How Long Does it Take to Learn to Surf? A Detailed Breakdown

If you’ve just started surfing, and are wondering; “How long does it take to get good at surfing?”, you’ve come to the right place.

Unfortunately, let us tell you straight away that there’s no easy or direct answer. If I asked you “How long is a piece of string?”, what would you answer?

Everyone’s surfing journey is different, and is affected by things like your previous sports experience, your understanding of the sea, how regularly you surf and loads of other factors.

Some people might stand up on a surfboard the first time they try it, whilst others might need more practice.

There isn’t a simple answer to this question, also because it depends on what level of surfing you’re trying to achieve.

In this article we have tried to give you the most thorough answer possible to the question; “How long does it take to learn to surf?”.

We go over exactly what all the different surfing levels are, what they entail and how much training time each surf level requires.

How long does it take to learn to surf?

It’s one of the most frequently asked questions amongst beginner surfers, and without a doubt also one of the most difficult to answer. 

Time is relative, and it ultimately depends on what one means by “surfing”. There are different experience and skills levels in surfing, and each takes a different amount of training to get to go.

How long it will take you to learn to surf depends on what level you’re trying to reach.

In this article we will go over the different levels of surfing, starting from zero to professional, so that you have an idea of what each level entails and how long it can take to reach each level.

These are the four levels in the surfing world:

Level 1: Beginner

Level 2: Intermediate

Level 3: Advanced

Level 4: Professional

Within each of these levels, there are different phases that we must reach to move on to the next level.

How long does it take to learn surfing: Beginner Level

The beginner surfing level has three phases.

Phase 1: Standing up on the surfboard

Phase 2: Learning to paddle

Phase 3: Selecting the waves on the inside

These three phases might sound pretty straight forward, but there’s actually a lot of practice and time required to go from one to the next.

If we add up the learning times between each of these three phases, we can estimate that between 6 months to 1 year is required to master them and move on to the Intermediate level.

These times can be shortened if you start with a certified surf school or a suitable surf instructor (not any random surfer who starts teaching as a side hustle idea), who will help you understand how to stand up on a surfboard, how to paddle, and how to select the waves in the foam and whitewater.

If for your first surf experience you use the right board (meaning a suitable surfboard for beginners and not a tiny shortboard), there are the right surf conditions and you do a class with a good instructor, who helps you both outside and inside the water, you might be able to stand up on the board by the end of the day, if not on your first wave.

If by learning to surf you mean just standing up on your board in the broken whitewater waves, then you might be able to achieve that during your first surfing lesson or surf camp (given the right wave conditions and depending on your physical fitness level).

Learning how to do a smooth pop up, how to paddle alone, how to select the right waves to catch and then standing at the right moment is what will take up more time, but also what will allow you to master the beginner level.

How long it will take you to learn to surf also depends on your perseverance and how regularly you train. Six months practising every day aren’t the same thing as six months surfing only on weekends.

When we say it will take 6 months to 1 year to master the Beginner level, we mean 6 months practising every day for 1 to 2 hours.

We can’t stress enough how much beginner surfing lessons and a qualified surf coach will help you on your first attempt.

The biggest mistake most new surfers make is thinking they can just wing it, and while they may be eventually able to learn, it will take even longer than the 6 to 12 months we mention here.

Even if there are the right conditions, with perfect waves for beginners, if you jump in without the right equipment and without having someone teach you the basics of surfing, it will be very hard to learn.

How long does it take to learn to surf: Intermediate Level

There are three phases to the intermediate level.

Phase 1: Learning to duck dive

Phase 2: Reading the pocket. Learning to do this is what will ensure you get in the correct position to catch green waves before they break

Phase 3: Learning to drop the wave (going down the wave from the lip to the bottom)

Although there are only three phases that you need to learn at this level, it takes time to learn how to read waves, understanding the exact spot where you need to be to catch each wave.

This can also change a lot depending on the type of surf break and wave that you are training with.

It probably won’t be hard to understand in theory how to do a good drop or duck dive, but actually doing it properly, carrying it out and mastering it completely without glitches is what will take a vast amount of time and practice.

Duck diving is when you sink your surfboard so that you can dive underwater, below an oncoming wave, with your surfboard.

Mastering this phase is essential to becoming an experienced surfer, as it’s what will allow you to reach the line-up and catch unbroken waves.

Point breaks are somewhat easier as you can paddle around the breaking waves and foam, but if you’re learning to surf at beach breaks, you have to master the duck dive, or you simply won’t be able to reach the line-up. Learning how to duck dive properly takes a lot of time, so don’t be discouraged.

The Intermediate level of your surfing learning process will probably be the time when you transition from a big board to a shorter board.

You might be able to start catching green waves with an intermediate foam surfboard, but to be able to duck dive you will have to switch to a short fibreglass surfboard, or you physically won’t be able to push it under the water.

Also, you want to remember that you’re not just trying to become a competent surfer, but also a good surfer that has respect for the sea and other surfers.

This Intermediate level where you start paddling to the line-up is usually when you start learning some surfing etiquette.

If you practice daily, we can say it usually takes 3 to 6 months to fully master the phases of the Intermediate level. Mastering this level will give you a good feeling of confidence in the water.

How long does it take to get good at surfing: Advanced Level

Once you become a confident Intermediate surfer, the step from Intermediate to Advanced can take a while. There are only two phases, but they’re not easy to master.

These are the phases that form the advanced level in surfing.

Phase 1: Bottom turn

Phase 2: Ripping the wave

The bottom turn is your first basic manoeuvre. This basic manoeuvre is what will help you keep yourself in the power zone of the wave.

Ripping the wave is how you generate more speed and stay on the wall of the wave, without leaving the pocket. 

Mastering these phases and joining the ranks of advanced surfers often takes a long time, as it’s a job of time and perseverance.

Between understanding how it works and practising it, if you train consistently, it can take between 6 months to 1 year to properly master this surfing level.

How long does it take to get good at surfing: Professional Level

In surfing there are ten main manoeuvres, amongst which the cutback, snap, floater or 360º.

Once you have mastered the Advanced level, to be considered a “pro”, you need to master at least five of these ten  main manoeuvres.

It can take a lifetime to achieve a real Professional level, since each manoeuvre has a different level of difficulty, and some can only be done on specific types of waves.

Perfecting each manoeuvre will take countless training hours and days.

Personally, we think that when trying to assess how long it takes to learn to surf, you shouldn’t be looking at how long it takes to become a professional.

You should be looking at achieving an Advanced level, so that you can enjoy surfing anywhere in the world and with any wave condition.

Adding up all the training times we listed above, we can say that achieving a confident Advanced level can take between 2 to 3 years of commitment and consistent training. 

Final thoughts on how long does it take to learn surfing

There you have it, the ultimate guide to answer the question; how long does it take to learn to surf? Have you already started your surfing journey? How are you finding it? Let us know in the comments below!

In this guide we tried to give you the most thorough and detailed step-by-step breakdown on exactly how much time it takes to master the different surfing levels.

Because ultimately, how long it takes you to learn to surf depends on what surfing level you’re trying to achieve.

If you’re just trying to stand up on a board in the white water waves, you’ll see it won’t take long and you might be able to do it on your first surf lesson.

Whilst if you want to join the pro surfers and do 360º, it will take years of regular training and hard work. 

You also need to take into account the types of waves and sea conditions of your local surf spot, and that not every surf session will give you the same results.

Learning to surf is a long journey, which is different for everyone, but it’s also a very fun one.

I hope you will find this guide useful for your surfing journey and progress, if you have any questions, just let me know in the comments below!

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