Surfing is learned in stages: whitewater first, then the pop-up, then green waves. These guides are written for UK beaches, so the technique carries over but the spots, flags and local rules do not.
Safety, stance, the pop-up and reading the waves, for your first sessions.
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Pop-up, trim, bottom turn and cutback, step by step.
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Beach break, reef or point: how to tell them apart and pick a break that suits your level.
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Fetch, duration, wind swell and groundswell, from the open ocean to the break.
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Spring tides, neap tides and why a break can switch on and off through the day.
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How flags and surf zones work on US beaches, and why they change from one town to the next. Jump to the section below.
Read the basics arrow_forwardBoard volume and wetsuit thickness are the two sizing questions a new surfer asks first. The gear guide is a research-based buying guide, not a hands-on test.
Enter your weight and level to get a board volume range instead of guessing from board length. This is the shared Matosurf tool, so its page is in the UK edition.
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Match wetsuit thickness to your water temperature, in degrees Fahrenheit.
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Boards, leashes, wax and wetsuits matched to your level. Written for UK waters: check the wetsuit advice against your own water temperature.
Read the guide arrow_forwardThere is no single US surf rulebook. Each destination guide covers the swell, the access and the rules we could find for that coast.
Virginia Beach's own surf-zone ordinance, Sandbridge's separate hours and First Landing State Park's flat bay water.
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Ocean City's rotating surf beaches and their hours, plus Assateague Island.
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Rockaway, Long Beach, Montauk, Sandy Hook and the Jersey Shore: swell windows and who governs which beach.
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Cape Cod, Nantucket Sound and the North Shore: water temperatures, access rules and great white guidance.
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Folly Beach's own city ordinance and Myrtle Beach's five surf zones.
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Rincón, Aguadilla and Isabela: the measured winter season and the summer flat spell.
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Yakutat, Sitka and Kodiak's Gulf of Alaska breaks, with NOAA swell and water temperature data.
Read the guide arrow_forwardMavericks and San Diego among the spots covered, alongside the Delta and San Francisco Bay wind spots, with the local rules.
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Hampton Beach's designated surfing zone and Rye's beach ordinance.
Read the guide arrow_forwardLake surf has no tide. See our guides for Ohio’s Lake Erie shore and Michigan’s Lake Michigan coast, or browse all US destinations.
Beaches are run by cities, counties, states and the National Park Service, and each sets its own surf rules. Check the rules for the exact beach before you paddle out.
Source for the flag meanings: the USLA beach warning flags page. The place rules above come from the destination guides, which cite their own sources.
How we handle prices and shipping on the US site is explained on one page.
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Hero photo: Chief Photographer’s Mate Johnny Bivera / U.S. Navy on Wikimedia Commons, public domain.