Good places to start surfing?

2 questions?

Why only summer and where in NJ?

 

Darlingon St., Deal, NJ

 

In order to avoid embarrassment, if I were you I'd go out when few people are in the water.

A pet peeve of mine is when it is a good day and a bunch of novices are in the water and have no idea how to stand up. I have to go out of my way to avoid hitting them.

 

Beginner

As a beginner, my advice is get in anywhere and almost everywhere as frequently as possible, as long as there are no life guards present. Also, as a beginner, it is best to NOT go in where there are a lot of surfers. You can go one block either way and work on a more crumbly wave. You can get in very early this time of year and have many spots to yourself. Also evening is a great time to get in. I find that an hour or two after low tide is the best time, but it does vary depending on tide depth and sandbars, etc.

Personally, I would rather not be intimidated by a ton of surfers, even if the wave is not quite as perfect. Just paddle out anywhere you can as often as possible and smile.

 

beginner advice

My advice: Go to Costa Rica. It is cheaper, better food, the people are nice and there is less of them. For the price of a couple nights stay in some lame condo in ocnj you could fund a week long trip to Nicaragua or CR. Your learning curve will be much steeper because of the wave quality and options. When you come back you will be better then most of the people in the water in NJ. have fun!

 

Spring lake's a good place to learn and is fairly uncrowded. I would stay clear of manasquan if I were you due to the fact that it gets extremely crowded (especially during the summer). My best advice is like the other guys were saying, go to a less crowded break just to get the hang of things and then once things start coming along make your way over to the basic breaks. Even though the waves may not be as great, you will be able to make mistakes and catch more waves without having to worry about millions of other people around you. Best of luck to you my friend!

 

Totally. Never crowded and the cops aren't douchey.

 

Ha! I wish I was you, brother... Starting all over again... all those great waves ahead of you. Moments in time you'll remember for the rest of your life. Friends you've yet to meet.... places you've yet to go... GIRLS!

You're first real tube ride... Your first solo scare session when it's macking and still pretty much dark... The cool buzz you get when you've just had the best session of your life...

Brother... if you don't give up...get bored... or hurt... or turned off by some butthead you can't tune out... if you take your lumps and HANG IN THERE... and if God has given you the talent... you're about to take the trip of your life...

But to answer your question... you can do what everybody's telling you to do here... find a place that's uncrowded... or less crowded... and yea... you'll learn faster, and not piss anybody off... and won't get yelled out of the water.

OR... you could find the absolutely most crowded place you can find... where you're one of the nameless smiling faces bobbing around in the summertime windslop... hands slipping off the rails... board sideways to an oncoming wall of whitewater... leash around the front foot... and NOT TAKE THIS THING TOO SERIOUSLY...

..and just have fun...

 

I agree what everyone has said here but I would like to add one thing . That is know you limits. If you are going out on a day that is a bit bigger than you are use to and you are not 100% confident that your surfing is at the level needed that day or even you have a weird feeling that if you go out something bad might happen dont.

Also try to find someone in you skill range that you can surf with for moral support. It also motivates you both aswell

 

and don't assume all surfers are male...

 

Also along those lines, if you are going out and there is no life guard, the buddy system is important if you don't want to get hurt or worse.

 

disagree with this...you will never progress properly/learn to paddle out in big surf/learn to not be scared if you sit on the beach every time you are not 100% confident.

Paddling out when you are out of your comfort zone is part of the experience. I'm not saying paddle out in overhead mackers your fifth time out, i'm say if you are 100% confident every time you paddle out, your learning curve will be super flat, and you will stick to the breaks that have no power. Push yourself, but with common sense. Our sandy beaches arent dangerous places to surf. You actually need a few of those sessions LBI mentioned when its macking and scary...thats how you learn to deal, and get the adrenaline rushes that will keep you coming back for more.

 

Good advise. Pick your swell wisely and make sure your out with someone who can watch your back. It is the only way to progress and lose that fear factor required to surf the heavy stuff.

 

I can tell you where not to surf THE GULF COAST!!! Although Jersey isn't too far off. They have sewage water as opposed to tar balls.

 

Find someone that has been surfing for a few years.You can progress so much faster if you go out with someone who can teach you the ropes.

 

Ya this is true,sometimes the sewage comes up from North Carolina.Yee hawwwwww

 

assateague. its wide open most of the time. bring a friend who knows how to surf or make friedns in the water if you're good at doing that sort of stuff. You will progress much faster if you have someone their to push you to do new things and correct your mistakes.

 

Good Places

Deal 4 Sure