Help...Hokua 8"

If you have never surfed before , the best tip for you will be , that you should surf by yourself until you can control your board. If your in a crowd you may seriously hurt someone. Good luck

Hi Dani - are you related to Tina Sparkle?

You'll have fun. The question is - what size are you because that determines how hard it will be to ride that board. An 8' board is pretty small, but if you are under 70 kg then it will be manageable as a first surf sup.

Here are a few tips if you are just getting started surfing:

1. When getting started, take a few paddles on your knees before you stand - the forward motion will make you more stable

2. When paddling for the wave it is best to be at right angles (perpendicular) to the wave when you are ready to catch it.

3. Because of number 2, and because you need as much speed as possible, and because the board will turn when you are paddling on one side (changing sides will slow you down), try and start paddling at 45 degrees to the wave so that when the wave reaches you you will be at right angles

4. When you start to catch the wave you will feel the forward surge of the wave, especially if the wave is steep (close to breaking) - be ready to lean forward otherwise you will fall off the back of the board

5. When you are getting started it is OK to keep your feet in the normal paddling stance when you are going for the wave and then jump into surf stance once you have caught the wave. Later you can move into surf stance as you paddle for the wave.

6. When you catch a wave at right angles you may slide down the wave and nose-dive - it depends on the size and steepness of the wave. So be ready to either put your foot toward the back of the board to lift the nose, or turn the board to the left or right. The Hokua has some rocker so it is less likely to nose-dive.

7. You go faster if you ride along the wave - and that makes you more stable

8. If you are unstable out the back waiting for the wave, paddle around to maintain stability, and get used to using your paddle as a "third-leg" - keep the blade in the water and move it back and forth slightly.

9. When you are paddling out through a wave it is often easier to do it standing up instead of on your knees. Paddle quickly towards the wave/whitewater, hit it at right-angles, and plant your paddle in the wave and pull yourself through - it will provide stability and momentum through the wave.

10. If the wave is too big to paddle through, kick the board towards 2:00 o'clock and dive under the wave towards 11:00 - that way the board won't hit you

11. Make sure there is no one anywhere near you when you try paddling through the wave!


Surf Etiquette:

If you have not surfed before, be warned that people get cranky if your board hits them in their head, or if you drop in one their wave. So:

1. It is best to learn to surf on smaller waves away from other surfers and swimmers.

2. If you feel yourself falling, try to fall so you grab your board (but don't grab the leggie or you may lose your fingers - see a separate post)

3. If you can, at the end of your wave try to turn the board back out to sea (back the way you came) so that the wave does not fling the board forward out of control

4. If the wave is breaking right, the person paddling for the wave on your left has "right of way" - it is their wave so you have to stop paddling. That is unless you hear "Party wave!" or it is DJ - DJ likes people to drop in on him ;)

But the key is to have fun and be safe. Don't worry if you fall in - everyone falls in.

I'd recommend seeing if there is a SUP school close by that offer classes & learn from a qualified & experienced coach.
Learn the basics, get some tips on everything from reading waves & positioning, build up your confidence in nice, easy cruisy waves & most of all have FUN!
A coach or staff at your local SUP shop will be able to give you advice on if the board is actually suitable for you to learn on too.
There's a number of factors to consider when choosing a board but most importantly are weight and experience & type of waves you'll be surfing.
Best of luck, you'll be hooked in no time!

Cheers,
Larry

Nice tips by cantSUPenough

I would add 3 points:

- Buy or find some SurfSUPing videos, or even Surfing ones. The ones by surftechniques.com/ are very good and there are some clips of them on the web: www.youtube.com/results?search_query=110%25+surfing+techniques :

- Best would be to have some Surfing lessons. Or at least, try to prone surf your SUP to see how to steer the board to ride diagonally: way you will also see the spot how prone surfers see it

- People will spot at once that you are a surf beginner from your way of paddling and positioning. So you will get prejudiced against as soon as you enter the water, even if you respect the surf etiquette. This happens also to prone surfers, but you stand out more :-) and will be the natural target for anybody who had a bad day. So it should be best at first if you find spots where you are alone, typically crappy crumbling waves that other people do not want: they will be quite good to learn anyways. Also you need to gain some experience so that you attention can be diverted from the technique to look at your surroundings. Even if you know the rules, if you are too focused on your technique you will not see other surfers at all.

A good trick is, if you see other SUPers, to go ask for advice. You will thus see if they are friendly and hostile and know how far from them to stay

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DaniDazzle said..
Help! Just received a gift of a 2011 Naish Hokua 8", I've only SUP'd on cruiser boards before and I've never surfed, can anyone offer me tips for this board please...

yes i have a tip,,,,,, move up from the 8" Hokua to the 8' Hokua ,,,,,its a lot more stable.

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DaniDazzle said..
Hi Can'tSupEnough,
Thank you so much for the advice, i feel much better now about my lack of skills. I'm about 5"2 which is why I was given a smaller board. But I am up for the challenge and will take all tips on board. I think I will sign up for a lesson first and try and keep in mind all the above (yikes !) Thanks for the inside information, I've admired the sport for ages and can't wait to start the journey.
And just for the record... Tina is my cousin ha ha. Thank you everyone, I'm glad I found this forum. Keep up the great work.

You're welcome!

One more little tip; I think it is easier practicing SUP surfing on unbroken waves (often people get started prone surfing on the whitewash, but on a SUP the quick acceleration can knock you off the board).

And don't let Colas' comments put you off. He is right, but there are nice people in the water too. As he said, start with other SUPers or by yourself on small waves.

@yt04 - luckily I am a pretty speedy typer!

he he CSE.

Danny- don't be afraid to ask here on the forum for a meet up for a sup session. I see you're here in qld and there's plenty of us here on the forum and only happy to help out with a learner and give a few pointers to build our sport. If you're on the sunny coast and free this week, I'm planning to have a couple of surfs on tues and wed morning at currimundi. Sometimes it's good to be a shift worker. Great little waves and also a nice big lake to have a paddle on to find your feet. I've taught a few mates now, one who he never been on any board and he loves it.

Hi Danni, and welcome to surfing (SUP) in this case. Mate everything that has been said above are spot on. I will add to this thread mate. Be prepared for frustrations, there will be times where you will be second quessing your board especially when you see others on boards with more volume getting more waves. This can be frustratiing and you will most likely look at getting another, Stick to it mate you won't regret your Hokua, have patience, once you get your first proper ride on a wave, you will be hooked...enjoy the journey and stay stoked.