worldwide waves

 There are a few unwritten rules every surfer follows. 1. Never get sand on your board. You might think how is this possible if your at the beach and theres sand everywhere? Well, you never put your board face down on the sand. This will let all the sand attach to your wax and it wont come out. This leaves your board less sticky, gross-lookin, and uncomfortable when paddling out. Once you get home from the beach, put your board on the lawn and give it a quick rinse.  2. Lets say you got sand in your wax. Well, if its. a new wax job and you don't want to fix it, I guess you can let it be.  But, if you don't want sand in your wax, just follow a few simple steps. Once you get home and rinse off your board,  let it sit in the sun for enough time for the wax to soften and melt a bit.  After its soft, if you have a comb or scraper, begin to scrape your wax off in one direction.  If. you don't have a scraper, you can use an old gift card or something similar. Sometimes you will be

     Whether you catch morning waves or winter waves, your going to be really cold out on break with just a swimsuit. Wetsuits are really common. Almost every surfer will be wearing one. Without a wetsuit, your skin can get very irritated from your wax and just your board rubbing against you.      There are so many different types of wetsuits.  Thickness is a very important asset to your. wetsuit. Most common is the 4mm and 2mm. A 4mm wetsuit is very thick and warm, but not very flexible. On the other hand, 2mm is a bit thinner and colder, but much more flexible.       The most common wetsuit is a full suit. This covers everything besides hands, feet, and head. It keeps you very warm. You can wear this in almost any surf condition.     Another type is a full suit with short arms. It is very flexible but does not keep you nearly as warm as a full suit. These often come in 2mm.      The next one is called a long john. These are completely sleeveless, but have legs. These are  generally w

      To be able to surf, you need the essentials; a board, a wave, and you. Sounds pretty simple, right? Well, not quite. If you have ever heard somebody say "hey, did you check surf?," they are asking to make sure the waves are good enough to ride.      So, how do we know if swell is good enough to ride? Usually there are apps with live video to see how big the waves are. You make sure they're big enough for whatever type of board you have. If the waves are on the bigger side with closeouts, it's a short board or fish day. If the waves are slow and just steadily roll in with long rides, it's probably a long board day.     There are 3 main types of waves . Surges, spills, and plungers.     Plungers are the best waves for short boarding. Usually the ride is  fairly long. This is because the water under them is very deep. Once the ocean floor gets shallower, the wave will slowly close out, allowing for barrels.            The next type of wave is a spiller. These w

 Surfboards are all designed differently for different types of surfers and waves. There are four main types of board shapes. The most common where I'm from is the longboard. Almost everybody gets theirs from Becker   The first type is a shortboard. These are usually 5 to 7 feet. They are very easy to turn on if you are good at tricks.  They are very hard to learn on due to the thin rails and sharp nose. But once you learn how to control the board, your mobility to do tricks is great. The second type is a fish. These can range from 5 to around 6 and a half feet. They are similar to shortboards, but they have wider rails and higher volume, making them a lot easier to ride. The next type is a longboard. Longboards are for everyone. They're usually 8 and a half feet or taller. Anybody can ride one of these. Beginners all the way to advanced surfers. Usually you don't need a big wave to ride a longboard. They are for having a very relaxed sesh. The last board is what I call a f

When it comes to the surfing community, there are many different rules that you only hear of. They are not written anywhere and you cannot be sat down and taught these rules. But one rule that topples everything, be respectful.  Respect in surfing can take you along way, but disrespect can take you even further. Back in 2018, my brother and I went to Malaga cove, a local spot around the corner from home. When we got there, everything was fine. The waves were pumping and people were riding.  When we paddled out, there was a lot of commotion in the water. One surfer who nobody had ever seen before was back paddling, cutting surfers off, and dropping in on everybody. We avoided this man and just did our own thing.  Once we paddled back in, we trucked everything of ours back to the truck, and came across tons of police cars and a car with all its windows shattered. It belonged to the man who was disrespecting everybody. The police had seen this before. This happens when you don't respe

Based in Torrance, California, I grew up being at the beach all the time. Summer days consisted of waking up, eating burritos, grabbing our boards, and leaving until the sun set. Out on the waves, I look around and see all my friends, family, and every once in a while, some well known faces.  Alexander Gray is one of the faces everybody notices right away. Our local pro surfer. He is the kindest soul and never hesitates to help a beginner out when they need it.  Normally, Burnout doesn't get waves above 5ft. But when swell comes one every few months, nobody hesitates to paddle out. The lineup is packed and everybody is there to have a good time. One wave in particular. In 2017, Conner Beatty rode some of the best close outs ever . This year in late January, waves next to our local harbor were slamming the break wall, causing crowds of people to stop and watch. But the biggest waves came along all the way back in 2014. Alex Gray, as mentioned earlier, ripped on one of the biggest