Are you an intermediate surfer?
February 19, 2025What is an intermediate surfer? When do you know that your surfing has improved from the beginner level and you’re ready to advance to tougher conditions? With the help of Rui Henriques, our head surf coach in Ericeira, we answer these questions and give three intermediate surfing tips!
So, you’ve mastered the white water, feel more confident on your board, and are wondering—am I still a beginner, or am I leveling up? Let's break down the intermediate surfer definition and share expert advice to help you improve!
There aren't any cut-in-stone clear definitions for when you can take that step from being a beginner surfer to advancing up to an intermediate surfer. Surfing is more complex than that. Advancing in surfing isn't like finishing all the levels in a video game, there are many different skill levels and different people have different perceptions of when you can call yourself an intermediate surfer.
There are, however, some basic techniques and skill sets that can take you out of the beginner box and enter the world of more advanced waves. We asked our head surf coach Rui Henriques (in the photo), at our Ericeira camp in Portugal, three questions about intermediate surfing. Here’s what he said!
What is an intermediate surfer?
– In my opinion, you are a beginner surfer if you stay in white water. If you want to become an intermediate surfer you need to know how to confidently catch the white water waves by yourself. After that, you will slowly start going further out in the ocean. You don’t need to be completely independent yet but you need to be independent enough to manage to get yourself to the outside and approach the peak of the waves.
If you are an intermediate surfer you already have some paddling skills and you manage to catch green waves, with some help from an instructor or by yourself. You need to be super consistent with your takeoff, and be comfortable on the board and with the ocean under you. As an intermediate surfer, you are also starting to get a deeper understanding of how the ocean works and how to read it.
What are the biggest differences between beginner surfing and intermediate surfing?
– The main difference between a beginner and an intermediate surfer is that the beginners generally stay a lot closer to the beach than the intermediate surfers do. They are usually walking with their board in the water and catching the small foam white water waves by the shore. If you are an intermediate surfer you are going to be further out in the water where you are catching an unbroken wave. As a beginner, you can catch a lot of waves in the white water, but when you start becoming an intermediate surfer you may not catch as many waves as in the white water, but the quality of the green waves will be completely different.
What are your best intermediate surfing tips?
Tip number 1: Improve your take off
– The first tip that I can give you if you want to advance from beginner to intermediate is to get the basics right. Once you are in the white water you need to be able to catch whichever wave you want and to be super consistent in practising your take-off technique. Once you move to the outside and start catching unbroken waves, you should be able to stand up on the board even if you are with your eyes closed. You shouldn't keep your eyes closed though, but that’s how confident you should be with your take off!
Tip number 2: Your position on the board
– It is important to focus on having a good paddling position on the board when you are laying down. After you pop up, you also need to focus on your standing position on the board. Once you are up, you need to have a strong and balanced position and place yourself right on the board.
Tip number 3: Surf as much as you can
– Try to stay in the water for as long as possible to have as many hours of surfing as you can. Even if you have some days where you don't catch many waves, you’re nose-diving, you paddle too much or you don’t paddle enough. It’s all part of the game and it happens to everyone. Focus on what you can do and what you can improve. You can’t only focus on wanting to do a cutback or a snap, it’s too advanced for you. As a beginner or an intermediate surfer, you should think more along the lines of “I like being in the ocean, being around people and watching other surfers”. You will go through some hard days before you start surfing better. Just be consistent in surfing, enjoy and one day you’ll become an intermediate surfer!
Do you want to know more about intermediate surfing? Check out this post on 10 tips for intermediate surfers.
VIDEO
Top 14 Tips for Intermediate Surfers | How to Surf
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Beatrice Lindfors
About the author: My name is Beatrice, but Bea for short, and I’ve been a writer and content creator for Lapoint since 2022. My life revolves around my laptop and backpack as I travel the world (always with a stop in Ericeira; the camp vibe there and the Portuguese sunset have my heart). Life goal? Visit every country.
Obsession? The Sri Lanka waves, the Atlantic Ocean and tracking down the best coffee –whichever my current location is.
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