How to Bellyboard - New Riders

Here are some handy tips to help you get the hang of riding your first waves on a bellyboard:

Always bellyboard at a lifeguarded beach, between the red and yellow flags. Be safe!

Ideally you need to be in thigh deep water, this allows you to get a strong push off the bottom.

Push the tail of the board into your hips, while holding the board as close to the nose as possible. You may have to stick your bum out a little! Practice this at home if you need to get used to it :)

Getting a good ride is all about wave selection and timing. It’s important to choose a good, powerful looking wave that will propel you forward with speed.

Try and choose a wave thats recently broken and has power left in it. Wave selection needs to be learnt over time and this comes with experience.

You’ll soon be picking the best waves of the set!

Timing …. as the wave is just behind you (about 1 second before it hits you), you need to jump forward and out onto the water in front of the wave. If timed correctly, the wave will push you along and you’ll be bellyboarding!

Timing is everything! Too early and you’ll sink and the wave will pass over you. Too late and you will miss the wave. This can take a few attempts if you’ve never tried before!

You should hold the nose of the board with your arms stretched out-front of you. Your belly and chest should be on the lower half of the board.

Wave riding is a lot of fun, enjoy the ride, turn around and have another go! Thats Bellyboarding for beginners covered, we’d love to hear how you get on!