5 DECISIONS YOU HAVE TO MAKE WHEN BEING A KOOK

First off, what is a kook? Well, every surfer on earth who started surfing after their early teenage years have been a kook. In short terms it’s a beginner you laugh at, because they do everything wrong. Now there’s nothing wrong with being a kook because how else are you going to get good. However you probably don’t want to be a kook for too long.

So here’s a short list of decisions you can make in order to shorten your time being a kook

• Chose the right board

One key ingredient to shortening your time as a kook is having the right board. Think more volume, more stability. You want something round and soft that will hurt the least when it hits you in the head.

And when choosing fins, the most expensive ones won’t be the best ones for you. You want plastic fins that are as soft as possible, these will also hurt less when you get hit by them. Boards fly a lot when you wipeout.

Skip the tailpad. The tailpad will give you a rash and you won’t need it as you won’t be doing any major turns on your first board.

• Location Location Location

You wouldn’t start to ride a bike on a big downhill track when you learn to ride a bike. The same goes with surfing, start nice and easy. Start with something small and friendly, a sand bottom is always preferred.

• Surf Coach? Friends? Or learn it by yourself?

How hard could it be? Right!? Well surfing is hard, probably more so in the beginning. So learning to surf by yourself is like playing a XBOX game on the hardest level before even finishing the tutorial. This means that you either pay a surf coach to make you do pop-ups on the beach or you have a very kind friend that can give you a helping hand. You might have to repay your friend with a case of beer and rides to the beach.

• Sunrise, lunch break or sunset?

When is the right time to surf? The answer is all the time! Surf whenever you can! The more time you spend in the water, the faster you will get good. However if you don’t want people to look at you fall over and over with sand getting in to your eyes and tears flying out. Early mornings are the best. And we are talking 5 o’clock early. It’s guaranteed to be the least crowded time of the day which is a huge +.

• Leave the camera at home.

You won’t post any pictures of your days being a kook. Focus on having fun and getting better instead and bring your camera when you feel comfortable with riding waves that you think are at an acceptable level. This is of course if your only purpose of taking pictures of yourself is to show it to all of your “insta-friends”. Otherwise bring the camera, more fun for the rest of us.

// Axel & Julia