1: First choose the right board



2: 2nd learn to paddle

3: Learn the art of getting out through the breakers, by duckdiving or rolling

4: Next learning how to catch a wave

5: Last of all, you can now learn how to pop up or stand on your board

Lets first cover choosing the right board. To choose the right board, you might be thinking of what looks the coolest, or what the pros are riding. But believe me you won't look very cool trying to stand up on a 6ft thruster if you haven't mastered the basics.

You can get yourself a brand new surfboard after you got your balance on a big old board. So the first thing to look for is size, you want something with plenty of floatation. If the board is to small it will also sink and create more drag when paddling, the bigger the board, the more floataion you will have, and the bigger you are, the more floatation you will need.

You will be able to ride a small board sooner, if you start on a big board first. So if you plan to get into short boards look for something around 6ft 10inches up to 8ft long, but if you are looking at getting into long boarding try a Malibu of 10 or 12ft, make sure you can carry it.

So you got your eyes on a big old board around 7 to 8ft, what's it look like... who cares? If it can hold you up that's all that matters, dings will not affect you because you wont be doing anything to tricky or tackling large waves. However while the board can look crapy, you don't want the fiberglass peeling away from the foam, if water can reach the foam, it will soak into it and weigh you down. Then you will never get the speed to catch a wave.

The shape of the board should not worry you, if it has a swallow tail or is square, it wont matter, you will be going pretty much straight ahead anyway. Just like the number of fins wont bother you, 1 or 3 whatever. You will not be doing tight turns, so shape and fins don't matter, however whatever surfboard you choose remember it should be at least 2 to 3 inches thick and at least 19 inches wide.

Most importantly when you get your first board is to get a leg rope. You might hear horror stories of the board getting dragged under then getting pulled back towards you like a bungy and knocking you out, but this will only happen in huge swell, which I hope you will not be tackling when learning to surf.

A leg rope is essential for any beginner, and even the pros should have one. You see the ocean is a treacherous place, you may be a strong swimmer in a pool, but the ocean has hidden dangers. When you fall from your board, and you will fall, you wont have time to grab it before the wave takes it away, and you will be stuck without floatation.

Even the strongest of swimmers, will use up a lot of energy and time, trying to reach their board. The surfboard will be light enough for the waves to pick it up and move it away, however you will have to much drag in the water. Besides the obvious danger, of the sweep taking you into a rip, the hassle of swimming into shore will ruin any session, trust me you don't want to be stuck without a surfboard.

You will need a new legrope, this is something you can keep when trading in your surfboard, so it will not be wasted with an old board. Quality is best, but any new rope should be strong enough. Make sure you get a legrope that is long enough to reach you when standing forward on the board. But don't get anything too long, if the rope is too long it can act as a bungy, pulling your board right back at you.

Now you should have a surfboard picked out, big, old, and cheap. So it's time to practice, read the next few articles in the series, then head out with your mates.