A Beginner’s Guide – what can you expect as a beginner surfer?

Surfing looks easy—but how does it feel as a beginner?

You may be familiar with surfing from movies, Instagram, or your last vacation, when you watched enviously from the beach. Everyone seems to stand up effortlessly, glide casually toward the shore, grin at the camera—and you wonder:

“How hard can it be? I’m reasonably athletic…”

The honest answer: surfing isn’t difficult because you’re “too unathletic” – it’s because it’s a complex sport that challenges your body, mind, and the sea all at once. And that’s exactly where a good beginner surfing course comes in.

In this guide, we take you, as a beginner surfer, through your first day of surfing at the FreshSurf surf camp on Fuerteventura: from getting to know each other at Cotillo Beach, to softboards (yes, the “giant boards” are intentional), to understanding currents, wind, and waves.

You will learn:

• What you can expect from the beginner surfing course at FreshSurf

• Why you should start with a softboard as a beginner surfer

• What your surfing lesson with us looks like and

• What basics you really need to be able to continue practicing on your own later on

What you can expect as a beginner surfer at FreshSurf

You arrive at the surf camp as a beginner—perhaps alone, perhaps with your partner, girlfriend, or crew. At FreshSurf, that’s exactly what we’re here for: teaching surfing in small groups, with lots of patience, humor, and honest feedback.

In our surfing course for beginners on Fuerteventura, you will learn:

• the basics of safety at sea

• how to handle a softboard

• how to paddle correctly and stand up (take-off)

• how to surf the first white water waves

• how you assess wind, waves, and currents

The course is structured so that after a few days you will have mastered the basics and can continue practicing on your own—whether at our surf camp or elsewhere in the world.

Why you should start on a “giant” softboard as a beginner surfer

Have you seen pictures of pros riding super narrow, short boards?
If you go into the water with it as a beginner surfer, frustration is practically inevitable.

A good beginner board is long, wide, and has a lot of volume!

Why?
Because it gives you stability, more buoyancy, and thus significantly more waves—and that’s exactly what you need at the beginning: lots of repetitions, lots of attempts, lots of moments of success.

Your first day of surfing with us – step by step

To help you get a better idea of what to expect, let’s go through your first day of surfing lessons at Cotillo Beach together.

Arrival and getting acquainted

• The meeting point is the surf shop in El Cotillo.
• You will get to know your surf instructors and your group.
• We will review your level, experience, and preferences for the week together.

It is important to us that you feel safe, seen, and not “left behind.”

Material check

You get:

• Wetsuit in the right size
• Softboard that suits your height, weight, and skill level
• Leash and any other safety information

Your coach explains directly to you:

• How to carry your board and leash correctly
• how you enter the water with your board
• what you shouldn’t do (e.g., throwing your board)

Warm-up & theory on the beach

Before you go into the water, there is:

• A short warm-up (joints, shoulders, core—no boot camp hell)
• an introduction to safety and rules of conduct
• first theory:
  • Wie entsteht eine Welle?
  • What ist white water?
  • How do you position yourself correctly on the board?

Here you can practice your take-off on the sand—that is, the sequence of movements from lying down to standing up.

First waves in white water

Then it’s time to get in the water—the white water, not the big green waves just yet.

You learn:

• to orient yourself in the sea
• to control your board iin the white water
• approaching the first waves while lying down
• standing in the white water for the first take-offs

Every beginning is difficult—even as a beginner surfer

Yes, you will fall down often.
No, that doesn’t mean you’re “bad.”

Every wave is feedback—and your coach is by your side the whole time, giving personalized tips and correcting small details that make a big difference.

Understanding the sea: currents, wind, and wave forms

For many beginner surfers, the ocean is a completely new environment at first. It seems magical and a little intimidating at the same time.

That’s why we teach you to “read” the sea at an early stage.

Currents (lateral currents & undercurrents)

You learn:

• how to recognize currents from the beach
• how you can use them to your advantage (e.g., as a “lift” toward the line-up)
• how you behave when you get caught in a strong current

This knowledge is one of the most important building blocks for being able to safely go into the water later on without a surf instructor.

For beginners, slightly onshore conditions can even be advantageous because the waves are softer and more forgiving—perfect for gaining your first experiences in the white water in a relaxed manner.

Before each session, we review the conditions together—this way, you’ll learn to understand swell, wind, and tides along the way.

FAQ for beginner surfers – the most common questions before the first lesson

Your first day of surfing is just the beginning

Learning to surf as a beginner means:

• you learn to understand a completely new element
• You train your body in a natural, functional way.
• you face fears that you may have been carrying around with you for a long time
• You collect moments of success that have an impact far beyond your vacation.

At FreshSurf Surf Camp on Fuerteventura, we guide you through this process with professional coaches, clear teaching methods, and an atmosphere where you can be yourself.