Whilst your first attempts at standing on a surfboard might seem like a challenge (and it certainly is!), we feel that by far the biggest transition in your surfing development is when you leave the comfort of the whitewater and try to tackle those green or unbroken waves. It's where you really feel the true power of the ocean and feel your surfboard come alive, it's also when you really test your fitness, wave-reading and paddling ability!
When surfing on unbroken waves the key difference is that there isn't actually any water moving underneath you, you are trying to catch and ride a pulse of energy pushing across the water. Without that 'push' of the whitewater behind you it's a lot harder to catch the waves in the first place - you're relying on your paddle power and timing to match the speed of the wave in order to catch it successfully.
You've also got to develop your wave reading ability to pick waves that will give you the best ride. When surfing outback you don't ride straight to the beach, you'll be using your turning skills to turn and ride along the unbroken face of the wave. You'll have to be reading subtle differences between waves, in order to pick which ones will allow you to do that and which will just shut down on you.
Before you even get to all that though you have the biggest challenge of all - getting out there! In Cornwall, almost all of our surfing waves are beach-breaks, meaning that to get out back you have to paddle through the broken lines of whitewater in order to get 'outback' beyond those waves, then you can select the best wave to ride. You'll also, with your coach alongside, be having to deal with things like rip currents and how to use them to your advantage!
There are a number of techniques to get through the waves, your coach will be teaching you the best one for your ability and board, however whichever you use you're going to need a lot of paddle fitness!
If you're thinking of taking that next step with your surfing, you feel that you've mastered the whitewater and are ready to push further out, why not give us a shout a few weeks before you head down and we can give you a few tips to boost that paddle fitness and make sure you're ready for that next big challenge in your surfing!