first time surfing

[bobgnarrly]

2 days ago i went surfing for the first time and it was the funnest thing ive done all my life. ive been skateboarding for 6 years and it has never felt as amazing as this. the only thing im worried about is my swimming, i can swim but im not the strongest swimmer. i can hold myself up in the water and all, but its kind of a challenge. im going to start going to the local pool about once a week to strengthen my swimming skills. how good of a swimmer do you have to be to surf?

btw i surfed at pleasure point in santa cruz california

[behindThePeak]

greatest feeling in the world.

swimming skils: it depends on the day and the spot, but they do come in handy. pleasure point breaks kinda far out there. head over to Cowles or Capitola. they're easier spots that won't require so much of you. especially at a low tide.

[bobgnarrly]

i checked out both those spots on youtube and they look pretty chill. i might go surf one of them this weekend.

[PredationSA]

Ideally you'd want to brilliant since anything can happen out there, lose a board, get cut badly but if you are surfing chilled breaks then you don't need to be very good i imagine. Strong enough to deal with rips if the spots you're surfing have them and strong enough to keep your head above water.

[Melisagrom]

even if you're not the strongest swimmer, just swim smart. know about the conditions and how they can change, like how to get out of rips- swim parallel to the beach, not straight in. If you keep your head together you should be able to last through those difficult moments!! otherwise, a session a week would be perfect, amazing fitness too!!
But yeah, I reckon most people get into trouble because they don't know what they're doing, but clearly you want to wise up, so you should be fine!! Glad you're loving surfing- you'll never look back!!
and you have a fantastic username just sayin

[jaffa1949]

G'day Bob Gnarly, it's good that you are going to the pool because one day no matter how easy going the surf spots are you are going to have to put in a strong swim to get shore you can go out in a benign situation and the surf can change on you.
Legropes etc are fine but they fail. At some time in your (hopefully) long surfing life you will have to swim to save your own life or perhaps someone else.
A lot of surfers and I think that people who go surfing and believe and expect lifeguards or other surfers will save them are being incredibly selfish.

I also think that if you can be reasonably self reliant then the experience is that much better.
Glad you have made the decision to strengthen your swimming so you really can be Bobgnarly rather than Bobupanddown.

[surf doc]

Yup, swimming skills are a must but it sounds like you're taking care of it with lessons. At about 6 months of surfing I had a leash ripped off my leg by a large wave and had to swim into shore. I had a 3/2 providing some extra bouyancy, and it was still tough work. Just think to yourself when you're sitting in the lineup: 'would I be comfortable getting back in if my board were to suddenly disappear?' If the answer is no, then it might be wise to sit out that day.