After the waves, the surfboard is the most important thing in surfing. Without it, we wouldn’t be able to tackle the surf. No matter who is teaching you to surf, a professional surf instructor or a friend, the learning process will be based on instructions such as “toes touching the tail” or “Don’t grab the rails”, so it will be important for you to know the parts of the surfboard so you know what the coach is talking about. Learning the parts of the surfboard and their function is the first step towards learning surfing. In this post coach Rory and Pepe are going to give you an introduction to Get Wet Surf School surfboards. Knowing the parts of the surfboard is very important when you are learning how to surf.

Introducing “The Surfboard.”

At Get Wet Surf School we use surfboards that are bigger than the average board and mainly made of foam and plastic. They are soft and safe so they won’t hurt you or anybody else in the unlikely event of a collision in the surf lesson. The extra volume on this board will make the board more stable and will make standing up easier.

The Nose

The nose is the front of the surfboard. It should always sit out of the water and face the shore when surfing.

The Tail

The tail is located at the back of the board. There are different types of tails. Our boards have rounded tail. This gives the board more control and balance making it easier to stand up. The tail can be similar to the nose. The main difference is that on the tail you will find the fin plugs and the leg-rope.

The Deck

The deck is the middle top side of the board. This is the thickest and widest part of the board. This is where we get our speed and balance, so this is the area where we are going to place our feet.

The Rails

The Rails are the edge of the boards. These are the things that make the board turn to the sides. So remember, when you are lying on your board “Don’t grab the rails!”

The Bottom and Fins

The bottom is the part of the board that rest on the water. This section of the board is made of plastic, and it’s a bit harder. This is also where you will find the fins.  The surfboard fins are stabilising rudders on the rear of the back of the surfboard to give us control. Without the fins, the board will spin without control. If you are planning to keep surfing in the future, keep in mind that this is the most dangerous part of the board. Lucky for us our beginner boards have plastic fins so they are pretty safe 🙂

The Leg-rope

Last but not least, the leg–rope is probably the most important part of the board safety wise. The leg–rope is a cord that attaches to our ankle, and it keeps the board close to us in the event of a wipe–out. If you ever find yourself in trouble remember that you are only a few feet away from a floating device thanks to the leg–rope.

Hope you find this information useful. For further questions click here to contact us or call 1800 GET WET. See you in the water!