Melissa

Surf Etiquette: Understanding the Unspoken Rules of the Lineup — A Primer for New Surfers Whether you’re super noob or you’ve been surfing for years, understanding surf etiquette is key to making the lineup aloha-filled and safe for everyone. Before You Paddle OutBefore you even paddle out, do your homework. Are you paddling out at … Read more

How One Li’l Sticker Reduced my Nosedives by 90% It’s hard to believe one sticker improved my surfing massively, but it did. You see, I was going through a phase where my surfing seemed to be getting worse, not better. I was struggling for weeks. I wasn’t catching waves, so I’d move inside, or I’d … Read more

Where to Start Surfing in Santa Cruz Where to start surfing is just as important as learning how to surf. Choosing beginner friendly breaks and conditions will keep you safe (or at least safer) and make the experience more enjoyable. In Santa Cruz, these are the best known beginner breaks. As they are deemed beginner, … Read more

My Favorite Pop Up How To Videos ,Getting Started When I started surfing, I took a couple of beginner classes. Instructors went over the pop up, had students execute a few on the sand, then we paddled out. Soon we were getting pushed into waves and it became abundantly clear that what worked in the … Read more

A Comprehensive Guide to Buying Your First Surfboard This past weekend, I took two different women shopping for surfboards. As a surf instructor, I get asked what surfboard should I get a lot. And the answer isn’t the same for everyone. The short answer is that I generally recommend a 9 ft. Stormblade Soft Top … Read more

So You Wanna Learn to Surf There’s more than one way to learn to surf — the easy way, and the hard way. Surfing has one of the most challenging learning curves in modern sports. It’s not as easy as it looks, and the risk is high if you don’t know where to start, so… … Read more