By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Hayden_Rhodes]Hayden Rhodes
Lots of touring surfers are often injured and many surfers in general suffer from back, shoulder and knee pain. If this wasn't bad enough the new school surfing crew are pushing surfing dynamics that will only increase the likelihood of compression, rotational and impact injuries.
New school surfers are changing the elements of surfing that ultimately means surfers at all levels aspire to pull off big moves and launch themselves while twisting and turning their bodies like a gymnast or half pipe snowboard rider. These types of moves are far more challenging and stressful on the nervous system, joints, connective tissue and the human body. It will be the surfers who incorporate surfing workouts and specific surfing exercises into their lifestyles that will do much better when it comes to long-term surfing performance and competition.
Jordy Smith is over coming rib injuries, Jeremy Florence has to deal with ankle problems, Mick Fanning has over come torn muscles and scoliosis, Tom Carroll has had serious fin cuts. As more surfers are projecting themselves into critical sections of waves looking to land the ultimate aerial maneuver a higher number of surfing injuries will occur. If you wish to surf well it is wise to prepare for injuries because they happen to the best of the best.
I believe the scene has gone full circle. Years ago every surfer was a cruiser, just happy to be in the water and flow. While this is still an important element of surfing today, the scene has dramatically changed. Back in the day surfers found pools and slopes to skate to maintain a sense of surfing and keep their bodies active during flat spells. This was their surfing exercise. Yet as the level of surfing became faster and more dynamic an elite few knew that surfing training was the best way to prevent injuries, surf better and surf for longer.
Shaun Thompson way back in the 70′s knew that surfers are athletes and as time has gone on surfers like Tom Carroll, Barton Lynch, Layne Beachley, Mick Fanning and Kelly Slater have proved that surfing, like golf, requires fitness, core strength, full body power, flexibility training and sport specific surfing workouts to overcome injuries and stay on top of their surfing performance. They knew that working on their bodies out of the water was key to performing better in the water. They knew that body weight training, connective tissue training, elements of yoga and elements of speed, agility and strength training all had a place in preparing the body for surfing.
Surfing has slowly been recognized as a demanding sport rather than the outdated belief it is an easy non-physical past time. Surfers themselves are beginning to realize they must condition themselves like any other athlete. They are starting to understand there are important surfing training elements that can be trained out of the water that dramatically improve surfing performance and reduce the likelihood of athletic injuries.
Put simply, surfing is a physically demanding sport that puts the rider into dangerous situations involving radical positioning and maneuvers. The rotational torque on joints and muscles combined with bigger impacts landing on flat sections, boosting higher off meaty lips and racing with more speed through hollow sections means the entire body is constantly tested athletically. By incorporating surfing workouts into your life, a stronger, more flexible and fit body will be the result. Surfing workouts and specific surfing exercises ensure you will be able to consistently pull off dynamic maneuvers without busting up your body or leaving you injured and watching from the beach.
Hayden Rhodes has coached professional and amateur athletes improve their performance through scientific personal training, hormonal testing, nutritional coaching and performance principles.
If your a professional surfer or just getting started and want to improve as a surfing athlete then please visit http://SurfTrainingSecrets.com. Do you want to improve as a surfer?
For a free 5 day coaching guide on boosting your surfing performance please visit http://SurfTrainingSecrets.com
Thank You I look forward to your questions and comments.
Keep Training and Keep Surfing
Hayden Rhodes
Thank You
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-Prevent-Surfing-Injuries-With-Surfing-Workouts&id=6648988] How to Prevent Surfing Injuries With Surfing Workouts
Monday, October 31, 2011
Saturday, October 29, 2011
How To Surf For The First Time
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=George_C_Taylor]George C Taylor
Learning how to surf could easily be considered one of life's truly special gifts. Surfing is a skill unlike any other athletic endeavor. You don't need a partner, it doesn't require a team, you can paddle out by yourself, or you can paddle out with friends. It really doesn't matter. If the surf is good, there's really nothing else like it.
It takes years to become a good surfer, but it's so much fun that no one cares. In most sports, if you happen to be naturally gifted with athleticism it's very easy to become a stand-out or a valuable asset to your team. An above average athlete can pick up baseball, or basketball fairly quickly... at least to a level where they would be considered valuable and competitive. With surfing however, it doesn't quite work that way.
The good news in all of this is that if you're serious about wanting to learn how to stand up and ride a wave on your first day, it's not that difficult to accomplish. I encourage you to continue reading this very logical, proven step by step approach. By following these guidelines you will be able to shorten the learning curve allowing you to catch a wave and stand up on your surfboard on your first day. Not the open face mind you, but the whitewater after the wave has broken. Learn to ride the white water first. Have some fun riding it all the way to the beach and think about catching the open face of the wave later.
Step 1: Surfboard Selection
If you really want to stand up and ride a wave for any length of time you've got to have the right surfboard. The best choice is a longboard at least 9 feet long and preferably longer. We are not looking for high performance here, we're looking to learn the basics and once you've got that down you can go shorter as you progress.
I've seen so many kids and at times even adults buy a shortboard and never get to their feet. It's too small to float them, it's too small to catch waves easily, and they give up because it's too hard and they're not having any fun. The learning curve is dramatically increased when you try paddling out on a shortboard for your first time. Make sure you rent, buy or borrow a big, thick longboard when you get started.
Step 2: Location
Waikiki is the ultimate beginners surf spot. The waves are slow, rolling and very forgiving. San Onofre in California is also a great beginners wave and is very popular with longboarders. The key take away from this is really quite simple... for your first day you need a wave that has a slower, weaker break with enough whitewater to allow you the time to get to your feet and stand up. Powerful, thick hollow surf is not where you want to be. It will be impossible for you to have fun and get to your feet. These mellower breaks are everywhere... if you don't know where then ask a local surf shop for some guidance.
Step 3: The Beach Start
Now that you've got your longboard, and you're on the beach at a nice, slow, mellow surf break, it's time to familiarize yourself with a few fundamentals. Before going in the water, place your board on the beach, in soft sand, and lay on the deck of the board as if you are floating around, laying on your stomach and about to paddle.
Some instructors will spend quite a bit of time having new students practice their paddling technique and jumping to their feet on dry land. What I want you to do is to lay on the board with your feet either touching or very close to the tail of the surfboard. Use this as a reference point for where you want to be when you are laying on your board and paddling in the water. Once you've done this, it's time to head for the water, where you will learn to sit upright, paddle around and then bellyboard for your first few waves.
Step 4: Paddling and Sitting on Your Board
Once you are in the water you'll need to lay down on the board and practice paddling it around. You don't want to go out very far, just spend about 15 minutes paddling and sitting on your board without falling over. It's not that difficult, especially if you're on a longboard as we talked about in step one.
The only cautionary advice you need to listen to is on the topic of pearling. Pearling is when the nose of your surfboard goes underwater, submarines on you and eventually throws you over the front of the board, sometimes launching like a rocket behind you up into the air.
I'm sure you'll pearl a few times. Probably a lot... everyone does. Just be sure to protect your head and face if you are thrown forward and you don't know where your board is. To avoid pearling you simply need to position yourself more towards the tail of your board. It's not rocket science, just practice your paddling and adjust accordingly.
Step 5: Belly-Boarding in The Whitewater
As you feel comfortable sitting on your surfboard in the water, and you can paddle your surfboard without falling off, it's time to catch a wave. Well, sort of... actually you'll be catching the whitewater of a wave. The whitewater is moving water. It is the aftermath of a swell that has already reached its peak height, it has crested and broken, resulting in a soupy, frothy mass of energy that is racing towards the beach.
The whitewater is very easy to catch and ride when compared to the open face of a wave, and this is where we will start. Position yourself between the breaking part of the wave and the beach so that you are in the midst of whitewater rolling towards the shore. Once you are in this sweet spot, I want you to catch the whitewater, by paddling as hard as you can towards the beach until you feel the speed and the power of the wave taking over. Stay on your stomach while riding the wave and just bellyboard it all the way to the beach or as far as it will take you.
Repeat this and bellyboard at least 5 different waves towards the beach. Become skilled at just catching the whitewater and learning to keep the nose of your board from pearling. Try angling to the left and to the right while bellyboarding to the beach. Once you can do this, it's time to go to the next step.
Step6: Kneeboarding in The Whitewater
Maybe you were only on your stomach, but I'll bet you are grinning from ear to ear. This is fun isn't it? And if you have come this far, you are almost there, so let's stick with the process. Baby steps right? Now that you have become proficient at the art of bellyboarding, you should be feeling much more comfortable with what it feels like to have a wave propelling you forward.
You've probably pearled a few times, you've made those adjustments, and you can now paddle back out, turn around and catch a wave. Trust me, that's impressive and you are on your way. But before we actually stand up, the next step towards becoming a real surfer is to do exactly what you did on your stomach, but this time you'll be riding the wave on your knees.
It's called kneeboarding and it requires a little more skill then the bellyboarding method, yet is a bit easier than standing up. Catch the wave (whitewater) just as you did before but this time jump quickly to your knees with your hands on the board for support and ride it all the way in. Repeat this four or five times until the motion from lying prone to your knees is quick and comfortable. After you have successfully kneeboarded several waves, it's time to move to our final step.
Step 7: Getting To Your Feet, The Pop-Up
The transition of getting from the face down, prone position to your feet is where so many new surfers struggle when they are just beginning. Any hesitation or slow, deliberate attempts at this motion result in an awkward loss of balance almost every single time.
Much like getting up on water skis, the actionable task of going from sitting in the water behind the boat, to getting up on our feet, is where most of the problems occur. Just like water skiing, or riding a bike for that matter, once you are up and moving it's not that hard.
With that in mind, it's important that you learn the art of the pop-up and implement that into this final step. The way to accomplish this is to put all your focus into jumping up as quickly as possible from your stomach to a stand-up position on your feet after you have caught the whitewater. Don't worry if you fall 10 times in a row.
The goal is to pop-up in one very quick motion from belly to feet, because once you are on your feet, trust me... surfing this wave all the way to the beach will be surprisingly easy. Just like riding a bike, after you've done it once, there's a certain feel that then becomes part of a subconscious skill set from which you can build upon.
Some Things To Remember and a Final Warning
Learning to surf is no different than learning anything else in life. If you know and understand the fundamental basics first, there's a logical progression that ultimately shortens the time it takes to learn that skill. Watching new surfers with super short boards, trying to paddle around and into the breaking waves take months to sometimes do what you can do in one day by following these simple steps.
However, I would be remiss and almost deceptive if I did not first warn you of the potentially life changing effect surfing may very well have on you once you have ridden your first wave. For some of us, the feeling from that first day in the water created a complete change in the way we looked at priorities and life's choices. I'm not suggesting that it's bad, it's just different. Surfing really is that much fun!
George C Taylor is an author and technical writer who has been surfing for over 40 years. He currently resides in Southeast Asia with his wife, where he writes for internet marketers and web masters all over the the world.
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?How-To-Surf-For-The-First-Time&id=6629041] How To Surf For The First Time
Learning how to surf could easily be considered one of life's truly special gifts. Surfing is a skill unlike any other athletic endeavor. You don't need a partner, it doesn't require a team, you can paddle out by yourself, or you can paddle out with friends. It really doesn't matter. If the surf is good, there's really nothing else like it.
It takes years to become a good surfer, but it's so much fun that no one cares. In most sports, if you happen to be naturally gifted with athleticism it's very easy to become a stand-out or a valuable asset to your team. An above average athlete can pick up baseball, or basketball fairly quickly... at least to a level where they would be considered valuable and competitive. With surfing however, it doesn't quite work that way.
The good news in all of this is that if you're serious about wanting to learn how to stand up and ride a wave on your first day, it's not that difficult to accomplish. I encourage you to continue reading this very logical, proven step by step approach. By following these guidelines you will be able to shorten the learning curve allowing you to catch a wave and stand up on your surfboard on your first day. Not the open face mind you, but the whitewater after the wave has broken. Learn to ride the white water first. Have some fun riding it all the way to the beach and think about catching the open face of the wave later.
Step 1: Surfboard Selection
If you really want to stand up and ride a wave for any length of time you've got to have the right surfboard. The best choice is a longboard at least 9 feet long and preferably longer. We are not looking for high performance here, we're looking to learn the basics and once you've got that down you can go shorter as you progress.
I've seen so many kids and at times even adults buy a shortboard and never get to their feet. It's too small to float them, it's too small to catch waves easily, and they give up because it's too hard and they're not having any fun. The learning curve is dramatically increased when you try paddling out on a shortboard for your first time. Make sure you rent, buy or borrow a big, thick longboard when you get started.
Step 2: Location
Waikiki is the ultimate beginners surf spot. The waves are slow, rolling and very forgiving. San Onofre in California is also a great beginners wave and is very popular with longboarders. The key take away from this is really quite simple... for your first day you need a wave that has a slower, weaker break with enough whitewater to allow you the time to get to your feet and stand up. Powerful, thick hollow surf is not where you want to be. It will be impossible for you to have fun and get to your feet. These mellower breaks are everywhere... if you don't know where then ask a local surf shop for some guidance.
Step 3: The Beach Start
Now that you've got your longboard, and you're on the beach at a nice, slow, mellow surf break, it's time to familiarize yourself with a few fundamentals. Before going in the water, place your board on the beach, in soft sand, and lay on the deck of the board as if you are floating around, laying on your stomach and about to paddle.
Some instructors will spend quite a bit of time having new students practice their paddling technique and jumping to their feet on dry land. What I want you to do is to lay on the board with your feet either touching or very close to the tail of the surfboard. Use this as a reference point for where you want to be when you are laying on your board and paddling in the water. Once you've done this, it's time to head for the water, where you will learn to sit upright, paddle around and then bellyboard for your first few waves.
Step 4: Paddling and Sitting on Your Board
Once you are in the water you'll need to lay down on the board and practice paddling it around. You don't want to go out very far, just spend about 15 minutes paddling and sitting on your board without falling over. It's not that difficult, especially if you're on a longboard as we talked about in step one.
The only cautionary advice you need to listen to is on the topic of pearling. Pearling is when the nose of your surfboard goes underwater, submarines on you and eventually throws you over the front of the board, sometimes launching like a rocket behind you up into the air.
I'm sure you'll pearl a few times. Probably a lot... everyone does. Just be sure to protect your head and face if you are thrown forward and you don't know where your board is. To avoid pearling you simply need to position yourself more towards the tail of your board. It's not rocket science, just practice your paddling and adjust accordingly.
Step 5: Belly-Boarding in The Whitewater
As you feel comfortable sitting on your surfboard in the water, and you can paddle your surfboard without falling off, it's time to catch a wave. Well, sort of... actually you'll be catching the whitewater of a wave. The whitewater is moving water. It is the aftermath of a swell that has already reached its peak height, it has crested and broken, resulting in a soupy, frothy mass of energy that is racing towards the beach.
The whitewater is very easy to catch and ride when compared to the open face of a wave, and this is where we will start. Position yourself between the breaking part of the wave and the beach so that you are in the midst of whitewater rolling towards the shore. Once you are in this sweet spot, I want you to catch the whitewater, by paddling as hard as you can towards the beach until you feel the speed and the power of the wave taking over. Stay on your stomach while riding the wave and just bellyboard it all the way to the beach or as far as it will take you.
Repeat this and bellyboard at least 5 different waves towards the beach. Become skilled at just catching the whitewater and learning to keep the nose of your board from pearling. Try angling to the left and to the right while bellyboarding to the beach. Once you can do this, it's time to go to the next step.
Step6: Kneeboarding in The Whitewater
Maybe you were only on your stomach, but I'll bet you are grinning from ear to ear. This is fun isn't it? And if you have come this far, you are almost there, so let's stick with the process. Baby steps right? Now that you have become proficient at the art of bellyboarding, you should be feeling much more comfortable with what it feels like to have a wave propelling you forward.
You've probably pearled a few times, you've made those adjustments, and you can now paddle back out, turn around and catch a wave. Trust me, that's impressive and you are on your way. But before we actually stand up, the next step towards becoming a real surfer is to do exactly what you did on your stomach, but this time you'll be riding the wave on your knees.
It's called kneeboarding and it requires a little more skill then the bellyboarding method, yet is a bit easier than standing up. Catch the wave (whitewater) just as you did before but this time jump quickly to your knees with your hands on the board for support and ride it all the way in. Repeat this four or five times until the motion from lying prone to your knees is quick and comfortable. After you have successfully kneeboarded several waves, it's time to move to our final step.
Step 7: Getting To Your Feet, The Pop-Up
The transition of getting from the face down, prone position to your feet is where so many new surfers struggle when they are just beginning. Any hesitation or slow, deliberate attempts at this motion result in an awkward loss of balance almost every single time.
Much like getting up on water skis, the actionable task of going from sitting in the water behind the boat, to getting up on our feet, is where most of the problems occur. Just like water skiing, or riding a bike for that matter, once you are up and moving it's not that hard.
With that in mind, it's important that you learn the art of the pop-up and implement that into this final step. The way to accomplish this is to put all your focus into jumping up as quickly as possible from your stomach to a stand-up position on your feet after you have caught the whitewater. Don't worry if you fall 10 times in a row.
The goal is to pop-up in one very quick motion from belly to feet, because once you are on your feet, trust me... surfing this wave all the way to the beach will be surprisingly easy. Just like riding a bike, after you've done it once, there's a certain feel that then becomes part of a subconscious skill set from which you can build upon.
Some Things To Remember and a Final Warning
Learning to surf is no different than learning anything else in life. If you know and understand the fundamental basics first, there's a logical progression that ultimately shortens the time it takes to learn that skill. Watching new surfers with super short boards, trying to paddle around and into the breaking waves take months to sometimes do what you can do in one day by following these simple steps.
However, I would be remiss and almost deceptive if I did not first warn you of the potentially life changing effect surfing may very well have on you once you have ridden your first wave. For some of us, the feeling from that first day in the water created a complete change in the way we looked at priorities and life's choices. I'm not suggesting that it's bad, it's just different. Surfing really is that much fun!
George C Taylor is an author and technical writer who has been surfing for over 40 years. He currently resides in Southeast Asia with his wife, where he writes for internet marketers and web masters all over the the world.
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?How-To-Surf-For-The-First-Time&id=6629041] How To Surf For The First Time
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Why Do We Surf?
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Tom_L_Nixon]Tom L Nixon
Whether you are an experienced surfer or just learning how, it's really important to take a step back and realize why we surf and learn what surfing truly is all about. If we don't know why we surf, we'll never be able to teach others.
First off, surfing is a sport, just like soccer and football. It's an athletic (and competitive) activity that takes a lot of practice and physical conditioning to be successful at it. There are surf contests all over the world where professional surfs compete against one another for both a prize purse as well as world ranking status. But that's just one layer of it.
Surfing is a lifestyle. It carries with it a style of dress, a global dialect, and a simplistic view of life's realities. Surfer's have a constant pursuit to find the best waves out there, almost making their intense dedication seem religious.
Surfers are no longer stereotyped for being druggies or hippies as they once were portrayed. You are more likely to find older adults who surf at a church service on Sunday morning than out at a bar on a Saturday night.
Surfing is also an art form. It doesn't matter if you ride a short board and do aerials off the lip of the wave or you hang ten on the nose of a long board, there is an art to riding a wave. They say the ocean is the canvas and we (surfers) are the brush that creates the art.
The surfing industry has exploded into a multi-million dollar industry that churns out everything from surf boards, clothing and accessories, to major motion pictures and exotic travel packages. It's mind boggling just how far surfing has come just in the past few decades.
Surfers are getting younger. There are now surf camps all over the world that cater to young kids who want to learn how to catch waves.
Does any of this really matter? Not really. Surfing is not about being competitive, living a certain way, or making money. It's about you, your surf board, and the ocean. Surfing's essence is found in that very first time you stand up on your board. It's that feeling of energy. I call it a rush. Surfing takes you places and let's you meet new people. Surfer's all have one thing in common, they just want to surf. Plain and simple. Life is better when you surf. I can't imagine life without it.
Now, are you ready? Let's go surfing!
If you are interested in learning how to surf, please check out Teach Me How To Surf at [http://www.teachmehowtosurf.com]http://www.teachmehowtosurf.com.
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Why-Do-We-Surf?&id=6436801] Why Do We Surf?
Whether you are an experienced surfer or just learning how, it's really important to take a step back and realize why we surf and learn what surfing truly is all about. If we don't know why we surf, we'll never be able to teach others.
First off, surfing is a sport, just like soccer and football. It's an athletic (and competitive) activity that takes a lot of practice and physical conditioning to be successful at it. There are surf contests all over the world where professional surfs compete against one another for both a prize purse as well as world ranking status. But that's just one layer of it.
Surfing is a lifestyle. It carries with it a style of dress, a global dialect, and a simplistic view of life's realities. Surfer's have a constant pursuit to find the best waves out there, almost making their intense dedication seem religious.
Surfers are no longer stereotyped for being druggies or hippies as they once were portrayed. You are more likely to find older adults who surf at a church service on Sunday morning than out at a bar on a Saturday night.
Surfing is also an art form. It doesn't matter if you ride a short board and do aerials off the lip of the wave or you hang ten on the nose of a long board, there is an art to riding a wave. They say the ocean is the canvas and we (surfers) are the brush that creates the art.
The surfing industry has exploded into a multi-million dollar industry that churns out everything from surf boards, clothing and accessories, to major motion pictures and exotic travel packages. It's mind boggling just how far surfing has come just in the past few decades.
Surfers are getting younger. There are now surf camps all over the world that cater to young kids who want to learn how to catch waves.
Does any of this really matter? Not really. Surfing is not about being competitive, living a certain way, or making money. It's about you, your surf board, and the ocean. Surfing's essence is found in that very first time you stand up on your board. It's that feeling of energy. I call it a rush. Surfing takes you places and let's you meet new people. Surfer's all have one thing in common, they just want to surf. Plain and simple. Life is better when you surf. I can't imagine life without it.
Now, are you ready? Let's go surfing!
If you are interested in learning how to surf, please check out Teach Me How To Surf at [http://www.teachmehowtosurf.com]http://www.teachmehowtosurf.com.
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Why-Do-We-Surf?&id=6436801] Why Do We Surf?
Surfing in the Galapagos
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Washington_Del_Pino]Washington Del Pino
Galapagos attracts outdoor adventurers of all sorts, as the islands are known for first-class SCUBA diving, snorkeling, hiking and birdwatching. There is even an annual marathon in Galapagos which attracts runners from all over the world! But what about surfing? It turns out that Galapagos is a great surf destination as well. Here's what you'll need to know to surf Galapagos!
Where are the surf sites?
Of the three main inhabited islands (Santa Cruz, San Cristobal and Isabela), San Crist�bal is by far the best place to surf. There are a good half-dozen great surfing spots on the island including La Carola, Lober�a and Tongo Reef.
When to Go:
You can surf in the islands year-round, but between December and May is the best time, when northern swells and sunny weather make for world-class surfing conditions. Between April and June there are good southwest swells. From June to December the weather is cooler and it is windier, but there are still some South swells worth surfing. All in all, the surf is pretty consistent.
What to Bring:
The waters in Galapagos are cooler than most people expect, so bring a light wetsuit even if you come in the warm season (December-June). If it's the cool season, you may want a full or semi-full 3mm suit.
You can rent boards and wetsuits in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno (San Cristobal) and in Puerto Ayora, but not in Puerto Villamil.
Stuff like wax, leashes, sunscreen, etc. are available but expensive in the Islands: bring plenty with you.
Getting Permission:
A couple of the best surfing spots on San Crist�bal Island are technically on the military base, so you'll need permission to visit them. It's not that difficult to get and well worth it.
Surfing in Monta�ita
Galapagos might not be well-known as a surf destination, but Monta�ita, on the Ecuadorian coast, definitely is. It's easy to book a combination tour to surf both Monta�ita and the Islands. In fact, if your Galapagos flight stops in Guayaquil (most do) you'll only be a couple of hours away from Monta�ita!
Need more convincing?
Here are some more great reasons to surf Galapagos:
Lack of crowds. Galapagos is not really known as an international surf destination, and most locals do not surf. In other words, there are very few surfers there at any given time and you'll have the waves to yourself. If you go on a weekday to one of the popular San Cristobal spots in low season, chances are very good that there will be no one else there at all.
Other Galapagos Activities. There's a lot more to do in Galapagos besides surfing. There are tours, hiking, snorkeling, SCUBA diving and of course, the wildlife that Galapagos is famous for. Surfers who travel with non-surfers or who want to do lots of activities will know that this is an important bonus!
All you need to know about traveling to the Galapagos Islands. We are from the Galapagos Islands and our job is to find the right cruise for you. We count with a selected team of professional trip advisors who will assist you in planning your trip to Galapagos for free. For immediate and further assistance, please click here: http://www.galapagosislands.com/design-galapagos-cruise.html
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Surfing-in-the-Galapagos&id=6644327] Surfing in the Galapagos
Galapagos attracts outdoor adventurers of all sorts, as the islands are known for first-class SCUBA diving, snorkeling, hiking and birdwatching. There is even an annual marathon in Galapagos which attracts runners from all over the world! But what about surfing? It turns out that Galapagos is a great surf destination as well. Here's what you'll need to know to surf Galapagos!
Where are the surf sites?
Of the three main inhabited islands (Santa Cruz, San Cristobal and Isabela), San Crist�bal is by far the best place to surf. There are a good half-dozen great surfing spots on the island including La Carola, Lober�a and Tongo Reef.
When to Go:
You can surf in the islands year-round, but between December and May is the best time, when northern swells and sunny weather make for world-class surfing conditions. Between April and June there are good southwest swells. From June to December the weather is cooler and it is windier, but there are still some South swells worth surfing. All in all, the surf is pretty consistent.
What to Bring:
The waters in Galapagos are cooler than most people expect, so bring a light wetsuit even if you come in the warm season (December-June). If it's the cool season, you may want a full or semi-full 3mm suit.
You can rent boards and wetsuits in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno (San Cristobal) and in Puerto Ayora, but not in Puerto Villamil.
Stuff like wax, leashes, sunscreen, etc. are available but expensive in the Islands: bring plenty with you.
Getting Permission:
A couple of the best surfing spots on San Crist�bal Island are technically on the military base, so you'll need permission to visit them. It's not that difficult to get and well worth it.
Surfing in Monta�ita
Galapagos might not be well-known as a surf destination, but Monta�ita, on the Ecuadorian coast, definitely is. It's easy to book a combination tour to surf both Monta�ita and the Islands. In fact, if your Galapagos flight stops in Guayaquil (most do) you'll only be a couple of hours away from Monta�ita!
Need more convincing?
Here are some more great reasons to surf Galapagos:
Lack of crowds. Galapagos is not really known as an international surf destination, and most locals do not surf. In other words, there are very few surfers there at any given time and you'll have the waves to yourself. If you go on a weekday to one of the popular San Cristobal spots in low season, chances are very good that there will be no one else there at all.
Other Galapagos Activities. There's a lot more to do in Galapagos besides surfing. There are tours, hiking, snorkeling, SCUBA diving and of course, the wildlife that Galapagos is famous for. Surfers who travel with non-surfers or who want to do lots of activities will know that this is an important bonus!
All you need to know about traveling to the Galapagos Islands. We are from the Galapagos Islands and our job is to find the right cruise for you. We count with a selected team of professional trip advisors who will assist you in planning your trip to Galapagos for free. For immediate and further assistance, please click here: http://www.galapagosislands.com/design-galapagos-cruise.html
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Surfing-in-the-Galapagos&id=6644327] Surfing in the Galapagos
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