Surf School questions, answered

Two or three lessons for most people, and a lot of practice after that. Being able to stand up and being able to read a wave are different skills, and the second one is what makes it enjoyable. We will tell you honestly where you are after the first lesson.

A swimsuit, a towel, sunscreen you have already put on, and a hat for the sand. We bring the board, the leash and the wetsuit. Leave your rings, watches and necklaces at home — they are the things that get lost in the whitewater.

We will move you somewhere more forgiving, or we will run the session on the sand. Good waves are for people who can already read them, and a lesson in the wrong place teaches you to be frightened of the ocean rather than how to surf it.

You need to be comfortable in breaking surf and to swim back to shore when a wave takes you. That is a real bar, and it is why a first lesson happens in the whitewater. If you are not sure, swim in the ocean for twenty minutes first and find out.

A swimsuit you can move in, and bring a towel. We provide the wetsuit in the right thickness for the water and the season, the board, and the leash. On the sand you want a shirt and a hat, because you will be out there for an hour.

We will either move you to a sheltered break that suits the swell, or reschedule, or run it as a sand-and-skills session if the water is genuinely unsafe. We will tell you which, and we will not take you out in conditions we would not surf in ourselves.