The wind is right about this way.
Can you hear better now?
We're right on full force of the wind obviously.
We're in very difficult conditions out here.
Wind's an excessive 70 miles an hour here on shore already, and it continues to go.
The storm has now upgraded to a category 2 hurricane with sustained winds of 105 miles per hour.
Now on that ocean right now, we were just down here a little bit ago, that surf is still real high.
I was in a surfboard, I'd go.
They are created from wind and violence, traveling across thousands of miles of open ocean, stopped only by continents and coastlines.
Perfect symmetry, alive in two dimensions.
In a world of concrete and deadlines, a surfer can still seek out the perfect day, with the perfect wave.
In the next half hour, we're taking you on a surfing adventure with three-time US women's surfing champion, Kim Hamrock.
You'll learn everything you need to know about surfing basics, including what to do, what not to do,
and some great techniques that will help you get to your feet and ride your first waves all the way to the beach.
So kick back, relax, and get ready. We're going to find out a little bit more about Kim Hamrock and who she really is.
Okay, and who are we talking to today?
Kim Hamrock, aka Danger Woman.
Cool, and why do they call you Danger Woman?
I don't know.
This is Kim Hamrock, three-time US women's surfing champion and modern American woman. She rips.
Okay, now how long have you been surfing for, Kim?
I've been surfing for 20 years now.
You're at 20 years, and how many years of that 20 years have you been competing?
I just started competing in the past five years.
Really? And have you been finding any success in your competition?
I've found lots of success in my competitions.
Right now I'm the three-time women's US surfing champion, and I'm very proud to be on the US national surfing team.
It's one of my greatest accomplishments.
And I've won the West Coast Championships about five times.
I've pretty much won the overall season of every organization I've ever been in, both longboard and shortboard.
I have a wonderful husband, Marty. We've been married for like 17 years now, and he's got just an incredible surfing style.
We've rode thousands of waves together, and that really helps any relationship.
And we have three beautiful children together, Christopher, who's 14, I have Nina, she's 11, and Margo, who's 7.
And they all love surfing also, and they're going to be the next hot little rippers.
From Japan to France, Venezuela to Chicago, I've taught all sorts of people of all different ages, from all walks of life, how to surf.
And today I'm teaching a special extended surfing lesson just for you.
So if you've always wanted to try and learn how to surf but just didn't know where to start, listen, and I'll teach you some basic techniques that will get you out there and riding your first wave.
Without a doubt, one of the first things you're going to want to get is either a new or used surfboard.
Since surfboard design is such a big subject, we're going to talk to one of the hottest surfboard shapers around, Mike Mitchington.
Mike shapes for the Robert August Surfboard Shop here in Huntington Beach, California.
When it comes to surfboard designs, Mike is something of a living legend.
Every time I get a paycheck, I make another board, just give one away to somebody, you know, and go here, here, here, and so on.
That's how I kind of learn, you know, just by keep making one, and every time you screw up, you go, well, I won't do that next time.
So each time they just get progressively better.
If they really have it in their mind that they want to do a shorter style board, then you can go with like what we call a fun board,
and you can go anywhere from seven foot and larger because they're wider and you can still ride it like a short board, but it's wider and you can catch waves easy.
A bigger board, you know, is better. Not too big, you know, when something is so big it's hard for them to maneuver around.
There's something that's big enough that it's going to give you stability and ease of catching waves, you know.
But the thing about a short board, especially nowadays because the beaches are fairly crowded on occasion, you know,
so you're going to have to compete with a lot of the people that already know how to surf.
So on a shorter board, you know, it's much harder to catch a wave.
And thickness, you know, for flotation.
You don't want something too thin, you know, in the beginning because thinness helps, you know, like in performance wise, for turning and all that,
which I think once they learn, you know, they put a few hours in the water, then they can start going towards that thinner board.
The main thing is to just be able to catch that wave and just ride it, you know, for the length of the wave.
So the length is just going to mainly help you so you can catch it and be able to trim it out and stability too.
So you can actually stand on it without falling because that's the whole thing you want to do when you learn is to be able to catch the waves and ride them.
And the more you're doing that, the faster you're going to master the art of it.
Let me show you the parts of the surfboard. It's really easy.
This is the top or the deck of the surfboard. This is where you're going to wax your surfboard.
This is the nose and this is the tail.
This is the leash plug where you're going to be attaching your leash.
Now the sides of the boards are called the rails.
This is the bottom of the surfboard.
This piece of wood going down the center is called the stringer.
And these are your pins.
Once you've got your hands on a good surfboard, you want to find a leash and some surf wax.
Now most surf shops carry a variety of both and you shouldn't have a problem finding either one of them.
Later on in the show, I'll teach you how to wax your surfboard and put on your leash.
But right now we have one more piece of equipment to go over before we hit the road and go for a surf.
After a good morning of surf, my friend Dave Hetty, the manager of the Coral Reef Wet Seed Shop, is hurrying to open up for another busy day of business.
He's going to give you a few tips on picking out your first wetsuit.
Choosing a new wetsuit is a lot easier than you might think.
In the wintertime you need a full suit and the colder the water, the thicker the suit.
Now in summer months when the water warms up and a full suit is too warm to wear, you usually choose a spring suit.
But remember, when buying a wetsuit like anything else, it's basically a personal choice.
When you put your board on the car, strap it immediately or else your board will fly off the car.
You want to make sure the tail is forward and the fins up.
You want to strap both the front strap and the rear strap.
Once you've got all the equipment you need, it's time to go out for a surf and try everything out.
Remember, finding the right spot will be as important as having the right equipment.
Now here in sunny Southern California we have a lot of different beaches.
Like everywhere else in the world, each beach has waves that are unique to that particular spot.
If you choose a spot that breaks too hard, you might find yourself in a dangerous situation.
Can you imagine trying to paddle out through this?
Many surf spots should really only be surfed once you've reached a certain level of experience.
Let's go over some important information about waves and how they break.
This way you can have as much fun as possible when you're learning how to surf.
Swell direction and tide are major factors for every surf spot.
Some spots break only on particular swells with certain tides.
Like this spot, this place is called the wedge.
This wave is a man-made freak of nature and it only breaks in the summertime on large south swells.
In the winter, this place can be as flat as a lake while other places are going off.
On the other hand, there are other surf spots that break year-round.
Huntington Beach is a great example of a surf spot that's wide open to every swell direction.
It can break on a high tide or a low tide.
Generally, most surf spots break better and further out on a lower tide.
When the tide is higher, the waves usually break closer to shore.
To find out which tide is best for your surf spot, pick up a tide bucket at your local surf shop and keep track of the tides.
This way you'll soon be able to figure out which tide is best for your favorite surf spot.
Sandbars, points, and coral reefs are different types of bottom-cone tours that ultimately determine how a wave will break.
While coral reefs are fairly exclusive to tropical locales, many coastlines have beach breaks and rocky points with quality waves.
Some waves are hollow and break real hard, while others crumble and are easier to deal with.
When you're picking out a spot to learn how to surf, I have several recommendations you should definitely consider.
Seek out the biggest beach you can find with the least amount of people in the water.
This is for a few reasons.
Chances are a large sandy beach has waves breaking over shallow sandbars,
and the sandy bottom is a lot easier to deal with than rocks or a razor-sharp coral reef.
Most rocky points have a large sandy beach as well,
so try to be sure you know what type of bottom contour the waves are breaking over before you head out.
Second, the less people surfing around you, the more waves you'll wind up catching.
It's hard to learn how to surf when you're trying to battle a tough crowd like this just to get a single wave.
Third, although you're looking for an open, uncrowded beach, you should always try to pick out a spot with a lifeguard nearby.
But more important, you should always try to use a buddy system when you're learning how to surf.
That is, whenever you head out into the water with your buddy, you always leave the water with your buddy.
Steps like these will help to make sure that each surf session is safe and fun.
Just remember, the coast is a big place with lots of different places to surf, so take the time to find some room to move.
The next important thing to consider is how the wave's breaking.
Seek out a wave that crumbles and rolls when it breaks.
Don't surf a spot that's hollow and breaks hard.
You should also try to only go out and surf you feel comfortable with.
If you go out and surf like this, you might find yourself in a dangerous situation.
Probably the most important thing you'll be looking for in your own search for the perfect wave is the shape of the wave itself.
Surfers are constantly seeking out waves with good shape.
That is, a wave that gradually peels as it breaks.
Waves that break all at once, or close out as it's called, have no open face for a surfer to ride.
And it's the open face of a wave where all the fun and all the maneuvers are done at.
The better the wave is shaped, the longer you'll be able to ride the wave.
Eventually you'll ride waves like this, with such good shape, your legs will be tired by the time you're done.
Now waves with good shape break either right or left.
This is determined by the direction a wave peels as it rolls toward shore.
If you're riding this way, it's called a left.
If you're riding this way, it's called a right.
Now when a right or left stops peeling and breaks all at once, the only thing that's left is the foam or white water.
And it only rolls straight toward shore.
This is just the beginning.
Take the time, find an easy breaking wave with good shape and a sandy bottom,
and you'll be able to make the most out of every surf session.
But more important, you're going to acquire even more valuable ocean knowledge,
and you'll find yourself discovering wide open, beautiful beaches like this.
Now that we've found some good waves, let me teach you some secrets about basic wave riding techniques
you'll be using from here on out.
Goofy foot or regular foot?
Which way is right and which way is wrong?
One of the coolest things about surfing is there is no right or wrong way to do it.
Your surf stance is a basic part of surfing that has everything to do with what you naturally tend to do.
You can figure this out by deciphering a few clues you'll see other surfers doing.
For instance, when a regular foot takes off on a right, they're riding the wave frontside with their left leg forward.
When a regular foot takes off on a left, they're surfing backside.
When you're a goofy foot like me, you surf with your right leg forward.
When I take off on the left, I'm surfing frontside.
I'm literally facing the wave.
When I'm taking off on a right, I'm surfing the wave with my back to it, and I'm always looking over my shoulder.
So before you can practice this technique, you need to determine which foot is going to be in front.
Now if you skateboard, you may already know this.
If not, simply lay down and pop up to your feet as quick as possible.
Whichever foot comes naturally forward is going to determine goofy foot or regular foot.
Now that you've learned to determine whether your surf stance is regular foot or goofy foot,
it's time for me to show you an easy way to get up to your feet.
This is called my quick stance technique.
Let's start off in the proper position.
Make sure the stringer is going down the center of your body.
You want to have your hands flat on the deck of your surfboard.
Now your back foot should be right on the tail over the stringer.
I want you to know how my back foot is going to stay in the same position.
Now I'm going to break this into three steps, although it should be done in one fluid motion.
Step one, you do a push-up.
Step two, bring your front foot right under your body and place it on the stringer.
Step three, get your hands off the rails and get in your surf stance.
Here's how you can practice the quick stance technique before you paddle out.
Simply draw a line in the sand, lay down, pop up.
Each time you get up, check your stance, making sure that your feet are right on the stringer.
At first, practice the quick stance technique in both directions.
This will help you determine which way your stance is.
Now that you're on your feet, it's important that you get in the proper surf stance.
You want to have your feet just a little bit wider than your shoulders,
your front shoulder facing forward, and you want to make sure that you keep your knees nice and loose and flexible.
Slightly bending in that back knee so that you keep all your weight right over your board.
This is a surf leash, and it's used so that your surfboard doesn't get loose and hit another surfer.
It should be about the same length as your surfboard.
This part attaches to your ankle, and this part attaches to your board.
This string comes with it.
Let me show you how to tie it to your surfboard.
Take the string off the end of the leash, match the two ends, and tie a square knot.
Make sure that you have enough room for your leash to fit back through here.
Then simply stick the string right through the leash plug on the surfboard.
Sometimes you need a little stick or something on the beach to push it through.
Push the knot through, then you have your loop where you can stick the leash right through and Velcro it shut.
When putting your wetsuit on, you want to make sure you have the zipper in the back.
There's a method to putting your wetsuit on.
You want to do one leg at a time, starting with it just going around your ankle, pulling it up to your knee.
Once you get it there, you put the other leg in.
Now make sure it's going in the leg and not the arm.
You pull it back up, grabbing it from the bottom here around your heel so you don't rip it.
Work it up to your knee.
Then from there, you're going to work it up over your thighs, nice and easy, and then over your hips.
Once you've worked it up, you can now go ahead and put your arms in one at a time.
There we go.
Now we want to be sure to zip it up.
Velcro it shut.
You're roasty, toasty, and warm.
If you put your wetsuit on backwards, not only is it going to look funny, but it's going to be uncomfortable and hard to get off.
When I first get down to the beach, I like to watch the waves, and while I'm doing this, I'm stretching.
I stretch for two reasons.
One, to prevent injury, and two, to enhance my performance.
I learned these stretches from a friend of mine, Dr. Nicole Leland, and she's going to show us how to do some specific stretches just for surfing.
By stretching your body before you surf, you greatly reduce the chances of injuring yourself.
Furthermore, you're giving your body a chance to warm up.
Surfing is extremely physical, and your body needs time to warm up.
By stretching out and warming up for a few minutes on the beach, your body's ready for all the cardiovascular activity surfing demands.
Once you've stretched all your major muscle groups, it's time to wax up your surfboard, attach your leash, and go for a surf.
Be sure and wax your surfboard every time before you paddle out.
You want to be sure to cover the whole deck of the surfboard.
You do this to prevent yourself from slipping.
You want to make sure that you're going to do little tiny circles with the wax so you get a good buildup.
When attaching your leash to your ankle, you want to make sure it's on your back foot.
I don't like to trap water in my wetsuit, so I lift it up.
I make sure that the cord is either coming out at my ankle or towards the back, so I don't trip on it when I'm surfing.
And then I simply Velcro it around, roll my wetsuit down, and I am out there.
Obviously, before you can start riding waves in, you have to know how to get your board out.
I'm going to show you several different techniques for getting your surfboard out past the waves.
Look how easy this board glides through the water.
This is how the board should look when you're paddling.
By learning proper paddling techniques, you're using certain balance points both on your body and the surfboard you're riding.
If you're paddling too far forward on the board, the nose of the board will dig into the water.
This is called purling or nose diving.
To avoid this, simply shift your weight back on the board a bit as you paddle.
Now, if you're paddling too far back on the board, you'll wind up pushing water as opposed to gliding across the top like you should.
Generally, you should position your body about two-thirds of the way up on the board.
When you're paddling on a surfboard, you should vertically align the stringer down the center of your body every time you lay down to paddle.
Remember, technique is just as important as strength.
The second part of the paddling equation is your own body.
When you're paddling on a surfboard, you're constantly balancing your body on top of your surfboard.
You do this by distributing your weight evenly across four balance points.
Your hip bones distribute your lower body weight, while the middle part of your rib cage distributes the upper body weight.
You can easily shift these four points of balance at any time to properly align yourself on top of your surfboard.
I want to make sure that my feet are close together, my back is arched, and my head is held up.
Now, once you get a few surf sessions under your belt, you'll find that aligning yourself with the stringer and your four points of balance will become second nature.
The last part of learning proper paddling technique is the paddling stroke.
This is important because the better you can paddle, the more waves you'll get.
Now, when you're paddling, you should cup your hand, reaching forward one arm at a time, following right alongside the rails of your surfboard, while reaching deeply and following through with every stroke.
You don't want your strokes to be going off to the side, or you won't be maximizing the power you're putting into your paddling.
By following these three simple guidelines, body alignment, four points of balance, and deep paddling strokes, you'll find yourself able to put power into all your paddling.
Now that you know how to paddle, it's time to show you some other techniques that will get you out through the impact zone and into the lineup.
The impact zone is where the waves are breaking the hardest, and the lineup is where the surfers position themselves to take off on the wave.
Lots of times, waves will break right in front of you and turn into white water as you're trying to paddle back out.
When that happens, you're caught inside. What do you do?
Well, you have a couple of choices. The first thing to remember is try and never let go of your surfboard.
Not only could the board snap back and hurt you, but it could nail someone else if you're not careful.
The next thing that you should keep in mind is whether or not you want to go over the white water or underneath the white water.
If you decide to go over the top of the white water, there are a couple of things you need to consider.
Can you stand on the bottom? If it's shallow enough, you can stand up, grab your surfboard by the rail, and lunge over the top just before the white water hits you.
Many times, when you're surfing over a sandbar, you can stand up and do this a lot.
Just be careful where you're stepping and be sure the water is shallow enough for you to do this.
If you're surfing over rocks or coral, then be extremely cautious. You can cut your feet to shreds doing this.
You can also do a little push-up technique where you grab the rails of your surfboard and you lift your body up to let the white water pass between you and your board.
Hang on tight and be sure the white water isn't too big to get over. If it is, you should choose your second option, going underneath the white water.
Going underneath the white water is called duck diving or turtle turning. It really depends on the type of surfboard you're riding.
If you're riding a shortboard, then you're going to be duck diving to get underneath the white water.
Paddle straight and hard towards the white water. In one movement, take a deep breath and try to push the nose of your surfboard as far under the water as you can.
Then, hold on as tight as you can and arch your back.
When it comes to riding a longboard, you use different techniques to get through white water.
If the white water is too big to go over, then you need to turtle turn to get underneath it.
The faster you paddle, the easier the white water will go over you.
Now just before the white water hits you, you're going to grab both rails of the longboard, then turn the board upside down with your body directly underneath it while pushing the board forward.
Then roll over as you come back up to the surface. Be sure to be upside down though before you go under the white water.
Another thing you need to learn is how to turn your surfboard around quickly and paddle for a wave.
To do this, start by sitting as far back on the tail as possible.
Kick your feet in small circles as you grab the rail with one hand and use the other to help paddle you around.
Then lay down and take a few strokes. This will teach you how to pivot your board around and get your balance right away, one of the keys to getting into waves.
Which brings us to the next part of our surfing lesson, falling.
Expect to fall, don't give up, get up and try again.
This is really important because this is where most surfers get hurt.
The most important thing when falling is to try and fall away from your surfboard.
So before you pop back above the water, keep your hands over your head and slowly come back up.
By staying down an extra few seconds, you give your board a chance to settle down before you pop back up above the surface.
When you're just starting out, you should try and surf away from crowds as much as possible.
By surfing uncrowded waves, you just get more waves yourself with the least amount of frustration.
Many times you can make it around a surfer by paddling for the shoulder of the wave.
Just use good judgment and paddle hard away from a surfer riding a wave toward you.
If you can't make it around them, play it safe, push underneath the white water and hold on tight.
Now when it comes to surfing in a crowd, surfers claim waves by taking off deeper or further back in the peak than anyone else.
Whoever has the best positioning and strongest paddling ability claims the wave.
Now maybe someone else is paddling for the same wave as you are.
Don't take off in front of them or drop in on their wave.
If someone else is on a wave, just pull out. There's plenty of waves to go around.
Which brings us to the final part of our lesson, catching waves.
In the beginning, I recommend starting out just catching the white water.
This will help you to practice timing, balance and the quick stance technique.
At first, think quantity, not quality.
The more waves you can get, the more you can practice these techniques and the sooner they'll become second nature.
Whenever you feel comfortable with these techniques, paddle outside of the line up where you can ride an open faced wave.
It's time to put the quick stance technique to good use.
Catching an open faced wave is all about positioning, timing and your paddling ability.
Once you see a wave that looks good to you, start paddling for it.
Position yourself as close to the peak of the wave that you're comfortable with.
So it's essential that you paddle hard enough to match that wave speed.
You want to be able to pop right up in one smooth movement.
This is where the quick stance technique has already taught you how to do this.
Once you've gotten both feet on the board, keep your center of gravity low and stay with the wave.
Don't adjust your weight too much to your back leg or you'll stall right off the back of the wave.
You can control your center of gravity by bending your knees and keeping your weight centered over your hips and the stringer of your surfboard.
The more you practice this, the more instinctual these techniques will be when you're out catching waves.
Surfing is an incredible sport.
By practicing a combination of the quick stance technique, proper paddling and riding the right waves,
you'll find yourself well on your way to discovering an exciting new world.
If a dog can do it, so can you.
For me, surfing has been a lifelong adventure from the day I began.
My search for the perfect wave has taken me to beautiful beaches all around the world.
But more importantly, it's been the great friends I've made along the way.
I hope this lesson starts you on your own surfing adventure.
And you're just as stoked 20 years from now as the day you began.
I know I am.
Until the next adventure, aloha.
See you next time.