Strike while the iron's hot

One of the most challenging and frustrating stages of your surfing development will undoubtedly be learning to catch and ride unbroken waves. Once you've experienced your first drop, (after a lot of board banding!), you'll want to do it again and again and again. It's where the obsession begins.

There are two main challenges that stand between you and your first green wave.

1) Physical

a) You need to be a good paddler - for getting out through the waves and then for generating enough speed to catch them once you're there.

b) Ideally you'll have a good pop up ie straight to your feet. If yours is a bit on the slow side and a bit kneesy, that won't stop you catching an unbroken wave but it will prevent you from getting to your feet at the top of the wave, vital for generating speed and setting up your line. A slow take-off guarantees a ride straight to the beach, a quick one will see you ride across the face.

Developing the physical aspect of surfing is mainly down to time in the water and a lot of progress can be made in the white bubbly stuff. However, if you're not able to get to the beach, lots of swimming will help prepare you.

2) Surfing Conditions

To make your first few attempts at catching waves you need the right conditions. Somewhere in the region of 2 - 3ft is ideal - not too big to be neither scary nor exhausting. But big enough to bring about a hug smile on the drop!

If you live on the beach, 2-3ft will come your way naturally. If you don't however, you're going to need a bit of luck. How many times have you come to the beach on hols to find the surf huge or tiny! It's the inbetweeny that we want. If you want to push on, you need to be smart and strike while the ovens hot! And that's why I urge you to check out this weeks forecast - as forecasts go for 'beginners and improvers' it's perfect. 2ft all week with temperatures reaching 20 degrees!

The long Easter period has spread everyone out, so it's busy, but a nice busy. A calm busy with lots of smiley faces. If you fancy coming down and joining them for a good value break, I'd check out the camp sites. It's definitely BBQ weather.