Assortment Of Portugal Surf Camp And Surf School

4. Know what rip currents are and how to get out of them.

5. Know about localism.

6. Know how to catch a wave.

7. Know how to stand up on your surfboard.

8. Know how to make it outside (beyond the breaking waves into the green water).

9. Know some of the unwritten rules of the line up.

10. Have fun surfing is a blast!

1. Choose the right surfboard & wetsuit

You do not want to start on a super thin high performance short board, or any short board for that matter. When you are learning, you need to start on a surfboard that has some width and thickness to it, yes a long board. How long depends on a how big you are, the bigger the person the bigger the board should be. If you do not want to be a longboarder that's okay, but you will get a lot better faster if you use the long board. A longer board will help you to get the basics down. From there you can scale down in size as you progress, think of it in steps. A short board is super wobbly and unstable if you are inexperienced. Starting on a bigger board will help you progress faster, ride more waves, ride the waves you do catch further, and have more fun! Along with choosing the right surfboard is choosing the right wetsuit. You will want to check with your local surf shop about the wetsuit thickness for your area. Your average water temperature will determine what wetsuit thickness you should purchase or rent. You can also ask the local surfers what they wear.

2. Go to the right spot!

You will want to go to a beginner friendly surf spot. If you do not know of one, ask your local surf shop where the best beginner spots are. The weather conditions can make a beginner friendly spot into a dangerous place quickly. Stay away from; heavy shore break beaches, reef breaks, and point breaks. You want to paddle parallel to the shore where you see the waves pushing in, to get out of a rip. Most rip currents are not very wide, so by paddling parallel to shore you should be able to paddle out of it. Remain calm, you want to be able to hold your breath at any given time while out in the ocean. You never know when a wave could break on you, or in front of you. You will not be able to hold your breath long while panicking, so remember stay calm. Work with the ocean not against it. Sometimes (with strong rip currents) you may have to go out with the rip into deeper water, where the balance is restored and the pulling current subsides.You then can paddle parallel to shore and work your way in. Remember do not fight the ocean, try to work with it. The ocean is bigger than all of us.

Signs of a Rip Current:

1. Waves will usually not fully break in the rip (Water is deeper in rip, because it's a seaward channel)

2. You may see objects or other surfers being pulled out to sea rapidly, with little or no effort.

3. A change in water color within the rip. It may be murkier from sediment, or greener from depth.

5.