Is surfing at the age of 15-16 too old?
I live two hours away from the beach now, but when I was your age, I spent all my summers at a shore resort, two blocks from the beach. I started surfing at 14, which was around the age most of my pals did. The old guys didn’t want us surfing. We spent years learning the ocean and how to body surf and body board, before we ever started to surf. We learned on our own, there was no such things as lessons back then in 1966. Sometimes some the older guys would give us tips. Lessons are the best way to start. Lessons can come from a professional instructor, or surfing family members or experienced surfing friends. You have to learn surf etiquette (so the experienced surfers in the line up don’t want to drown you), how to paddle and take off on a wave, and how to ride a wave. The last thing experienced surfers want is for inexperienced people to just grab a board, rush into the surf and get in our way. Lessons shorten the learning curve significantly. And they help keep ignorant, un-prepared
