WHICH IS MY SURF LEVEL?
LEVEL 1
COMPLETE BEGINNER
You are new to surfing and learning the basics of surf safety, paddling and standing up.
At this stage you usually need assistance from another person or a coach, and often benefit from guidance or even a push into waves.
You are riding mostly white water and straight waves to shore while building water confidence and basic board control.​
LEVEL 2
EXPERIENCED BEGINNER
You can paddle independently, sit comfortably on your board and ride broken waves with control.
You understand how to enter and exit the water safely and can stand consistently.
You are starting to catch small green waves on easier peaks, mostly riding straight or with a slight angle
LEVEL 3
PRE-INTERMEDIATE
You can surf small green waves left and right.
You are able to paddle out the back on smaller days by yourself and position yourself better in the lineup.
You are improving wave reading, angling your takeoff and moving along the face of the wave.
You understand basic surf etiquette and feel more confident catching your own waves.
LEVEL 4
PRE-INTERMEDIATE PLUS
You are starting to generate speed and move up and down the wave.
You are beginning your first bottom turns, top turns and cutbacks, but they are still inconsistent.
You understand positioning, can use rips to paddle out and choose better waves.
You feel stronger on your forehand and often struggle more on your backside.
This is a key progression level.
LEVEL 5
INTERMEDIATE
You can link bottom and top turns with more flow and control on open faces.
You are confident on your backside but still working on power, timing and consistency.
You are improving wave selection, speed control and decision making in the lineup.
LEVEL 6
SOLID INTERMEDIATE
You can control your board on both forehand and backhand, link manoeuvres and bring the board back to the pocket.
Your style, flow and power are developing, even if not fully consistent yet.
You are working on timing, speed generation, stance and confidence in more demanding conditions.
Perfect level for focused coaching and video analysis.
LEVEL 7,8,9
ADVANCED
You surf with control in more powerful waves and start surfing more vertically.
You can read sections well and adapt your surfing to faster, steeper waves.
ADVANCED PERFORMANCE
You perform manoeuvres like floaters and vertical re-entries with confidence.
You ride faster waves and handle more critical sections with control.
TUBE RIDING
You have the confidence and control to surf hollow waves.
You can perform tube rides and advanced manoeuvres in the most critical parts of the wave.