The Lifeguard (SAMPLE) NOW ON AMAZON

Prologue (EDITED)

~Surfing 101~

As a beginner...

1. Don't learn to surf by yourself.
2. Find an excellent teacher.
3. Find a beginner-friendly surf spot.
4. Always warm up before going into the water.
5. Before going into the water to surf, go through all the moves you plan on doing in the water. Also, check your surfing equipment.
6. Observe the water. Study the waves, and see how and where they break. Also, watch the other surfers and see what they do.
7. Beginners; always use a more oversized surfboard. Soft-top surfboards are also better for beginners.
8. Always use a surf leash.
9. Don't be afraid. Before getting in the water, take some deep breaths, meditate if needed, and center yourself.
10. Once you're in the water. Pace yourself.
11. Start small. Start with the small waves until you feel comfortable hitting the larger waves.
12. Don't surf with the big guys until you've mastered surfing, which means staying away from experienced surfers. You don't want to get in their way or cause trouble.
13. Also, once you get in the water, practice sitting; sitting on a surfboard while in the water isn't the easiest. You can sit on the surfboard with your feet out of the water. Or you can dangle your feet in the water, which offers much more stability. However, you're also a bit more open to the ocean wildlife.
14. Master the probe position—lying on your stomach and paddling.
15. Practice your pop-up. It's like doing push-ups.
16. Keep moving your feet. If you keep moving them, the chances of being stung, bit, or something else happening along those lines lessen.
17. Work on your paddling technique.
18. Learn how to avoid nosediving.
19. Get used to falling.
20. Learn how to wipe out. Which wiping out happens a lot.
21. Don't bend your back. When you're on a wave, bending your knees and not your back is important.
22. Stay perpendicular to the whitewater.
23. Listen to your body. If you're tired, bored, or just not into surfing, always stop, head to shore, and relax. The last thing you want to do is hurt yourself.
24. Lastly. Have fun!

One last note, and it's like how the old saying goes. The best surfers out there are the ones having fun.

***

Don't be a dumbass... our instructor adamantly instructed as he looked at my friends and me with harrowing eyes that said, you better listen, or you won't see another day of light if something terrible happens while surfing.

"Lots of information on your first day. I know. But it's imperative that you listen to everything I have to say regarding your safety while surfing. It'll not only save you a trip to the E. R. but to the mortuary as well."

On top of our instructor telling us not to be a dumbass, our overly sexy, beach blonde surfing instructor adamantly drilled into our minds to be safe and smart. And after he finished telling us the dangers of surfing, he stressed that we have fun while surfing. My ears and eyes drifted away from him to the surfing handbook he handed us.

Surfing was definitely something I never thought I'd ever see myself doing, and as I scanned through the do's and don'ts of surfing, I was beginning to feel a little overwhelmed. It was a lot of information to learn, and to learn how to surf in thirty days was causing my anxiety levels to run high. We were told you could learn to surf in a couple of hours, but since my friends and I are a bit airheads and are known to be klutzy, we decided it would be best for us to take a month-long surfing course before we headed out to the beautiful City of Malibu for the summer.