[Roosh]

Quote:

At that rate it took me close 9 solid months until I was accepted as a "surfer" and started getting asked to go on surf trips to Mexico. However, the current joke is that I'm the worst surfer anybody knows, but they still count me as a surfer. It may take 15 years of practice to get as good as the groms you see ripping out there.

Where do you think 2 hours a day for 3 months would get me? I'm considering a summer somewhere just to surf.

[Kona]

(01-14-2011 12:52 PM)Roosh Wrote:  

Quote:

At that rate it took me close 9 solid months until I was accepted as a "surfer" and started getting asked to go on surf trips to Mexico. However, the current joke is that I'm the worst surfer anybody knows, but they still count me as a surfer. It may take 15 years of practice to get as good as the groms you see ripping out there.

Where do you think 2 hours a day for 3 months would get me? I'm considering a summer somewhere just to surf.

First timers usually get up in a few hours. If you can surf, and actually land sets, for 2 hours a day you'll get really good within a few weeks, unless you're fat or clumsy.

Usually the first thing folks do is just get comfortable riding. Don't do that. Get a small, sharp board and start cutting your first day out. Worry about the rides later when you know how to control your board. You got a good time frame so start as hard as possible.

Get started now on your flexibility and arms/shoulders. Run hills. Start reading about how to surf. Know something and be confident with your physicals before you even get in the water. You're gonna look like a jackass the first few times. Minimize that time and girls start noticing your cutback before your three months runs out.

I gotta wonder where you're gonna find two hours of waves a day for three months straight in the summertime?

Here's a good video. I've been dealing with stuff like this since the beginning of November:

Aloha!

[Jalouse]

I've done some surfing but I'm not anywhere close to good.

Some of the reasons that surfing is very tough to learn are:

Conditions are variable so the right waves aren't available that are good for beginners.

The breaks are packed which means you don't actually get to ride many waves because of all these little 12 year old's who get the waves before you.

You tend to spend most of your time doing anything but actually riding a wave, paddling, trying to get in the right spot etc. Try paddling out when you can't duck dive.

If you're in a place with a nice regular clean consistent break that isn't too crowded then I think you could pick it up fairly quickly but without this it takes long time.

This is why, personally, if you're a little older I'd go for kite surfing at least with this there is wind for everyone and it's a slightly older, wealthier crowd due to the price of equipment.

[FretDancer]

Damn, people who live near the coasst and on islands are so lucky...

[thegmanifesto]

(01-14-2011 12:52 PM)Roosh Wrote:  

Quote:

At that rate it took me close 9 solid months until I was accepted as a "surfer" and started getting asked to go on surf trips to Mexico. However, the current joke is that I'm the worst surfer anybody knows, but they still count me as a surfer. It may take 15 years of practice to get as good as the groms you see ripping out there.

Where do you think 2 hours a day for 3 months would get me? I'm considering a summer somewhere just to surf.

Roosh,

Here is what is working against you:

Summertime in many places is notorious for long flat spells. There are of course exceptions to this rule

Summertime is also notorious for being a mad house with crowds. (ie school's out, tourists, people with your exact same idea, warm water, no wetsuits etc) This obviously makes learning more difficult.

That being said, here is my advice:

Charge every wave you can. You need to wipeout mass times to get better (here a parallel could be drawn from someone older learning game).

Follow the rules I put up earlier.

Hopefully you find a place that has some good summer waves.

Good luck.

(01-15-2011 12:24 PM)FretDancer Wrote:  

Damn, people who live near the coasst and on islands are so lucky...

Don't worry, we pay for it.

[Kona]

For those of you interested, the rumor is they are going to run the Eddie Aikau tomorrow. http://www.staradvertiser.com/news/break...14749.html

The Eddie is a contest made up of the worlds greatest surfers riding the world's greatest waves. It should be televised in one way or another. You guys that like to surf, or want to, should check it out.

On top of the contest itself, the Eddie is one of the world's greatest swooping events. Every girl on this island that looks good in a bikini will be out trying to find a big name guy to get close to. There are also an outrageous amount of model-types promoting various crap. Myseld and a friend hit it last year with a strategy. We were going to flat out ignore the regulars, and focus on the models. I followed this principal and wound up swooping this girl because of it:
[attachment=514]
[attachment=513]

She wound up being crazy, and went full batshit on me a few weeks down the road. She called me thirteen times in one day, and had an argument them made up with my voicemail. I wound up rekindling it over the summer, but she was too out there for me. I plan to find something similar tomorrow, just with a little better head on her shoulders.

Aloha!

[Feo]

Kona...fuck bro. Heavy heavy shit you're riding. me likes

[kimleebj]

(01-14-2011 12:52 PM)Roosh Wrote:  

I'm considering a summer somewhere just to surf.

Salisbury University Surf Club

[Brian]

I was just down i Costa Rica in December where i surfed for the first time for about a week and a half, so here are some thoughts. G is pretty spot on here on pretty much everything..

-Jaco is a dump. There are nicer places to go. I was in Mal Pais/Santa Teresa, which was awesome, cheap, and a great place to learn. Google 'Mal Pais Surf Camp' and stay there, they have accommodations ranging from cheap to nice. Its run by a good guy, and there are usually cool people there to hang with. If you are in Jaco take the speedboat taxi to Montezuma, then you can catch buses or take a cap to Santa Teresa.

If you have never surfed before take a lesson. Its very basic stuff, but unless you have a friend who surfs you dont have anyway of learning it.

Start w/a board about 10 feet. When you get up on that go down to 9, then 8 1/2, etc.

In regards to Roosh's question, if you had 3 months and surfed every day I'd imagine you could get pretty good, depending on your natural ability. When I say good I mean down to a 6 or 7 ft board, and being able to move across the face of the wave w/direction. But like G said, a lot of it has to do w/weather. If you are there 3 months you arent going to get 3 months of good surf days.

[thegmanifesto]

...

[thegmanifesto]

(01-28-2011 03:29 AM)thegmanifesto Wrote:  

Brian,

"G is pretty spot on here on pretty much everything.."

Thank you. Glad you had fun and I could help you. I remember back in the day when you dissed me on here. It's good to see you came around full circle.

kimleebj,

"Salisbury University Surf Club"

Terrible advice.

Kona,

How did the Eddie go?

I remember you said you have never surfed in California before. This is how its done:

And how we do down in Mex:

And how the Psychos do it down in Mex:

Old School Loose:

[Brian]

G, i dont know if i've come full circle...i've always thought you provided good advice and knowledge to this board when you focused on giving it to others as opposed to self promotion, and it seems over the last few months you've done much more of the former and less of the latter and it has been beneficial to everyone who reads these boards and we are appreciative of the knowledge you pass on

[thegmanifesto]

Brian,

Ha. I was just playing.

If I link to something in my blog as an answer to someone on here, its because I don't want to re-write something I have already broken down to the bone gristle.

Thanks though.

[Kona]

(01-28-2011 03:31 AM)thegmanifesto Wrote:  

Kona,

How did the Eddie go?

The didn't run The Eddie. The called it at about 9 a.m., but all the greats were in the water waiting. Maybe 15,000 people were there to watch. The waves at Waimea hit about 22 feet, but they require 25's. They've gone over the 25 before and since then this year, but no contest was prepared.

My friend and I took some Korean tourist girls out of the crowd to Pipe then to happy hour, but we didn't swoop.

(01-28-2011 03:31 AM)thegmanifesto Wrote:  

I remember you said you have never surfed in California before.

Brah, that's up until a few days ago. I just came back from Mavericks.

That is a powerful wave. It's just too bad you gotta get hypothermia to ride it. It wasn't contest height, and I forgot that what I call head highs mainlanders call 10 feet, but there's a lot of things I liked about it. My little brother and I each took 3 before our brains froze. The last one I backdoored and caught a little barrel way up there, then bailed cannonball style. People thought I was crazy, but that was my favorite part about it. It's deep and you don't have to worry about reef.

The other thing I liked about it was the people. Those guys took great care of us. There were some big names out that we recognized from Triple Crown stuff. Granted we named dropped heavily, they took us right in. Our plan was to just find some girls and sleep with them, but these guys insisted we stay at this pretty nice rental place. We went out and found girls both nights, and they didn't care. It wasn't even on the beach, but they said somebody was paying 7k a week for it. On top of that they hooked us up with two 10'6s with the longest leashes I've ever seen, that were sharp as hell. They weren't stingy with the herbs either, but used these blunt wrappers I have a hard time getting into.

The town is Princeton-By-The-Sea (and the hyphens are part of the name) and it was pretty cool. The first night after we surfed we went to some crap ass beer place I don't remember the name at happy hour time. We met probably the only two Asian girls in the area. The best Americanized Asian girls always come from California, and these two were up there. I don't consider Hawaii-raised Asian girls American. We took them to this great restaurant called Mezzaluna with a fireplace that made it impossible to not swoop any girl you would take there. We were on our way back from St. Louis, which has amazing places to eat, but this place had great food all around.

The second day we didn't surf, but we took the guys that let us stay out to a place called Crab Landing. Shit name, but great food. I don't get a lot of crab like that. The Sushi was good too. Then we went to this bar just called The Harbor Bar and we burned that place apart. Those people loved us. The smoking rules are Nazi style, but for some reason my bill was an even $50, but we had the whole place rolling. I'm gonna go back there.

I'm still stoking on the whole trip overall, but the California portion was way better than I expected. We spent a shit night in LA but Mavericks made up for it. I've been a little too hard on the Californians that come out my way, and am gonna ease it up from now on. Everybody took care.

Aloha!

[solo]

So, in short, basically surfing has the following benefits:

1. It's enjoyable
2. Gets you in shape
3. Gets you girls

Sound a lot like skiing and like an activity people on this forum should look into. I gotta do this so I have something to do in the summers too, when there's no snow. Just have to find a good safe spot for beginners.

[Soma]

I've been surfing once before and could stand up by the end the session. If I practice a couple more days do you think I'll be able to do a 20ft 540 no-grab like Kelly Slater?

Damn, son.

[Cr33pin]

i caught my first wave yesterday in the Phils, its amazing... but also very tiring paddling out. I was sore from working out my arms the day before, plus being semi hung over... you have to be in shape if you wanna seriously put in a few hours of learning to surf

[Willy]

Wow I'm late to this party. Surfing is a life choice transcending all else. Fortunately lots of other great things come with it. Spent a couple of years in Costa Rica. If you're new anything less than a solid year of surfing will still have you ranked a beginner. That's the appeal though -tough to master.

If I were you I'd book a trip with Witches Rock Surf Camp. Tamarindo is a cool party town and the surf resort is great even if you're going Dolo. Take lessons and flirt with the broads trying to learn.

Surfing Avellana DOH, Ollies OH+ and finding Labarinto on a rumor are memories seared into my mind forever. Although my last trip to the garden island is fighting for space.

[faznine15]

Im with you willy. It takes a year to get decent and not be complete kook.

Mr. Aloha and these socal locals are pulling everyones chain. Those waves are easily overhead and would require serious fitness and skill to paddle out in. I haven't surfed in a year - there's no way I'm making it out in 6 foot surf.

Surfing is hard just ask Roosh. But it's worth it. Gives your a great reason to travel to warm nice places.

[Willy]

Quote:

Where do you think 2 hours a day for 3 months would get me? I'm considering a summer somewhere just to surf.

If you went nearly every day for three months you'd get your pop-up down and probably wean yourself off the longboard. On a fun shape or fish you'd probably be able to manage rudimentary pumps and be able to angle down the wave on least your front side. You'd be comfortable in head high surf and could handle a little bit of a drop. You won't be hanging with the good guys but you'll know how and when to stay out of the way. At three months your frustration would be much lower. You'll be able to read waves, know the right spot to be and possess the strength to surf non stop for 3-4 hrs. If the fever hits you, begin to see the spiritual aspects of it. You will loose most of your insecurity as a beginner. You'll be in excellent mental and physical shape and your abs, chest and upper back will be much better defined than they are now.

Being free from the entangles of a schedule the routine you establish is incredibly satisfying. Wake up a little early catching the morning session before it gets too bright. Eat a massive breakfast, find shade and a hammock to read, write, (toke) and nap till late afternoon. In between sessions you'll have time for email, Yoga, Guitar, or whatever suits you. The evening session would call and I'd surf till dusk while while chatting up a few girls and making plans for later. If its a happening night I'll grab a bite, a beer and wait till the music starts. You should have no problem pulling at least one new quality bang per week on this routine. Months will melt away like days.

I spent numerous chunks of my 20's this way. Although I live on one of the best stretches of California (CC), my travel expeditions are limited to 3-4 weeks at a time .... but I'll be back at it soon enough. I've had escapades like being dropped off from a boat 100 yards from shore with all my stuff in a thick plastic bag atop my boards, swimming in and making camp for a week living on rice, canned meats and fish we caught - praying those guys in the boat come back to pick us up as promised! (Santa Rosa Nat'l Park) Or sleeping in my board bag in the town square because we were unable to hitch a ride back to town quick enough to make the last bus out. (Cuyagua, VE). Or directing the boatman to an odd shaped feature of land based on nothing more than the tell-tale whisp of mist off the back of a wave and finding a quality break.

The world of travel and experiences it opens up to a person with circumstances to follow it is invaluable. You'll find yourself jaunting to parts of the world you'd otherwise not consider while meeting truly interesting characters. Although a secondary pursuit, you'd most likely be fucking some of the nicest looking babes on the planet along the way.

Roosh, I mentioned this to you about a year or so ago. You should definitely explore it.

Two beginner friendly spots you should consider that are great summer (May-Sept) destinations are:

Nosara, Costa Rica
This spot is nice for a few reasons. First off it is one of the most consistent spots in Central America -it's almost never flat. Summer time especially is good with swells from the roaring 40's keeping things interesting this time of year. The very few times it is flat you will probably welcome as a nice break for your arms. Most times it will be shoulder high to overhead and the bay is typically kind to beginners yet challenging too in places. It's a beach break too so you don't need to worry about rocks or reefs. There are amble quality rentals so you can get a nice longboard to start and experiment with fun shapes, fish and performance shortboards depending on your progress.

I've stayed for months at a time there on many occasions over the past 10 years. Word has started to get out on this place and I fear it will become like Tamarindo or Jaco. It's still a small town and it can be a little slow but it does perk up and parties occur weekly among the transplants and locals alike. There's a Yoga institute where chicks come for 30 days to receive an instructor certification. They're away from home, in great shape and easy to engage. yoga is a great compliment to surfing too so for me this is a plus. The nightlife is decent. It's not big city but there a mix of spots that are usually hopping with tourists (American, European and a few Aussies), semi locals who come down for a few months (teachers, yogees and college students) as well as local girls who like North Americans and are typically slim young and delightful.

There are other spots in Costa Rica that offer similar surf quality, are not too crowded and retain a friendly vibe surf. Dominical and Mal Pais/Santa Theresa come to mind. They might be a little cheaper too however I like Nosara because of the mix of local and foreign chicks it attracts on a semi-long term basis.

Florianopolis, Brazil
It too has an excellent swell window this time of year. For wave quality it probably edges Nosara because there are a wide variety of quality breaks within a relatively shot distance. In Nosara you have to catch a ride (which is usually no problem when it's pumping). If you're new though this isn't going to be an issue either way. It's a popular beach destination for Brazilians too so you'll get a lot of them on vacation too.

One downside is Brazilians, in my experience, are annoying to surf with, often not respecting universally accepted surf etiquette. If you're not good a pack of two or three can shut you out of a spot. If you are good you'll have to get aggro just to catch your share. This only applies to the quality breaks. Beginner breaks shouldn't be an issue so I wouldn't let it stop you.

Other summer spots that come to mind are:
Boca's Del Toro, Panama - Sleepy but exotic.
Azuero Peninsula, Panama - Out there!
San Juan Del Sur area, Nicaragua - Sleepy but Cheap!
Gold Coast, Australia - Modern and lots of slender beach blondes.

Personally I'd stay far away from Mexico. I stopped going to Baja when they beheaded the chief of police of Tijuana, Rosarita and 6 of their deputies the week I was down there. It has changed for the worse in the past 5 years.

[FretDancer]

Shit, great post Willy. What are your thoughts on Puerto Viejo - Limon at Costa Rica?

[Soma]

(04-20-2012 08:07 PM)FretDancer Wrote:  

Shit, great post Willy. What are your thoughts on Puerto Viejo - Limon at Costa Rica?

And any recommendations for beginner breaks in Southeast Asia?

[Lukey]

Awesome report Willy. What is your take on El Salvador? From what I have read there doesn't seem to be many beginner or beach breaks there of interest, is this the case? Have you had a chance to get down there?

[Willy]

(04-20-2012 08:07 PM)FretDancer Wrote:  

Shit, great post Willy. What are your thoughts on Puerto Viejo - Limon at Costa Rica?

Hey Fret,

I only surfed there once at Salsa Brava near PV. It's not a beginner spot by any stretch. I loved that wave but it will chew you up if you're not on your game so for a newer guy I can't recommend it. There are mellower options in the area I'm sure. The town itself is has a cool artsy, reggae vibe. Crime is more of a problem. A friend of mine and his new wife were lifted of their valuables by a group of teens wearing t-shirts over their faces in the park near Cahuita. They tied them to a tree too! While it shook them up pretty bad (they since had their wedding bands tattooed) they were really just low grade punks looking for a buck. I've seen (and experienced) worse. But it happens a little more frequently in that neck of the woods. Additionally I'm not a big fan of the girls on the Caribbean side. Not to offend but I'm usually not into black chicks and they are more prevalent there. Having said that I did see a black chick from PV with a smokin hot bod the last time I was in CR. It was as if a horny cartoonist drew her body and she later materialized. She was selling it though. Ending that story

Don't go to Limon after dark if your a Whitey (hell any color for that matter).

I don't have any experience in Southeast Asia. I can only give you second hand info.

The swell angle is not ideal but it has it's moments. For a beginner this is not an issue. You don't want it big till you get good. If you already have plans for that part of the world peruse this site and try a few spots. Once you figure out the swell season and secret spots you are likely to find your nirvana. If it's a well known spot there will be other surfers who have the region dialed, so just go there and feel out the scene. You can likely find good surf, cheap eats and digs, and the girls typically love American guys. They are thin and from what I hear age differential is not a stigma (if that's important). Pollution and cleanliness can vary widely from country to country. A good friend of mine bought a lot a 3 min walk away from Cloud 9 break in the Philippines in 2001 for $11,000! He's pieced together a enviable surf bungalow and will likely spend bigger chunks of time there. He gets a new hot-body, young twenties local gal every time he goes (he's 40). They tend to fizzle due to the long distance and intervals but he's not complaining. They aren't selling it either as this place is off the normal tourist trail.

I'll be tagging along with him this coming fall and I give a full report when I get back.

RE El Salvador, I haven't been but a friend of mine has. It has a few good things going for it; Lots of rights, cheap, and undiscovered. It is likely to have evrything you'd ever want but you have to go find it (not a bad thing). I think you'd have to have well worn shoes before making a serious go of it. Can you speak almost fluent Spanish? Can you make your boards rideable after they fell off the top of the bus? Do you know what to do when you drive up on a flaming pile of branches stretched across the road? Now if you want to just go to a surf camp go for it, they'll take care of you. But if you are contemplating a weeks/months long trek into unknown territory I'd go with someone who know the lay of the land a little better.

All in all I'd probably try Nicaragua first then talk to guys there about ES. You may never leave Nica, it's way underrated.

[xmlenigma]

Willy - Can I buy you lunch someday when we meet. I really appreciate your detailed posts. I loved reading the 2 posts of yours.

Then again, as I enjoyed it, I also come out a little confused as to making a choice.

Can you share some more light as I post the following questions? Maybe you can share some "$ numbers" if you have some ideas? I am guessing to live at such a place for 2/3 months my rent might be the most expensive component?

Learn Surfing: Where? Cheap long term stay, Lessons & Boards

I want to take 2-3 months off, maybe more and go somewhere in the world where:

GOAL:
- Learn to Surf...& spend time focused on learning surfing only..
- Enough / to get to decent skill level to be able to get back to REGULAR surfing
- Once I get a day JOB and get started with REGULAR life, I don't want to have to come back to US/Europe and again have to take lessons

INEXPENSIVE LOCATION: (A good $ to local currency ratio)
- Learning / Lessons/ Boards would be relatively cheaper
- Long term Living would be cheaper (in terms of dollar exchange rates)
- Waves & Location are good for newbies/ Learners, helping them pickup a decent skill level

AND:
- Is hopefully safe (Don't get kidnapped, mugged, messed over Turistas style)

BONUS: (Not critical as I want to focus on surfing)
- Can find a similar Peer Group who would help to learn surf, make friends, do other things when the days Surf & energy is over.
- Chics

PLEASE SUGGEST:
- The best places to go based on above stuff
- Good Beginner & Learning Locations & Cost info (Lessons & Boards, Long term Stay etc)

Again, my focus for 2/3 months would be to START from ZERO and MAXIMIZE my SURF learning.. (I've always had a Spiritual thing for the Ocean .. and for surfing for years.. but always been too busy to do it.. so this time I want to LEARN enough (FULL-TIME) to become a BEGINNER.. whose surfing skill can grow PART-TIME later on)

(I am guessing Asia / Latin America would be cheaper? I am also told South Africa/ around Cape & towns)