Remember to skate safe and wear your pads when needed.

Fred Riehl has been surfing and working with Brave New World surf shops for 18 years!

Safety: Never have your board between yourself and coming waves! To avoid collision with others, keep a safe distance, say fifteen feet or length of you, your leash and board combined. Beginners should always wear a leash or leg rope tied to their surfboard. Every beginner surfboard should also have a safety nose guard to prevent dangerous impacts with surfboard nose. Beginners should always surf with a buddy for safety, plus it is cool to share your surf experiences with. Never push your board through water fin first. The fin or fins were made to keep board pointing nose first. Pushing board fins first can be quite dangerous because board wants to go other direction. Beginner surfers should consider wearing a vest, rash guard or tee shirt to avoid rubbed rash they will get on their stomach and chest. When you fall off your board, cover back of your head with your hands, with your wrists over your ears and your elbows together. Stay under water for a moment longer than necessary. There are companies that make helmets and this is another alternative. When you come up, try to be facing oncoming waves and look for your board's location immediately. Loose boards in ocean are very dangerous objects for swimmers.

Surfing etiquette: first standing surfer that is closest to breaking wave has rite of way on that wave. Anyone paddling for that wave must quit. There are repercussions to not following this rule and it can be very dangerous. Most known surf spots have locals who surf that spot every day and some believe that they "own beach". We all know that this is not case. Having said that, stranger, no matter their ability, should endeavor to show some respect for these social dinosaurs. The surfer riding wave has right of way and paddlers who are paddling out must yield. This means that paddlers must paddle out of way whenever possible, even if it is into breaking wave or behind rider. If you are paddling for a wave and someone is paddling out toward you, make eye contact with that person and indicate your intentional direction in reference to them. A nod in direction you are going can work.

Conclusion: Every situation is different so practice being nice in water. It will make you feel good, I promise. Hooting for a good wave or encouraging someone is good too. Remember, you will get what you give.

Fred Riehl has been surfing and working with Brave New World surf shops for 18 years!