Identify the peak
Sit on your board and face the ocean. You can identify a wave coming by seeing a sort of lump travelling towards the shore. This is the peak of the wave (you can read our wave anatomy blog here) picking up momentum as it travels. 

Paddle towards the peak
Once you identify the peak, paddle towards it. The peak is the optimal place to catch and ride waves.

Position yourself
Manoeuvre the board perpendicular to the wave, face the shore and start paddling. To paddle effectively you can read our blog post here.

We know it’s not always this simple when starting out, but just learning to identify where to catch the waves will help lots with your surfing.

Images courtesy of barefootsurftravel.com