What I’d do Differently if I Started Surfing Today
I started taking random surf lessons in 2017 and immediately fell in love. Fast forward to 2026, I’m surfing on my own and sharing the stoke with new surfers by giving lessons. If I were to go back and start my surfing journey again, here’s what I’d do differently:
Baby Sarah learning to surf
Allow myself to be a beginner. I had people telling me I was intermediate after consistent surfing in 2021, and I don’t think that was the case. Sure, I was able to pop up quickly and pick up cues, but I’m a CrossFit athlete, so I’m able to move well and quickly pick up movement cues. Had I let myself be coached more and sought out lessons, I might not have snapped a board in conditions I wasn’t ready for. Speaking of conditions….
Go out with people even if the conditions are “clean”. Just because the conditions were clean doesn’t mean that I was ready for them. In fact, I never felt more alone than I did that surfing session. It was super clean, but I didn’t totally understand positioning and took a LOT of nose dives. I was the only bikini in the lineup, and the guys weren’t really welcoming. Granted, that could have been just me being nervous and a bit closed off because I felt like I had to prove myself. Anyway, I was paddling back out, thought I could make it over the wave, and my tail got sucked under. I got pulled under and heard a loud crack: my board had snapped. I came up to find that my board had broken on a shallow sandbar. I shamefully paddled in and almost quit surfing.
Learn how to read waves and do it multiple times. After I almost quit surfing, I became determined to surf better and get back out there. I started watching countless YouTube videos about waves and how to read them. I started to look at angling my board so I wouldn’t nose-dive. Now I teach my students the same thing: we look at the ocean before we go in and talk about the waves. We build skills in each session so that when they leave, they feel confident.
Have fun. As I’ve mentioned, I’m a competitive athlete, which means I can be super hard on myself and have high expectations. That doesn’t always work when the conditions in the ocean change all the time. Now, I focus on having fun every time I get on my board. I laugh when I wipe out, I cheer other surfers on, and I thank the ocean for each wave that I get to ride. I started getting better when fun and enjoying the ocean became the focus.
2025, one of my favorite photos. I feel so strong and beautiful.
Surfing is so hard to learn. There are a lot of elements (literally) that go on all at the same time, so I always encourage new surfers to be gentle with themselves. Share the stoke, have some fun, and remember to be grateful that you get to spend time in the ocean.
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