Take Your Time Guest House Surfing Classes in Taitung Taiwan.
Over Summer (from June to end of August) we will have surfing classes and guided surf tours for any guests that are interested. I (Mark) will be running the classes / tours, and we will take up to eight (8) persons at a time maximum in one session. I have put together this note, to try give you an idea. For anything more specific, just send me an email, marknzsurf@gmail.com, or call me +886 912316708.
Basic Requirements
For safety reasons we only take people surfing who can swim.
Kids
Kids above 10 years of age are welcome provided they are confident swimmers and are comfortable in the ocean. In addition, all children / teenagers under 18 years must have their parent’s consent.
Cost
Ok, lets start with the basics. Costs are as follows:
For Surfing Classes:
Costs per session:
l 1 person – 2000NT
l 2 persons – 2800NT
l 3 persons – 3600NT
l 4 to 8 persons– each 1000NT
Classes are for a maximum of 4 persons (i.e. 1-4 people) with myself (Mark as teacher). The costs include transport to and from the beach (approx 40-50 mins
from Taitung city each way), board & leg rope hire and approx 2-2.5 hours (depending on conditions and your enthusiasm) of surfing class. Lesssons can be in
Chinese, English, or Chinglish (a combination of Chinese and English) depending on your preference.
We also provide a discount for people who want to do do multiple sessions and I encourage you if you can to try for at least 3 days in a row, and if possible for a week or more. Discounts for multiple sessions are as follows:
l 5 or more consecutive days in a row; 10% discount
The reason for this is simple, surfing is not as easy as it looks, and it takes some time to get the hang of it, and to get used to the ocean. If you spend more time, on consecutive days surfing, you are more likely to make progress and get more enjoyment out of it. That being said, if you just want to experience getting in the ocean and playing, that’s great too!
What to Expect –Intro to the Content of the Class
Time
One session normally lasts totally about 5 hours return including transport and time spent setting up. Usually, we will head out early to try be out at the beach around dawn or just after, so this means we end up getting back to Taitung sometime before lunch. The reasons to go early are because of the wind (there is less, and its more likely offshore if there is). The early morning is the best time to surf when the waves are glassy, and the sea breezes have not kicked in. Also as a bonus, the sun is not so strong, which can get pretty intense in the middle of summer. Sometimes, if the tides, or conditions make it better, we might switch to an mid afternoon to evening session. We basically time the trip to when the surf is the best, and when its most comfortable out there.
Content
What we do out there really depends on the level of surfer in the class, and how comfortable they are in the water. What I try to do is first ensure everyone is safe and comfortable, and second, to teach according to the persons need and desire. The key is fun, that’s what surfing is about. The two aspects of surfing to master are:
- 1. being comfortable in the ocean, learning how to manage your board, get around and to catch a wave. (You might find if its your first time out, you will spend most your time doing this).
- 2. The second part is standing up and learning to surf on a wave.
Basics in a lesson we will cover are:
- 1. Basic Safety – learning where the rips currents are and how to spot them. Covering what to do if you get stuck in the rip (shouldn’t happen, but important to know anyway) and how to get out of it;
- 2. Getting used to your board – putting your leg rope on etc etc….
- 3. Paddling (not as simple as it looks)
- 4. Finding the balance point on your board
- 5. Duck diving (the most important thing in surfing)
- 6. How to catch a wave in white water
- 7. Standing up
If you get all these down the next steps are:
- 8. How to get out back, and stay there (its definitely more fun surfing out back than being stuck in the white water).
- 9. How to sit on your board out back
- 10. Reading the wave and getting yourself in the right place to catch the wave (being in the right position is one of the keys to surfing).
- 11. Learning to surf the face
If you have all these down, then next level is:
- 12. doing a cut back,
- 13. rentrys (top to bottoming on a wave)
- 14. learning to stay in the pocket (power point of a wave)
- 15. Getting comfortable backhand and forehand on a wave
- 16. Surfing a tube
Specific moves, and class content will depend on the level of a person, and of course what the waves are doing. In addtion, the spot we go to will also depend on the persons level and conditions.
Boards we provide: Long Board, Shortboard and Bodyboard
Depending on your level, how comfortable you are in the water, and also what your goal is (i.e. do you really want to learn to surf and intend to keep surfing, or do you want to just go out and try it) we will recommend a board for you. We have long and short boards as well as some body boards, which can also be a good way to get used to just catching a wave without having to worry about standing up. FYI, for my boys, I have first started them off on a body board to get used to paddling, and getting around in the water, and to get the feeling of just catching a wave. From then we will jump them on a short board this year.
Most people prefer to start on a longboard, as its more stable, more boyant in the water, and generally easier to catch a wave and stand up (you can catch a wave earlier on a long board which gives you more time). In addition, as its bigger its harder to turn, which is actually a good thing as it teaches you to put your body in the right position to turn, and also how to walk the board. This translates to more power, if and when you switch to a short board later.
A short board on the otherhand, may be more difficult to start off with but it has the advantage of being easier to handle in the water (duck diving on a short board is much easier than a long board). In addition, its faster on the wave, and allows you to do more critical manouveres. But its definitely less stable, and you will find it harder trying to stand up at the beginning.
Like everything, its different strokes for different folks, and there is no one way to learn, or board to start off on. (For example, I started riding on a 6 foot 3 inch thruster when I was 13 that I swapped my skateboard for from a guy in school). The greatest thing about surfing is that there are no rules (except for dropping in). In my class / surfing sessions I try to keep it like this. While there are some basics everyone has to get hold of, there is no one programme or “class”, and the key is its not school (thankfully). I try to stay away from regimented surf classes, and just get people into it and into the water. Again the key is fun.
For example, I never actually had a “surf lesson” in my life. I grew up around Auckland’s West Coast beaches in NZ. I spent a lot of time in the ocean before starting to surf when I was about 13. My older cousin took me out to Piha (a local west coast beach), dropped me in the water, and then just went out back to surf himself. I spent the next 2 hours paddling against a strong rip and never even caught a wave. But that’s the way we learnt in NZ. We watched the big guys surfing, then just played around in the white water and reforms. After a while we worked it out, and then would follow the pack out back and slowly pick up how its done. It was very organic, I had a lot of bad wipe outs, sand in my undies and a few near misses, but it was a great way to learn. Because the beauty of surfing is that it is free and unstructured. Although I promise not to just drop you and leave you like my cousin Matty did to me, I do try to keep everything unstructured enough so that it feels like playing, which is in my opinion what surfing should be.
Surfing is weather dependent.
Just so you are aware occasionally we may have to cancel classes if conditions are too rough to make it safe, or less likely but occasionally if its flat. In this happens to you, you can either switch days or if that doesn’t work for you and have paid money, we will just give you a refund.
Taitung Surf Tours
We also organise guided surf tours for the East Coast of Taiwan, again for 1 to max 4 persons. Whatever your level, or what you’re looking for we can tailor something for you. We can also organise pick up / drop off from Taitung train or Airport. If you are interested please contact me (Mark) (marknzsurf@gmail.com) or on +886 912316708. In terms of season for better more consistent surf late summer typhoon season (Mid July to late Sept) and winter (November – February) are the most consistent, however that being said Taitung gets waves year round.
A bit about me and surfing.
My passion has always been for the ocean. It’s a no brainer for me to say that surfing is my favorite thing to do in the world. I have been surfing for over 20 years, and surfing and the search for great waves has dominated my life for a great deal of it. When I was a teenager all I thought about and did apart from school was surf. In NZ, there is not much to do unlike Taiwan, so every weekend and holiday I spent surfing in addition to doing dawny’s and after class / work waves when ever the surf was on. I first studied Marine Biology at University in Auckland in the rather naïve dream that I might get a cushy job, that allowed me to surf everyday. This didn’t quite work out as I hoped but I enjoyed the degree anyway and when I finally finished my studies I went around the world for a couple of years surfing. I surfed a number of countries outside NZ including the US, South America (Chile, Peru, Ecuador and Golapagus Islands), Indo, Portugal and of course Taiwan. I have been surfing in Taiwan since 2002, almost always on the East Coast of Taiwan, and I love Taiwan’s East Coast. It’s a great place to surf. It may not be the world’s best waves, but there are a lot of spots, a long the coastline and some really great waves. For me where I surf, is as important as the waves themselves. I love to find places where there are not so many people, and where its laid back in the water. Taitung is great for this, no matter how many punters out there, you can always find a break a bit further down the coast with no one, or just a few guys on it.
In additon to surfing (especially when its flat) I love diving and freediving and just getting into the ocean in any way possible. Back in NZ we love to spearfish, and freedive for abalone (Paua) and Sea urchins (kina) and dive for Crayfish.
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