If you’re longing to try out surfing but don’t know where to get started or how, Surfing New Zealand general manager Ben Kennings has a few tips.
With the closed borders, there’s been a growing interest from New Zealanders all year round to take up surfing, Kenning says.
He tells Jesse Mulligan about what type of board you'll need, enrolling in classes and what to look out for to keep yourself safe while having fun.
Ben Kennings is the General Manager of Surfing New Zealand. Photo: Supplied
Even as an experienced surfer himself, Kennings broke his back after a surfing accident last year, which is why he strongly recommends newcomers take classes.
"It's been a bit of a challenge and just goes to show you can have accidents and to be honest, that's why we haven't been allowed to surf in [Covid-19 alert] level 4, in case people have to be rescued or emergency services have to be called."
There are various accredited schools throughout the country with internationally qualified instructors, he says.
"They'll put you through an hour of theory and help on the beach and give you an hour surf lesson and more often than not, they'll get you to your feet.
"They just teach you the easy techniques... it's usually in a group of four to six ... they also have the right equipment for learning. They know the right conditions and where to go."
It does require some patience and persistence though, so bringing along a friend or surf buddy will help make it more enjoyable.
"When you help someone and they finally get to their feet and they ride along a wave, and you check out their smile ... that feeling is priceless. So that's what makes me go back and try to teach people more and more and get them into the sport.
"It takes a lot of commitment, and the learning curve is quite slow, I don't want to put anybody off but I do believe it's slow, you've got to be committed to give it a bunch of gos and really improve.
"You actually have to battle your way out through the waves and paddle, and sometimes you're exhausted by the time you get out, catch a wave and do it all over again."
Starters should look for somewhere close to the shore with small waves and a sand bottom, then you can look to advance to beaches with mid-tides, for more distance, once you've nailed down the basics.
Kennings suggests Piha and around Muriwai beach for consistent waves, Raglan is another famous surf spot, and the Taranaki coastline.
Muriwai beach. Photo: 123rf.com
In terms of equipment, other than a surfboard and leg rope, you'll likely be looking at getting a wetsuit for the colder months, he says.
"In summer, you can get away with surfing in just board shorts or just a little bit of a wetsuit top."
He says it's better to have a bigger board, because short and narrow ones don't give enough volume, meaning it'll be harder to paddle and catch waves or even stand up.
"With our local board riders club at Whangamatā, we teach a lot of young kids to surf and even at the age of between five to 12, we've got them on eight and nine-foot soft top boards.
"The soft tops are a little bit more user friendly if they get a 'donk' on the head, it's not going to be too bad.
"So if you're learning as an adult, you really need that nine-foot board and it needs to be wide. Most of the time you can go into a good surf shop and talk to them and they should be able to point you in the right direction."
Make sure to get blood pumping through your muscles with some warm-ups and stretching beforehand so you don't get too worn out, he says.
"If you're paddling and out surfing for one to two hours, you may move up to 6km, so you're using your muscles a lot."
The better you 'pop up' - get up on your feet - the more prepared you are for a wave, he says.
"To get that technique, you can't go past burpees, again [having] a strong core. You can modify your burpees to pretend you're doing it on a surfboard, so a bit more of a sideways motion."
You don't want to kneel on both knees and then get up because you'll lose balance, he says, but instructors can teach you a technique to get up using one foot at a time.
Age is no barrier either. His 72-year-old dad still enjoys surfing and in fact most people surveyed said they surfed for their mental wellbeing as opposed to the physical benefits, he says.
"Anyone can give surfing a go, what happens is as you surf more and more, you realise the fitness benefits of it and you certainly become very fit if you surf two or three times a week if you're that lucky.
"I think the advent of stand-up paddle boarding has kept more people in the ocean for longer, because you don't have to paddle on your stomach and jump to your feet ... it just helps if the mobility is lacking."
Kennings reassures people afraid of being attacked by sharks.
"Often they are bronze whalers, which have not been known to attack too many people in New Zealand.
"It's a small risk that's there in the ocean and perhaps in the future when we have wave pools and things like that then we can have an environment without those natural hazards.
"I haven't seen many in all my years surfing. Getting injured by your surfboard would be a lot more common cause of injury than a shark attack."
