learning to surf in texas

[oldenglish]

Hi guys, ever since I was a kid I've wanted to surf. I grew up in south Texas about an hour away from south padre island but never realized the waves were surfable. I'm now 26 and live in San Antonio, tx and have decided that I want to take up surfing but am confused on how I should start out. I know there are several places that offer surf lessons but they all seem focused on children and might be more of the push you into a wave type of school rather than actually teach fundamentals. Is there anyone that surfs the Texas gulf coast that could provide some information on starting out here? Thanks.

[tonylamont]

I'm in Austin and started fairly recently. In Texas your main choices are S. Padre, Corpus / Port A, Matagorda, Surfside and Galveston. Given your location, the Corpus area makes the most sense. It's where I usually surf. Personally I think Port A is a slightly better spot for a beginner than the main Corpus beaches as there are fewer surfers. There's a friendly and helpful surf shop in Port A (Board House) that rents boards. As most people will tell you, you'll want to start on a longboard - they're easiest for beginners plus with the smaller waves here (esp. in summer) there are many days when longboarding is the only game in town. 9' - 10' is best here depending on how big you are.

I can't vouch for any of the surf schools as I haven't used any of the ones here. A lesson or two, even from a "push you into waves" type surf school isn't necessarily bad, esp. as long as you are studying up and already know what you should be doing. Some of those schools will teach you improper ways to pop up in an effort to get you "surfing" the first day.

I'm having a blast learning here even though the waves aren't the best in the world. The main issue is the drive - helps if you can camp overnight or crash somewhere to get multiple sessions in.

Good luck. If you have additional questions, feel free to message me offline.

[oldenglish]

Apparently I can't send PMS so I'm just going to post here. By port aransas do you mean Horace Caldwell pier or the beach break? How is the paddle out at these spots? Are the locals friendly in this spot?

[surferbill]

We would agree with Tony, Port A and Corpus will be your best options for surf. Galveston is less consistent, and South Padre will be too far for a day or short weekend trip. Out of all the shops we prefer Boardhouse as well, they have a ton of boards for rent, and are very friendly and helpful. They have lessons, or you can just grab a board and give it try. For starters the closest break would be at Horace Caldwell Pier (they also have camping with electricity and water for $20 a night).

The North side of the pier has been breaking better lately, but really you can just look for a decent peak on either side of the pier and paddle out. The locals are friendly here, and we suggest you rent a big board (9 foot or longer), and go give it a shot. The water is very shallow, so you don't have to worry about swimming or getting stuck in deep water. As you progress you should check out Packery Channel. It is by far the cleanest break in the area right now. It is crowded, and a bit more competitive, but when the pier is sloppy packery channel is much cleaner. It is about 8 or nine miles down the coast towards Corpus Christi. Let us know how it goes, you can see check out surf reports and more info at our site: www.surfingintexas.com. Email us if you have any other questions.

[tonylamont]

Apparently I can't send PMS so I'm just going to post here. By port aransas do you mean Horace Caldwell pier or the beach break? How is the paddle out at these spots? Are the locals friendly in this spot?

Yes. As surferbill notes the North side of the pier is best but either can work. The difficulty of the paddle out varies a lot depending on the waves - esp with beach breaks like we have here. The bigger the waves, the farther out they are breaking and the more of them you have to paddle through. Personally, I still find it tough on bigger days - choppy, 4'-5'+ Gulf waves at 6-7 second intervals = difficult paddle out. But that varies depending on the person. If you're a strong swimmer already or have a good level of upper-body strength that will help a lot. But even if not, initially you can practice catching waves on the inside sandbars if the paddle out is too tough.

Agree with surferbill re: Packery. It's a better break with cleaner waves, but there is a much bigger crowd and can be more competition for waves. I love both spots and never have encountered any localism to speak of in either place. HCP's just less crowded and folks are a little friendlier.

On other money-saving tip re camping: Nueces County sells annual beach parking passes for $12. If you get one of those, you can camp for free anywhere on the south side of HCP. You'll need one anyway to surf at Packery.

Oh, and one other note: when you're first learning it's easy to spend a lot of time on your feet - when you do so, remember to shuffle those feet while walking to avoid rays. One got me early on near HCP and it was not fun. It's good incentive to stay on the board and work on your paddling as much as possible.

[oldenglish]

Update. Went out to HCP on Wednesday and got a lesson from boardhouse. Had a lot of fun and the lesson definitely got me feeling more at ease in the water. I'm hooked and already planning some more days at HCP soon. Do you think I should rent a regular long board next time instead of a soft top? Thanks for the help.

[tonylamont]

Update. Went out to HCP on Wednesday and got a lesson from boardhouse. Had a lot of fun and the lesson definitely got me feeling more at ease in the water. I'm hooked and already planning some more days at HCP soon. Do you think I should rent a regular long board next time instead of a soft top? Thanks for the help.

Good to hear.

As far as soft tops vs. regular boards, I don't think it makes much of a difference the first few sessions, but IMO if you're serious then after you've been out a few times you might as well ditch the soft top. Really the only benefit is they are less like to inflict serious damage if they hit you.

I rented an NSP longboard the first several times I surfed, and have only used soft tops in lessons. Once I bought my own board that was a nice step up from the NSP, but honestly it takes a while before subtle differences in boards (materials, fin configuration, etc.) make much of a difference. I'm still not sure how much of a difference they make for me.