about turning or doing maneuvers, so whether your board is a swallow tail or a pintail or even if it only has one fin is really pointless. For the record, 3-fin boards are the easiest to turn and the most functional fin set up for the advanced and intermediate surfer.