How to get started with surfing on Long Island

Surf's always up on Long Island.

From Montauk to Rockaway, from winter to summer, from beginners to experts, a wave is waiting to be caught.

First you have to learn to get to your feet on a surfboard just in time to ride the waves that barrel along Long Island's ample shoreline.

For those aspiring surfers looking to do just that, here's everything to know about what equipment you'll need, how to learn to surf and where on Long Island to go hang ten.

Catching the first wave

SAFETY FIRST The first step in becoming a surfer is learning how to respect the ocean. Failure to do so by underestimating its strength is a safety hazard for all in the water. So, professional surfing lessons usually start by covering rip currents, undertows and wind patterns. "For beginners, we really try to first instill safety," said Cliff Skudin, president of Skudin Surf in Long Beach. "Learning how to be safe in the water, learning surf etiquette, learning ways to take turns with fellow surfers, always listening to the lifeguards."

THE POP UP This is the takeoff technique where the surfer elevates from a chest-down position on the board to being on your feet in one fluid motion by pushing up and swinging the knees in. Placing the knees on the board while doing so is an unnecessary and timely step that could result in missing a wave entirely. During the pop up -- which requires core strength, balance, and body and board control - - beginners typically land their back foot on the board first.

This process first can be learned during a dry run with the board lying on the sand. Once mastered, it's time for the water. Instructors typically will push beginners on their boards into the waves.

PADDLE OUT Beginners also are taught how to paddle by lying chest-down on the board, curving the back and moving their arms in a swimming-like stroke to navigate the ocean while awaiting the next wave. With those basic steps down, intermediate trainees learn to go in and out of the surf unassisted to catch waves on their own. Advanced surfers are taught how to maneuver the board in the water by turning or cutting back.

"You'll be surfing your first day standing up," Skudkin said of the surf lessons at Sudkin Surf, a three-generation family surf school. "We really try to teach people how to become independent in the water so they can be able to make big improvements, but at the same time pushing them into waves and gaining confidence."

Buying a board

If you're taking a professional surfing lesson, all equipment typically is provided. When considering buying a board, particularly beginners, keep the following in mind:

SIZE MATTERS "The bigger the board, the easier it is," said Charlie Bunger, owner of Bunger Surf Shop in Babylon, which has been in business since 1962. "Most people think it's the opposite, the smaller the board, the easier. But it's not."

That's because a larger board offers more flotation, more stability and more of a landing area when getting to the feet.

CONSIDER FOAM For children just beginning to surf, Bunger recommends a soft surfboard such as a seven-foot foam board with fins that aren't as rigid -- the board used at the Bunger Surf Camp, which runs three days a week in the summer for kids aged 8 to 16 at Gilgo Beach. As surfers advance, Bunger suggests transitioning to a fiberglass board that is smaller in size in order to add maneuverability while in the water.

WHAT IT COSTS Foam boards, he says, start around $300 while fiberglass boards can be upwards of $1,000. The most important of surfing accessories is a leash, which attaches to the board and the surfer's ankle so the board doesn't stray far when the surfer falls into the water. Several outfitters rent boards by the day.

WETSUIT? Wetsuits protect the stomach and chest while lying on the board, besides keeping the surfer warm. With year-round surfing on Long Island, wetsuits are available in a variety of thicknesses based on water temperature. If looking to swim in the dead of winter, Bunger recommends a five millimeter wetsuit with a hood, along with gloves and boots. "Basically your whole body is covered except your face," Bunger said. "That way, with the wetsuits they make today, you can surf for three or four hours and not get cold in 40 degree water." Getting the wetsuit on can require a lesson of its own. One bit of advice from the experts to start: Get one foot through entirely before putting the second foot through.

Where to go

A new surfer has taken the lessons and bought the board. Now where to go?

Here is Long Island's near-consensus Mount Rushmore of surfing hot spots: Gilgo Beach, Long Beach, Montauk and Rockaway.

All four destinations have great surf, although it varies on a daily basis.

"In New York, surfing does require a lot of ocean awareness to pick up the waves that are different every day," said Kristin Senese owner of CoreysWave Professional Surf Instruction in Montauk. "In other places the world's surf can be very consistent, here we can have something new every day. You have to adapt out here and be surfer smart."

Whether at the beach, or perhaps at what could soon be a 52,000-square-foot wave pool in Shirley, navigating Long Island’s waves is a tranquil escape that can be enjoyed by many at all times of the year.

"Surfing is really a sport that's individualized, and you can be successful no matter what kind of shape you're in or how old you are," Skudin said. "It's really a beautiful sport, you're out in the ocean, surrounded by waves. I always say the best surfer is the one having the most fun."