BOTTOM TURN

The bottom turn is the first and most important manoeuvre every surfer should learn. As you drop into the wave, the idea is to transfer your weight smoothly to the inside rail and turn the board along the wave. To do this, put more weight through your back foot and turn your board towards the wave face, keeping your knees bent, until your board is facing along the wave face. A good bottom turn converts the momentum gained from the take-off into the speed necessary to continue down the line, or into the next manoeuvre.
Advanced surfers will often carve smooth, low centre-of-gravity turns in order to generate maximum speed.

CUTBACK

This basic manoeuvre enables you to change direction and return to the steepest part of the breaking wave, the pocket, without any loss of speed. There are several varieties of cutbacks, from simple carves through to full figure-of-eight manoeuvres (‘roundhouse cutbacks’) – the type you can perform will depend on the wave’s shape and power. Small mushy waves require small snappy cutbacks to retain maximum speed. Large powerful waves allow the surfer to go way out onto the shoulder of the wave, then accelerate through a large powerful turn back into the pocket, before slashing back around onto the wave face.

MORE MOVES

There’s plenty more moves and skills you can add to your surfing repertoire, you can find out more about learning to surf in the Surf Girl Handbook, available to buy on the Orca Shop.

Fitness
The more you train, the more energy you will have. Couch potatoes never feel like doing anything, but get into a routine with your morning/evening run/swim/yoga/walk and you’ll miss it if you don’t do it, plus your energy levels will go up, your circulation will be better, you’ll be reduce stress and surf better!

Quick boosts
A banana is a great way to get some pre-surf energy. Match it with a quality energy drink like a Relentless Shot for a convenient way to boost yourself for a winter session. Try a handful of nuts as well and watch your energy — and your performance — soar!

Bottoms Up!
Be sure to drink up to three litres of water every day. This will keep you hydrated so your muscles can work and you can surf better longer. Muscle cramps usually come from dehydration, so drink water before you paddle out and more when you come back in. For added power, a Relentless Shot provides vitamins B6 and B12 as well, and comes in a convenient 50ml bottle.

Eat right
If you want to lose weight (and if you’re overweight, it will certainly affect your get-up-and-go), do it sensibly and not at the expense of your energy levels! Never skip meals — breakfast really is the most important meal of the day, and your body needs calories throughout the day to work properly. Watch your portion size and have healthy snacks and you won’t overeat. Get a good balance of vitamins, minerals, protein and carbs for long-lasting energy.

WIN! — Relentless Energy and SurfGirl have teamed up to offer you an intense energy boost. One lucky reader can win a month’s supply of Relentless Energy Shots Рperfect to help provide you with the stamina, focus and drive that you need for your next big surf trip!

These 50ml shots are compact, discreet and perfect for on the go consumption – great for road trips! Each shot provides the same amount of caffeine as 250ml of the original Relentless drink, as well as vitamins B6 and B12, but in a concentrated 50ml shot.

For your chance to win a month’s supply of Relentless Energy Shots just answer the following question:
Which vitamins can be found in a Relentless Energy Shot?

Email your answer to louise@orcasurf.co.uk. The winner will be picked in March.

Relentless Energy shots are available from shops and forecourts nationwide.
Prices range from £1.69 Р£1.99 per 50ml bottle
www.relentlessenergy.com

And check this out if you’re in London 17 February:

Relentless Energy will raise the roof of the Relentless Garage, Islington once again with the fourth instalment of The Relentless Energy Sessions on 17 February from 7pm. Headline acts include Skeletons & The Empty Pockets; The Federals; The Social Club; and Hope & State. Get your tickets now for this effervescent, north vs south sound extravaganza from www.ticketweb.co.uk, or for more info visit www.rentlessgarage.com. Plus keep up to date with all things Relentless by joining The Order at www.relentlessenergy.com.

Candice O'Donnell, Watergate Bay

One question that gets asked a lot is “how do I become a surf photographer?” Of course everyone would love to combine their passion and their job, and the image of the job of surf photographer is totally glamorous and alluring: getting paid to travel to exotic locations and shoot stunning images. And you get to bask in the immense kudos of having them publshed in surf mags.

The reality is slightly different. For starters, the pay is woefully bad. The rates magazines pay for shots haven’t gone up in twenty years! Very few make a living from surf photography, in Europe anyway. And also, if you think it’ll mean you get to go surfing more, forget it. When the sun’s out and the surf is pumping you’ll either be swimming around with your housing getting bombs on the head or standing on the beach with your big lens getting the shots.

Having said that is great fun, so if you have a burning desire to unleash your creative vision on the surfing public, read on for some top tips.

1. Get shooting. There’s only one way to get your work published, and that’s to take great surf shots. Sounds kindof trite I know, but I’ve lost count of the number of people who email asking about getting in to surf photography and don’t attach a photo. So get out there. You don’t need a photography degree, you just need a camera, and some creative inspiration. Which brings me to…

2. Don’t go overboard with equipment. A lot of amature photographers think being a pro is all about the kit. It isn’t, well it is to an extent, if you’re a pro you will DSLR body like a Canon eos 1ds, plus a backup, loads of lenses including a big 500 or 600mm, water housing and so on: at least £10,000 worth of kit. But when you’re getting started all you need is a camera. You could even buy a cheap film camera to experiment with. One mistake a lot of people make is to shell out thousands on a DSLR pro body but buy cheap lenses. It’s much better to go for a cheaper body and better lenses.

3. Learn your craft. Assuming you’ve got a basic grounding in the technical side of photography you need find your inspiration. Buy loads of magazines, not just surfing ones. Find images that inspire you, and analyse what makes them great. Plough through online photo sites like flickr.com and collect images you love. Don’t forget, it’s not just about action. To win assignments you’ll have to be able to shoot lineups, portraits, lifestyle, landscapes even reportage.

4. Get feedback. Once you’ve captured some images upload them to flickr and get networking. It’s an ideal place to get feedback on your shots and find out what works.

5. Study composition. The difference between an average shot and a great one is very often compostion. That’s why the late great photo editor of Surfing Larry “Flame” Moore used to advise budding surf photogs to take art classes and learn about composotion, rather than take photography classes. (By the wayYou can read about Larry Moore here. He was one of the greats of surfing photography). I’ve given a few basic tips about composition in a previous post, but there are many others online. One of the best books about photographic composition is The Photographer’s Eye by Michael Freeman.

6. Contact editors. Once you’ve got some good shots and you’re confident that they good enough to be published, start to cultivate relationships with the magazine editors. If you can get through to them give them a call and see what kind of thing they’re after. As a rule magazines are looking for action shots of known surfers, great lineups and unusual angles. It helps if the images haven’t been before, so think twice about uploading them to social media sites.

Good luck and get shooting!

You can see some more of my work here

Confidence comes from success (which basically means surfing well) and also from being well prepared (even for quick free-surf), as well as having that strong feeling of capability — the ‘I can do this’ mentality.

In terms of preparation it’s always a good idea to get the basics down. Sticky wax job, nice light leash, great feeling and looking board. More than that though, you need to be up for it. This is where you might have to work hard when the waves are a bit challenging or you’re feeling tired or whatever. Wake yourself up with a fast-paced warm-up and a bit of a chat to yourself. Say to yourself, “I‘m going to have a sweet surf, I’m going to rip, I’m out there to have fun,” — things like this can all help create that positive mental attitude. If you’re on a deserted beach, why not open up your lungs and shout it out? Try to remember you last good surf and the feelings that gave you. Okay, now you’re nearly ready.

Another good way to prepare yourself is visualising what you’re going to do. First up you need to analyse the waves so you know what they’re doing. Look at the speed of the lip line, the curve of the transition and things like that. Now decide what you would want to do on that wave and visualise it. There are two ways to do this; one is to picture yourself on the wave as if you were looking at it as an observer, and the other is to imagine yourself on the wave looking at it through your own eyes. This will help your decision-making and awareness once out there and increase your chances of success.

Another important factor is to give yourself some warm up time. I remember watching Carissa Moore paddle out in Hawaii a couple of years ago. Her first few waves looked pretty ordinary — just cruising down the line, a couple of floaters and kicking out. “She’s not that good,” said one of the groms watching. “Just wait and see,” said the all-knowing coach. Sure enough, 20 minutes in she was tail-wafting and throwing 360s in the shorebreak. So give yourself some time to get into the waves and read what’s happening before hitting top gear — whether that’s hitting the lip or getting your first green wave, this principle is the same. Let your confidence grow and your performance will come with it, and so the cycle of success is born.

Confidence is a feeling, and to help keep that positive vibe try to surround yourself with smiley happy people. Make an effort to time your surf with your favourite girl crew and avoid scenarios like being taken to a scary reef by a boyfriend with a different agenda.

If you find yourself in a confidence plummet it’s time to re-assess. More often than not it’s because your expectations don‘t match the conditions and you’re beating yourself up about not succeeding. Go back to looking at what the waves are doing. If you had planned and visualised working on your top turns but you can’t get them, maybe the waves are too fat and it’s time to adjust and refocus on something else, say cutbacks. If it’s starting to close out, think about maybe just trying your angled take-offs and getting along the line as fast and as far as possible, rather than doing any turns.

If the size of the surf is kicking your confidence, try to find a safe spot in the lineup and watch what’s happening. You can then try to take one of the smaller waves. Everyone has limits, and just being out there is always good for you in the long run.

Whatever you do out there, if you give it your best shot you’ll return to shore and look back knowing that you survived. No matter how cautious you were, you’ll have just added a brick to your confidence wall for the next time the swell’s up.

Joel Gray from Surf Solutions is one of Britain’s top coaches, creating progressive, professional coaching programmes for all levels of surfer in the UK and around the world. Go to www.surfsolutions.tv for more info.

The best way to learn what’s what in surfing is to have a lesson, where they’ll teach you about surf safety, how to wax up, suit up etc. etc. But if you can’t or don’t want to take lessons, here are a few things to remember.

First up, your wetsuit. Get one that fits ‚Äì you’ll look a right idiot if it’s flapping about. It needs to be tight, proper tight. Zips go up at the back, unless it’s a chest zip suit, in which case make sure you pull the barrier flap over your head properly.
Board. Wax goes on the top to stop your feet slipping; rub it on in circles from the tail to where your chest will be.
Leash. The Velcro cuff goes around the ankle of your back foot, the other end attaches to the plug on the deck of the board at the back. Don’t put it on until you’re at the water’s edge or run with it on unless you’re holding the slack ‚Äì it’s funny as hell when it’s someone else, but not you, it hurts!
Carrying your board ‚Äì it doesn’t really matter that much, but most surfers hold their board with the nose pointing forward and the fins inwards. Try to avoid digging the nose in the sand, tripping over your leash or otherwise making a tit of yourself.
Stacking your board on the roof: Again, people do this differently, but generally it’s deck down, nose forward, and for God’s sake strap it on well (and not with bungee cords), or it’ll come off on the motorway.
Hoods. If you’re starting in the winter and have to wear one, put it on then do up your wetsuit (unless it’s just a twat cap with chin strap) to avoid flushing.
Boots go on and the wetsuit legs pull over them – less flushing. Same with gloves. Yes this is damn hard to achieve.
Rash vests: Never EVER wear a rash vest as a fashion item, you will be laughed out of town. It goes on for surfing and comes off straight afterwards. It never goes over the wetsuit unless you are competing/told to for coaching/lessons.
While we’re talking fashion, DON’T wear ‘Lifeguard’ hoodies (unless you are actually on beach patrol) or anything Wicked Willy. The ripping will be merciless.

Now you’re suited and your board is suitably prepared, it’s time to hit the waves. The main way to avoid getting twatted by your board is to always, always pay attention ‚Äì the ocean can and will teach you a lesson if you don’t. Never put your board between yourself and the oncoming waves. Always hold tight to it, and always get it and yourself out of the way of other surfers, following the drop-in rule (surfer closest to the broken part of the wave has right of way) and moving if you are in the way of someone’s ride. The main cause of feeling like an idiot is getting in other surfer’s way, and this is true whether you have been surfing 1 minute or 10 years.

The next thing is confidence in your surfing, and making sure you get your fair share of waves. Check out Part 2 of the Surf Confidence series, written by expert coach Joel Grey.

1. Health — you’re going to end up toned, fit and healthy, bursting with energy and stoke.
2. Culture — the films, art, literature, music, fashion and parties are great, and our sport has a long and fascinating history.
3. Hot men — as if we were going to miss that one out!
4. Beauty — tanned (safely!), toned, smiling, natural surf girls — what could be more gorgeous!
5. Environment — you can’t help but get an appreciation for and concern about this beautiful earth that we live on, and that can only ever be a good thing.
6. Spirit — something about being immersed in the ocean for hours and hours gives surf girls a different take on life and spirituality.
7. Fellow surfers — you will meet some amazing people, guaranteed.
8. Travel — surfers are roamers, and whether you only ever explore your own county or travel the whole globe, you’ll expand your horizons and mind.
9. Competition — if it’s your bag, you can have fun, make friends, prove yourself and earn money, if you work hard at it!
10. Attitude — surf girls are more relaxed, happy and open. Life’s problems seem better after a some time spent with Mother Ocean…

So get out there! Okay, maybe not today – it’s freeeezing and the north coast of Cornwall looks crazy, as if Poseidon has been blowdrying his hair for way too long – but there’s just nothing like the feeling a good surf gives ya!

(Thanks to Julie Rhodes for the gorgeous picture, which won our art comp last summer at the Chicks With Sticks event.)

Here are some of the most common fears in surfing, especially when it gets a bit bigger: hitting rocks or reef, getting injured, feeling out of control, getting in people’s way, being held under by a wave, drowning, getting caught in a rip, lack of knowledge and experience, not having enough strength/stamina, getting hit by someone else’s board…and I’m sure there are a few more!

As women, we tend to think about situations and be a bit more cautious before we jump into something (most of the time, anyway!), which is good in some situations but can also prevent us from reaching our full potential. So here are some essential things to think about so you’re ready to tackle that next swell with confidence and calmness, enjoying every bit of whitewater that washes over you!

Forecast Рfirst of all, before thinking about going out in bigger waves, make sure you’ve checked the swell forecast, paying particular attention to the wave period so you know it’s not going to pick up dramatically while you’re out.

Tides РMake sure you know what the tide is doing and how it affects the spot you’re surfing. Waves can turn from mellow and easy to powerful and shallow depending on the tide. It will also effect how easy it is to get in and out of the water, especially on reef breaks.

Watch РIf you arrive at a spot and it looks a bit bigger than what you’re used to, watch the waves for a good 10-15 minutes so you know what size the set waves are. That way you won’t have any nasty surprises when you get out! Take some time to watch, breathe and stretch if you’re a bit unsure and by then you will be able to make a clear decision whether you really want to go out or not. (Avoid being the first one to go in the water – there might be a good reason why no-one else is out there!)

Passion РYou have to really, truly and honestly want to go out, not to please someone else, and not to prove a point, but because it’s important to you and you want to push your limits for yourself. You’re always learning when you’re out there because every session, every wave, and every spot is different and the only way to become more experienced and confident is to go out, even if you don’t catch any waves.

Getting in and out and where to sit РIf you’re surfing a reef or pointbreak make sure you choose the safest place to enter and exit the water Рit’s not necessarily the quickest way in. Watch other people getting in and out and don’t ever be afraid to ask if you’re new to a spot.
Also, try to suss out where the best place to sit in the water is. When you first get out you want to find a spot where the waves aren’t breaking so you can watch what the waves are doing and how and where other people are catching them.
If it’s your first time surfing a reef or point I would definitely recommend wearing boots!

Know your limits – Even if you’re really determined, take care not to just rush out there without thinking about whether you can handle the size. I made this mistake a few times in my first few years of surfing, it’s easy to do, especially when surfing with people who are much more experienced. It’s important to be able to recognise when the conditions could be dangerous and beyond your level of experience, whether it be the size of the waves, or other factors such as dangerous rocks or a bad rip.

Duckdiving or bailing – The first time you see a four- to five-foot wave just broken and coming towards you might feel like it’s the end of the world, but you have to just stay calm and have faith that you can cope. If you really feel you can’t duckdive a wave, have go at diving under the wave without the board. Check there is no-one behind you, and then bail your board behind you and dive down under the wave a few seconds before it gets to you. By doing this you will realise that it’s actually very calm under the wave but you just have to take the plunge and do it for the first time. You will soon work out whether you prefer to keep a death-grip on your rails or bail and swim under those ‘washing-machine’ sections. Make sure you’ve got a damn good leash if you’re going to bail.

Fitness – Even if you don’t have the opportunity to go surfing that often, if you keep your body healthy, fit and flexible it will definitely help you in more challenging conditions. If I can’t go surfing I try to do a combination of the following every day:
– At least 45 minutes of cardiovascular activity РI really enjoy running as it’s something I can do anywhere and it’s free.
– Stretching and yoga will keep your body flexible, strong and supple Рvery important for surfing especially as you want to be quick to your feet when taking off on steeper, faster waves. You could try waking up 30 minutes earlier in the morning, do some yoga then 20 surfing pop-ups focusing on improving your stance.
– It might seem obvious, but don’t forget your diet. Whatever you put in your body, you will be sure to feel its negative or positive effects next time you go surfing.

Breathing and awareness – The main things I focus on when the conditions are more challenging are my breathing and spotting set waves. Whether you want to catch the bigger set waves, or get away from them, you have to spot them coming early and that means being aware of what’s going on every second you’re out there. Be ready to paddle hard to get further out before a set breaks or to position yourself in the right place to catch it.
Your breathing affects every cell in your body, respiratory tract and nervous system as well as your mind and your emotions. If you learn how to breathe properly, you will notice your nerves calming and your muscles relaxing, making paddling easier and your energy and awareness will increase. Practising simple breathing techniques will not only help you in the water but also when you go under the water, helping you to increase your lung capacity and keep you calm and relaxed.

Facing your fears and pushing yourself is the only way you can dramatically improve and progress to another level. Just remember to know your limits, be realistic and sometimes be ready to acknowledge the power of the ocean and enjoy watching and learning instead.

Here are some tips to get you started.

1. Decide what you want to convey.Great photos create emotion in the viewer: think what you want to message you want to convey: a sense of awe, wonder, happiness, sadness, gloom even. The picture needs to tell a story: is it a secret spot in the middle of nowhere, or a crowded lineup. Contradition creates interest and tension. So maybe shoot a normally crowded lineup looking empty, or a crowded secret spot (don’t give away the location though!). Tim McKenna shot a great lineup of Pipeline with one surfer taking off, with nobody else in sight, a very rare occurrance at Pipe.

Winter at Porthtowan

2. Have patience

What surfers want to see in a lineup shot is the perfect wave, an image which transports them to the spot and they can imagine themselves surfing it. They want to see flawless A-frames – symmetrical point breaks and grinding barrels. Wait for the best conditions, find your spot and then wait for the biggest waves to come through.

3. Find the angle

Don’t stay in one place: move around to find more interesting angles, especially ones that no-one else has used.

Creating a frame within a frame.

4. Use the foreground

Although the subject is usually the wave, use elements in the forefround to create a sense of scale and depth, and to tell your story. Think of it as creating a frame within the frame which helps to focus the eye of the viewer on the main subject. Bushes, trees, fences, dunes and even people are all good for this, but they usully need to blurred, so you will need to…

5. Use a telephoto

If you’re using a digital SLR a lens or zoom with focal length of 80 to 200mm is ideal. Keep the aperture fairly wide to keep the foreground blurred.

6. Use the rule of thirds

What separates an average shot from a great one is composition. The rule of thirds simply means dividing the image into thirds, with two horizontal lines and two vertical lines. Your main subject should be roughly at the intersection of one of these lines. Don’t have the horizon bisecting the image either, and make sure it’s straight.

Happy shooting, don’t forget to post any lovely lineups to our flickr group.

You can see some more of my work here