Steps to Surfing
If it is your first time on a board, don’t worry,
a few instructions from the guide will be a great help.
Here we’ll summarize the steps you should take when
you are dressed and ready to get into the water:
1) For surfing a wave, first you should
know how to paddle. You should distribute your weight
evenly on the board. Raise your head and place your shoulders
a good distance from the point. Keep your legs together
and straight. Paddle as if you are swimming the crawl,
raising your shoulders and submerging your hands deep
into the water, forwards and pushing more strongly at
the end of the stroke.
2) Reaching the wave, you should learn
to stand up. It is important to practice on the sand ahead
of time to avoid some hard knocks. You should learn to
stand up at one time, with one jump and not getting on
your knees first and then to your feet. Once up, you should
distribute you weight evenly on your feet with your knees
bent and your chest out to maintain equilibrium.
3) Getting to the waves: To get to where
the waves are breaking, you are going to have to go under
some. You should paddle until you reach 2 meters in front
of the wave and without standing, hold on to the front
edges of your board (where the curve starts) and dunk
it under the water pushing hard with your arms. Put a
knee under your pelvis on top of the board and the other
straight. When you are underneath and the wave has passed,
push up on your knee flexing it and raising the front
part of the board. With this push you will come out on
the other side.
4) Take Off: this is the most important move.
It will be your basis for what follows. When you are paddling,
look at how the wave is going to break. Once you feel
that it is carrying you, stand up in one jump. Keep your
weight tight on the slope. Watch the lower part of the
wave and start your trip.
Types of
Waves and Ideal Season
Ecuador has great waves, the range from small to medium,
providing the best conditions for learning how to surf.
Also, surfing in Ecuador is truly fun because there are
many beaches with different types of waves according to
level and preferences. Some of the most well known places
are Montañita, San Matero, Río Chico and
Ayampe.
You can surf throughout the whole year which is another
of the advantages of Ecuador. However, we recommend that
you try it during the months of November to January when
the waves on in perfect condition.
