Learning To Stand (on a board on a wave aka surfing) in Rincon Puerto Rico

Yesterday i went out twice.  The late morning session (surfer speak which i love, for the period you go out to surf .. duh) was okay.  The sunset session was perfection!  Glassy.  Small.  Peaceful. Beauty.  surfing Maria's beach can sometimes make you feel like you are snorkeling while you are surfing because the water is so clear and there is so much Ocean life (rocks, fish, elkhorn coral, etc.)  But why do i remember seeing elkhorn coral while i was trying to ride that wave?    Because my head was down!  Why did i fall off the board?  Maybe, because my head was down!   This is the beauty i remember seeing.

And i remember falling off every one of the 5 or so waves i caught.  I feel like i have never stood before in my life.   So here is what i should be doing and i will now be concentrating on.  I believe i do it all wrong currently.

(1) Feet facing across the deck of the surfboard(2) Knees bent(3) Hips pushed forward placing more weight on the front leg(4) Arms up, this is your balance, if you feel yourself falling pull your lead arm back to the centre line of the deck and try to stay stable.(5) Head up and looking forward, where you look is where you go

Popping Up - Trying to - Pop up and Surf in Rincon Puerto Rico

i have started to blog this same information on my Rincon Sports Massage | Surfing Rincon Puerto Rico page ... so here i will catch you up on my recent posts all at once - this reads most recent to oldest at the bottom - and you are correct, this isn't me in this wonderful ride at Tres Palmas today Feb 22, 2011, photo by SurfWestPR.com

FEB 22, 2011 This is embarrassing and telling.   I knew paddling was important.  I know everyone yells "digg" and "dale" but i did not realize the significance of the paddle into the wave until someone randomly said to me "you need to paddle to catch up to the speed of the wave".  Shit!!!   I am so crazy (aka dumb) ....... I wondered why people didn't just sit and wait for the wave to break on them to catch it.   Because you can not catch a wave if it simply breaks on you.   You have to get in front of it - match the speed to ride it!!!  Brilliant.   As soon as this swell (picture above) passes thru i look forward to trying this new discovery.  I still am having a blast surfing in Rincon Puerto Rico even doing it completely ass backwards!

FEB 19 2011 - I have more luck doing the Boarding House 'crawl' pop up (mentioned in a previous post).   But, for me, surfing is the smallest of advances.   To say i have more luck with the 'crawl' pop up means i can do the 1st of the many parts of it.  I can get my feet on the board, but i can not balance.  Even when i crawl pop up at home on the yoga mat (with ink markings on the mat to denote where my feet should land) or when i crawl pop up on the board on the bed - i fall over once my feet get to the board.  I actually feel off the board/bed and landed on my ass once!   However!  getting my feet (the soles) on the board is a huge accomplishment for me.   I have been able to catch waves in the Ocean.  If i stay squatted i 'ride' them a bit.   I actually dropped down the face of the wave the other day at Pistones (in between Maria's & Tres Palmas).  But all in all, if the wave is over 2ft i chicken out.  Getting some balls is definitely a surfing hurdle for me on my quest to surf in puerto rico.  

I recommend trying to crawl pop up if you are having trouble popping up.  Again, it was told to me by an experience and big wave surfer.  I need to paddle out into the line up with him and watch him do it.  Because I almost don't believe anymore experienced does a crawl pop up.

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FEB 11 2011 Still Trying

even though i haven't been posting i have most certainly been trying to surf. i am getting lots of encouragement from established surfers. just yesterday a surfer i have never seen before said "i have seen you out here before, you sure are dedicated" ... and then he proceeded to give me some tips. i have found nothing but generous and helpful surfers in the Rincon water. i'm sure if i was out on bigger days i might encounter some "out of the way" yells ... and they would be justified.

so my current situation is i have no issue paddling or catching a wave - my issue is with the popup. looking back on it, most of my instructors must have assumed i knew how to popup because no one took me thru the LAND POPUP EXERCISE you see so many doing.

i have gotten two popup techniques i need a few more times in the water to evaluate - and i imagine both will be helpful and depending on your muscles or lack of both work for different people

1st is from Surf787 and it is the 'arms under/beside shoulders - push chest up - feet on the board - popup with feet under you'

2nd is from The Boarding House and it is the 'arms under/beside shoulders - push chest up AT THE same time bring your back leg (leg leash is on) up to a frog position - using 2 hands and 1 leg/foot as 3 point stabilization on the board - putting the frog leg/foot where ever you feel needed for the size wave - popup with feet under you'

i'll let you know.

Still Trying

even though i haven't been posting i have most certainly been trying to surf.   i am getting lots of encouragement from established surfers.  just yesterday a surfer i have never seen before said "i have seen you out here before, you sure are dedicated" ... and then he proceeded to give me some tips.   i have found nothing but generous and helpful surfers in the Rincon water.   i'm sure if i was out on bigger days i might encounter some "out of the way" yells ... and they would be justified.

so my current situation is i have no issue paddling or catching a wave - my issue is with the popup.  looking back on it, most of my instructors must have assumed i knew how to popup because no one took me thru the LAND POPUP EXERCISE you see so many doing.

i have gotten two popup techniques i need a few more times in the water to evaluate - and i imagine both will be helpful and depending on your muscles or lack of both work for different people
1st is from Surf787 and it is the 'arms under/beside shoulders - push chest up - feet on the board - popup with feet under you'
2nd is from The Boarding House and it is the 'arms under/beside shoulders - push chest up AT THE same time bring your back leg (leg leash is on) up to a frog position - using 2 hands and 1 leg/foot as 3 point stabilization on the board - putting the frog leg/foot where ever you feel needed for the size wave - popup with feet under you'

i'll let you know.

Surfing the inside ....

yesterday at Maria's i decided to stick to the white water ...... inside ... waves that had already broke.  a few experienced surfers have mentioned this way to learn to surf ..... but actually not that many people recommend it.    after doing it three different days .... i WOULD DEFINITELY  recommend giving it a try.

1. excellent work out to build your surfing strength - instead of sitting and waiting for a wave you pretty much keep paddling and trying to catch something
2. you don't have to worry about as many elements ...... when catching a wave before it breaks i believe you have to be in the right position and the wave has to be 'a good one'.  but when you catch the wave after it has crashed you can concentrate on your pop-up and riding only

i had a blast on the inside .... if the waves stay over 3ft i'll probably do it a few more days before giving the lineup a try again.   the only drawback i saw to surfing the inside is saying a quick 'hi' to all your friends as they paddle past you for the lineup!!!  good for keeping the ego 'in check'!!!!

The Surf Beaches of Rincon Puerto Rico I've Gone To

jim does a good job of documenting the Rincon surf spots on his site 
i've been out at Antonio's, Parking Lots, Sandy Beach, Domes, Indicators and Maria's but the only spot i have had limited success at has been Maria's
i remember being in southern california in 2009 and not being able to 'get my feet on the board'.  when i started trying to surf all i wanted was to have the bottom of my feet come close to touching the board when i tried to catch a wave.  i didn't remember that until writing this blog.  2010 has been frustrating because i can't surf the wave ... but i do get my feet onto the board!!  yea!!!


most of the surf beaches in rincon are 'coral breaks' (is that what they call it when there is coral and rocks under the water?, i think so).  anyway .. it adds a whole new dimension of fear for the surfer.  but i have to say it has been the least of my worries.  you need to remember to fall flat, don't dive into the water and don't kick your feet/legs around.  you also need to watch were the local surfers enter and exit the surf.  you can't just go-in/come-out anywhere unless you don't care about cuts and sea urchins.  i had one collision with a rock/coral at domes when i was with shannon.   it was because i fell off the board and kicked my leg. i'm sure even with these no-kicking-diving rules you can get hurt. but adhering to these rules helps.  the clear & warm waters .. plus the sea life you see while surfing makes up for any inconvenience of rocks & coral in my opinion.

Deciding to learn to surf

Although I have always loved the Ocean and Beach i never really thought I could surf.  It was just something other people did.  But oh how I always thought it was so cool!!

Then in 2008, at about 44 years old,  I decided to rent a board from the surf shop down the street from my house in Laguna Beach.  Just to paddle around ... because the water in California is much colder than one might think.  I was missing being in the water due to the water temperature being so cold (50ies or 60ies I guess). So figured i'd just float on top to be close to it, jump off to get wet and then hop back on the board.  I felt like such an fake carrying the board across PCH.   But it was a calm day and it was pretty easy to paddle.   So i bought a cheap board (there are so many in So. Cali) and got used to carrying a board and paddling around on calm days.  A few months later I took a lesson in San Onofe with Jim.  I still felt like a fake, but at least I was comfortable in my fake-ness.   That surf lesson was when I put on my first wetsuit.  Yuckie!!!   The lesson was fine, I think I actually stood up for half a second, but I hate being cold so it wasn't fun.    I bought a wetsuit and tried a few surf days in Santa Monica.  It was okay .. but not what I was wanting out of surfing (now that I had the bug to surf).  The few times I was able to go out in Cali without a wetsuit were wonderful feelings ... being in the water.    In 2009 Jim and I googled "caribbean surfing" ... found Puerto Rico ... and the rest is history .... so nicely documented by Jim at PCH to 413 blogspot.

I have since taken lessons with three different surf instructors in Rincon, Puerto Rico.  I go out with people who know how to surf.  I have watched Shannon go from a beginner surfer to a full surfer girl -- watched her from the water surf across the wave ... so so so cool to see the view from that direction!!  But this blog title tells it all.  I am still learning and have only squatted and quickly fallen off a few waves in Puerto Rico.   But, I have become very comfortable on my board in the water of Rincon (as long as I am not trying to catch a wave).   I will tell you in this blog all the great things I learned from my instructors and surfer friends and hope to tell you how I finally caught my first wave!!!

My surfing challenge is FEAR!!!  I don't like speed.  I don't like fast cars.   I don't like snow sking.  I don't have balls!!!!   So when I took off on a wave and felt the 'elevator drop' I thought oh this can't be right.  Come to find out ... IT IS WHAT SURFERS WANT TO FEEL!!!    Shit.  This is going to take some time!!!   But no better place to learn to conquer my surfing fear then Rincon Puerto Rico!!!