Lets define the characteristics of surfing skill levels

[Bub]

I know there is differences between shortboard skill levels vs longboard skill levels but just have some fun here and write any/all opinions you can think of...% of waves to catch, size of waves able to ride, tricks/manuvuers etc...whatever best defines the various catagories.

Beginner
Intermediate
Advanced
Expert

Enjoy!!!

[Milo]

Expert












I wish

[Sillysausage]

seriously i think i'm intermediate ... but love to dream that i'm a pro

[oldiebeginner]

don't get to go enough... white water beginner!

[Lisa*]

don't you mean what do think you should be able to do to be at certain levels? not what level are you?

I spose we can see what big-headed people we have on her though... all the boys? lol
just waiting for the 'yeah i'm an expert instructer - like i teach the experts' lol

xxxx

[bmth.longboarder]

im a beginner can catch waves and ride waves and learning to carve a little. next will be board walking

[hawaiiSUCKSexceptsurf]

theres a level between intermediate and advanced i think.

[Bub]

Yes, my intentions were to try and have people describe what characteristics of surfers make up the various skill levels. Like beginner would be someone who is still struggling to balance on poppups, stuggles in surf over 3-4 feet, perhaps can only successfully catch a wave on a longerboard etc. I didn't want people to just state your skill level, but you are free to do so if you wish as well. Is there a level that could squeeze in between advanced and expert? If so state what the differences are.

[isaluteyou]

surfing is too vast to really limit it to a rating system.

You have to also include big wave riding say 12ft+ and then huge wave riding 20ft+ not to mention tow in surfing. All of this requires an entire different skill set.

I think in all honesty how you rate your skills must be on consistancy. I consider myself an intermediete surfer but on some days i can step it up. Then again ive also had days where i have surfed terribly. So consistancy counts here.

[Bub]

surfing is too vast to really limit it to a rating system.

You have to also include big wave riding say 12ft+ and then huge wave riding 20ft+ not to mention tow in surfing. All of this requires an entire different skill set.

I think in all honesty how you rate your skills must be on consistancy. I consider myself an intermediete surfer but on some days i can step it up. Then again ive also had days where i have surfed terribly. So consistancy counts here.

I agree 100% with what you are saying here.
Actually what made me think of starting this thread was trying to understand surfboard maker websites. Many of them have graphs that show the surfers weight & skill level which then should help you determine which of their boards would be the best fit for the individual. Since I thought the skill level criteria seemed completely open to interpretation, I thought it was worth posting a discussion on the forum to get some opinions....and just something interesting to have fun with.

[Jimi]

Interesting topic... I don't think there's any way to categorise all surfers into beginner/intermediate/good/pro/whatever, as there are so many different aspects to surfing ability.

I guess, generally, the beginner category is two tiered...
There is the total novice phase of learning to stand up/catch whitewater. While at the same time, you can still be a beginner at riding the face of a wave, even though you can easily pop up/balance etc.

Intermediate is a big category, as I suppose it covers everyone from people who are learning to do cutbacks, right through to people who are able to do a few tricks.

From there on, I don't think there is an easy way to rate a surfer, other than on the scores he/she would get in a comp.

[CheeZee]

..good topic

[Dr Rev]

Im advanced cr*p !!!!!

[northswell]

Here's my interpretation of the four catogories listed.

Beginner= Someone in the white water/outback catching the open face and going down the line.

Intermediate= Able to surf bigger waves, say upto eight foot faces able to make turns. Get out back on those bigger days, keep control of his/her board at all times, and able to read a break.

Advanced= Your local charger

Expert= a pro or semi pro, someone who is sponsored maybe?

[Bub]

Here's my interpretation of the four catogories listed.

Beginner= Someone in the white water/outback catching the open face and going down the line.

Intermediate= Able to surf bigger waves, say upto eight foot faces able to make turns. Get out back on those bigger days, keep control of his/her board at all times, and able to read a break.

Advanced= Your local charger

Expert= a pro or semi pro, someone who is sponsored maybe?

This is what I was looking for...Nice start Northswell, lets expand/add/comment on this!

[Johnny B]

I personally think you gotta separate the learning stages more;

i.e.

Complete novice: Splashing about in the white water catching broken waves, popping up sometimes but unsteadily.

Novice: Catching waves further out (before they break) and popping up faster but still not riding the face.

Beginner: Catching waves in the line up and riding the face, No moves mastered yet.

I´d go further than that but I just stopped at the stage I´m at, I´d like to think I´m on my way to the next stage though.

[Bub]

I personally think you gotta separate the learning stages more;

i.e.

Complete novice: Splashing about in the white water catching broken waves, popping up sometimes but unsteadily.

Novice: Catching waves further out (before they break) and popping up faster but still not riding the face.

Beginner: Catching waves in the line up and riding the face, No moves mastered yet.

I´d go further than that but I just stopped at the stage I´m at, I´d like to think I´m on my way to the next stage though.

I'd think complete novice would be someone who can't yet get enough balance to do the poppup effectively. Novice would be someone who now can get to their feet on a few lucky occassions (less than 50% of poppup chances do they keep their balance) and can ride whitewater into shore or for a while. Emerging Beginner would then be someone who can get to their feet most of the time >50% but only is demonstrating success on small wave riding (under 4 feet) and they haven't learned how to turn yet.

Personally I think once you demonstrate you can catch small waves on greater than 50% of your paddle attempts, get to your feet on an unbroken face and can make a bottom turn and keep balance you officially are "intermediate"...but at the lower tier of that bracket. I think you're still "intermediate" if you can do all of the above but on bigger waves (say 4-8 feet).

In that description I'm somewhere between novice and emerging beginner (depending on having the correct board)? I regressed back to "pathetic/clueless newbie" when I borrowed a 6'2'' 18inch wide shortboard last time out!

[Bub]

Would a longboarder who can get "toes on the nose" several times be considered advanced (as opposed to intermediate)?

I would consider someone who has ridden several times in a tube/pipe to be considered advanced. I guess an intermediate surfer can have that one freak lucky encounter where they got inside of a tube (and tell everyone about that one time for the rest of their life!!!) but the caviat that "several times in the tube" would make them advanced.

Also I think anyone who can ride up the face of a wave and do any sort of aerial manuvuer (whether they land successfully or not) would at least put them at the lower stage of "advanced surfer" transition point. Executing them successfully would definitely make them advanced.

[isaluteyou]

Its also to do with geography. Not everyone are blessed with waves that spew out barrels regularly so someone who has all the talent and makings of an advanced surfer may never get the needed experience in that respect.

Again i would have to say how you rate your surfing abilities must be based on your local break. i.e were you surf most often.

So i agree with the idea that an adcanced surfer could be considered a local charger. Of course this must also translate to any beach however.

Oh and i would like to add a surfing skill level to the growing list.

"SUDO SURFER" definition = someone who walks the walk and talks the talk. But just goes out and floats on their board doing nothing

[northswell]

"SUDO SURFER" definition = someone who walks the walk and talks the talk. But just goes out and floats on their board doing nothing

Also known as "all the gear no idea"