The chicest designer surfboards to catch waves on this summer

Lifestyle Mon Jan 10 2022 by Erin Berryman and Monique Oyagawa

Whether you’re considering a new hobby or it’s been a while and you're just feeling a little rusty, consult our essential surfing tips for beginners, with the help of Up Surf Coaching. Plus, ahead we round-up the chicest designer surfboards to hit the waves in style. Surf’s up!

This YSL surfboard would make even the least sea-dwelling Kiwis want to give the sport (ahem, lifestyle) a whirl.

5 tips for beginner surfers

Don’t be afraid of a light onshore wind - since the Auckland region in particular isn’t always pumping, you don’t want to be too picky about wind directions. Obviously it’s ideal with an offshore wind, but a light onshore or side shore wind never hurt anyone and they hardly even ruffle the surface.
Overcome the inconsistent conditions - ideally you need to be getting out twice a week to make progress with surfing, so make sure you don’t miss those good swell conditions. Setup alerts so that you get an email when those rare good size east coast swells are approaching. Something like surf-forecast.com is great to follow.
Understand forecasts and never leave home without checking - if you live in front of a beach forecasting isn’t as important, but as a surfer in New Zealand you need to become a forecasting guru, no way around that. The key is ‘know before you go’.
Don’t be a sheep - every time you surf you should take five minutes to observe what is happening. Rather than going where the other people are, learn to trust your own judgement by watching the waves, not the people. What are the waves breaking like in each area of the beach? Are they big closeouts? Are they breaking hard or soft? Are they peeling slower in some areas than others?
Whatever you do, never miss a NE cyclone swell opportunity!

If you’re still not into the concept of physically surfing but like the look of it, check out these chic board designs for hanging wall artwork instead...

Alexander Wang x Haydenshapes