So, you’re standing on the shore ready to jump in with your board. First of all, don’t put your fins on yet. You’ll look rather stupid flapping your fins on the sand as you head for the water. Simply turn around and back in. Better yet wait until you get in a few feet of water and simply slide them on, along with your ankle tethers. That way you’ll avoid getting sand inside the fins. Otherwise, you’ll certainly notice it. Next, secure the board tether to your wrist.
Heading Out
You’ll quickly notice that by the time the waves reach the shore they’re pretty small and all foamy. Most of the power has already been expended. So, you’re going to need to head out a ways where the waves are breaking. A word of caution. The ocean can be tricky so here are some safety tips:
1) Try going with a friend in case you need help
2) Don’t go out too far, at least not at first. At most beaches chest high is plenty of ocean and even a 3-foot wave will tower over you as it approaches.
3) Many beaches have warning flags so learn what they mean and stay in areas designated either for surfing or swimming (Boogie Boards are used in the swimming area)
4) Don’t go in an area where there is nothing but “shore break.” This means the waves wait ‘til the last second to break and they pound the shoreline. Your wave ride will be very short and straight down. You’ll very likely be spitting out sand. You’ll want to catch waves a little farther out.
5) Spend a few minutes and study the ocean before going in. Watch what others are doing. How fast are the waves coming in? What size are they?
Now that you’ve heard some words of caution, it’s time to try to catch a wave. You’ll notice that it may not be as easy as you think getting out to where the waves are breaking because the surf is heading to the shore, and against you. You’ll just have to do what others do and paddle through them. So, lie down on your board and kick with those big fins. When a wave approaches that you don’t want you’ll have to go through it. Just lay your head flat against the front of the board and tilt the nose down a bit. The wave will tend to pass over you rather than lift both you and the board up and knock you back a few feet. After a few tries, you’ll get the hang of it. And you’ll start appreciating the tethers on your ankles and wrist. A powerful wave can rip the fins right off your feet and guess what…they don’t float. And when you wipe-out a few times you’ll be glad you have something to hold onto, namely your Boogie Board. With the wrist tether it will always be there for you to pull yourself up on and rest.