Frequently asked questions about our surf courses

Are terms like choppy, lefthander, duck dive or wipe-out still a big question mark for you? So that you can join in the conversation during your next surf session, on the beach or with your surf buddies and don't just understand the terminology, we've created a little "Surf-Pedia" for you.

Aerial: An aerial is one of the most difficult tricks in surfing. You leave the wave with your board by making a high vertical jump over the lip of the wave and land in the lip again, either in the broken or green area of the wave.

Beginner/beginner/rookie: As a beginner, you are still inexperienced with a surfboard and surfing or have tried a few times more or less successfully on already broken waves. The main aim of a surf course is to learn the first and most important maneuver, the take-off, on smaller, broken waves (white water). In addition, you will learn the theoretical basics of weather, waves, tides and currents at various surf spots to give you the necessary knowledge, respect and safety for surfing outside of a surf lesson.

Angling: Angling or angle take-off means starting and riding the wave at an angle.

Warming up: Warming up is an essential part of a healthy surf session and includes a series of exercises based on typical surfing movements to prepare your body optimally for the unfamiliar and strenuous movements. It serves to stimulate your cardiovascular system and increase your body temperature

Backside/backhand: With backside/backhand, the waves are surfed with your back to the wave face. A regular footer surfs to the left, a goofy footer to the right.

Barrel/tube: A barrel/tube is a hollow wave that is created when the lip of a steep wave breaks onto the surface of the water, but an opening remains on one side through which the surfer can surf out.

Beach break: A beach break is a surf spot where waves break on an even and gently sloping beach, usually on a sandbank. Due to external influences such as storms or currents, sandbanks can change their position and the surfing conditions on a beach can change as a result. Many of these beaches offer the best and safest conditions, especially for beginners.

Conditions: Conditions are environmental influences which, depending on their characteristics, create optimal or sub-optimal wave conditions (swell). The main influences include the wave direction, the wave period and the swell height, and therefore the resulting wave height, the tides, the wind and the spot bottom.

Bodyboard/boogieboard: The bodyboard is a small board similar to a surfboard, which is used for surfing waves lying down or kneeling.

Bottom turn: The bottom turn is one of the most important maneuvers, as it is followed by most of the other maneuvers. After riding down the wave, the surfer turns his board back towards the wave face in order to continue surfing the wave. A distinction is made between the forehand bottom turn, i.e. the turn in the valley of the wave, where the face and upper body point towards the wave face, and the backhand bottom turn, the turn in the valley of the wave, where the face and upper body point away from the wave face.

Swell/breakers : Swell is the term used to describe swell waves that break when they reach the shallow coastal areas and hit sandbanks (beach break), reefs (reef break) or directly on the foremost coastline (shore break). The bigger the swell, the bigger the surf.

Channel: The channel is the current that is created when the water from the broken waves flows back out to sea. The water is deeper in this area, which means that fewer waves break here and the surfer can paddle into the line-up more easily.

Chicken dive: The chicken dive is an emergency solution for overcoming broken waves. The surfer throws his surfboard behind him and dives through the wave without it. Before the surfer lets go of his board, he must make absolutely sure that no one in the immediate vicinity can be injured by his board.

Choppy: Choppy is the term used to describe choppy water caused by strong winds or currents, or scattered and uneven incoming waves.

Close-out: Close-out is the simultaneous breaking of the wave over its entire length, which means that it cannot be surfed.

Cutback: The cutback is a maneuver that follows the bottom turn. The surfer rides the wave face like an "S" from top to bottom. To do this, he first rides up the wave face at an angle, makes a turn, surfs down the wave at an angle and makes another turn. Now the direction of view is the same as in the starting position.

Ding: Ding is the English term for damage to a surfboard.

Drop: A drop is when you ride into a wave directly after the take-off.

Drop-in: In a drop-in, the surfer ignores the priority of another surfer and paddles into their wave, even though it is already being surfed by the other surfer.

Duck dive: The duck dive is a technique with which the surfer can cross the surf zone or individual broken waves. To do this, the surfer submerges the nose of the board and then pushes the rest of the board under water with the foot or knee. Finally, the surfer pulls himself underwater by the board and emerges behind the wave. This technique is the most effective way to overcome white water waves.

Low tide: At low tide, the water has reached its lowest level. At this time, the waves break further out than usual and rocks and stones can appear. So be extremely careful at this time of year.

Fin: The fin is a component of the surfboard. It is attached to the rear end/tail on the underside of the board and is used for directional control and turning maneuvers. There are different shapes of fins, the most typical of which resembles a dolphin fin.

Floater: The floater is one of the first tricks a surfer learns. The surfer heads for the lip of the wave and then surfs along it (similar to grinding in skateboarding) until he finally surfs the wave straight down towards the beach or starts into the green wave again. The floater is used as a finishing maneuver or to bypass broken wave sections.

High tide: At high tide, the water has reached its highest level. At this time, the waves break closer to the beach than at low tide and the larger masses of water mean that the waves run longer and can be surfed for longer.

Frontside/fronthand/forehand: With frontside or fronthand, the waves are surfed facing the wave face. A regular footer surfs to the right, a goofy footer to the left.

Foot: The foot (ft) is a unit of measurement that is frequently used in the surfing world. For example, swell height, wave height or surfboard dimensions are given in feet. One foot is 30.48 cm.

Tides: The tides are cyclical water movements of the oceans caused by the gravitational pull of the sun and moon on the earth. In common parlance, the lowest level of the sea is referred to as low tide and the highest level as high tide. The tides have an influence on surfing conditions (see low tide and high tide). The tidal range indicates the difference in height between high and low tide. Although the lift caused by the moon's gravitational pull is only around 30 cm, the height differences on the coast caused by currents amount to several meters.

Glassy: Glassy refers to a windless surfing condition in which the water surface is as calm as glass. However, this does not mean that the sea is always wave-free, as the term only refers to the water surface and not the entire sea. Glassy surf conditions are every surfer's dream, as the board reacts much more smoothly in the wave. (opposite: choppy)

Goofy: Goofy refers to a standing position on the surfboard. If the surfer stands with his right foot in front in the direction of surfing, he is referred to as a goofy surfer.

Green wave: The green wave is to be understood as an unbroken wave. Surfing this wave is the goal of every beginner.

Hang Loose: Hang Loose means "stay loose" and is a hand gesture used to greet surfers. The thumb and little finger are extended, while all other fingers remain bent.

Impact zone: The impact zone describes the area in which the lip of the wave crashes onto the water surface.

Inch: The unit of measurement inch is used alongside the foot as a measurement for surfboards. One inch (in) corresponds to 2.54 cm and 12 inches correspond to one foot.

Leash: The leash is a line that connects the surfer - attached to the foot - to his board so that it is not washed away in the event of a fall.

Lefthander: A lefthander is a wave that breaks from right to left, facing the beach, and is surfed to the left.

Line Up: The line up is the area where surfers wait for green waves. This is usually located behind the surf zone, depending on the wave height, and can vary depending on the tides and currents. Surfers in the line up should look for a reference point on the beach where they can orient themselves and hold their position.

Lip/Lip: The lip/lip is the upper part of the wave that emerges when the wave starts to break. In steep waves it can break into a barrel. There are some maneuvers that are performed against the lip and are rather more difficult to ride as the wave is not particularly stable here.

Locals: Locals are the local surfers. They can sometimes defend their surf spot very aggressively. As a surf tourist, you should treat them with respect.

Longboard: The longboard is a very long board (9' to 10' ft). Due to its thickness, it has a larger volume than other surfboards and is therefore easier to glide. However, it is more difficult to handle in the waves, making it rather unsuitable for beginners.

Lycra: Lycra is a tight-fitting, elasticated shirt (long or short-sleeved) that protects the surfer from the sun and chafing or provides more warmth under the wetsuit

Wetsuit: A wetsuit is a suit made of neoprene that keeps the surfer warm with a thin layer of water between the body and the suit. Wetsuits are available in different lengths and thicknesses depending on the water temperature. For example, short/short (S/S for short) wetsuits with short sleeves and legs and a thickness of 3/2 mm, i.e. a thickness of 3 mm on the upper body and 2 mm on the arms and legs, are advantageous for warmer waters. The fit should be particularly snug without creating air spaces or folds to ensure optimum thermal insulation.

Nose: The nose is the front part (the tip) of the surfboard. It can be round, pointed or a mixture of the two aforementioned shapes.

Offshore: Offshore indicates the offshore wind direction from which the wind blows. This wind direction is the most popular among surfers, as the waves build up more steeply, more slowly and may even break in tubes under these conditions.

Onshore: Onshore indicates the onshore wind direction, whereby the waves are pushed flat and break faster.

Outside: Outside refers to the area further out behind the line-up. Surfers are in this area to watch the wave sets or to be able to surf the biggest set waves in a very strong swell, as they usually break there. Outside also refers to waves that break very far out, for example those that build up over an outside reef.

Overhead: Overhead provides information about the wave height, which in this case - as the name suggests - extends over the head of the standing surfer. For example, the height can be 2 ft overhead, 3ft overhead, double overhead etc.

Pad: The footpad, deck pad, traction pad, tail pad or simply pad is a thin, structured, self-adhesive foam mat that provides the surfer with the necessary grip on his surfboard as an alternative to surf wax.

Paddling: The surfer gets into the line-up by paddling. You also have to paddle into the wave to get started so that it takes the surfer with it. The board must glide at least as fast as the wave is moving. When paddling, the body should lie calmly and tensely on the board, the head is raised and the arms pull powerfully through the water.

Peak: The peak is where the wave is at its highest and starts to break first; the apex of the wave, so to speak. This is the best place to start the wave. The surfer with the closest position to the peak has priority to surf the wave. A certain amount of experience in reading waves is required to position yourself correctly in the line-up.

Rail: Rails are the sides or "edges" of a surfboard.

Reef break: In a reef break, the bottom of the spot consists of stones, rocks or coral. The advantage of a reef break is the stable ground conditions and the constant breaking waves.

Regular: Regular refers to a standing position on the surfboard. If the surfer stands with his left foot in front in the direction of surfing, he is referred to as a regular surfer.

Righthander: A righthander is a wave that breaks from left to right (facing the beach) and is surfed to the right.

Rocker: Rocker refers to the bend of the nose or tail when viewed from the side. The surfboard has different riding characteristics depending on the amount of rocker.

Set: A set consists of several waves that build up and break at regular intervals. It starts with smaller waves, followed by larger waves and then smaller waves again. During a set break, there are hardly any or no waves coming in.

Shortboard: The shortboard is the board of the pros or the contest board. It is relatively short (between 5'6 and 7' ft), light, has a small volume and a pointed nose. The shape of the board gives it the best maneuverability for fast, radical maneuvers. However, it has very little lift, which makes waves more difficult to paddle.

Sideshore: Sideshore indicates a wind direction that runs sideways to the coast.

Softboard: The softboard is the ideal beginner's board as it has soft foam padding on the deck and soft rubber fins, which means that beginners cannot injure themselves or others. The shape of a softboard is similar to a Malibu or Minimalibu.

Spot: A surf spot is a place on a beach or reef where conditions are regularly good for surfing. We differentiate between beach breaks and reef breaks.

Current: A current is generally defined as the transport of water volumes, which can run in both horizontal and vertical directions. Currents are mainly influenced by wind and tides. There are regional currents that change in periods, but there are also permanent global ocean currents such as the Gulf Stream. In general, there are various factors that create different currents: Duration, cause, water temperature and location in the sea.

Surfers are mainly affected by currents caused by broken waves. The waves running towards the beach bring a lot of water with them towards the land, which flows back out to sea after the waves break, ultimately creating a current. In addition to this current, it is also important to pay attention to the longitudinal coastal current, which runs parallel to the coast and pulls the surfer to the left or right in the line up.

Swell: Swell is the common term for swell. These are waves that are not caused by wind, for example, but by the outgoing swell. Caused by a storm on the high seas, a swell can often come from distant regions and then hit the shallower water of the coast at a different width, creating surfable waves. The swell height gives a good indication of the wave height. However, the swell period and the swell direction also have an influence on the conditions. The swell period is given in seconds and indicates the time it takes for successive waves to pass the same point. The longer the period, the more orderly the waves are and the larger they become. As a guideline: For orderly waves, the period should be at least 9 seconds. If the period doubles with the same swell height, the surfable waves will be around 50 % higher. In terms of swell direction, it is best if the swell approaches the spot head-on.

Tail: The tail is the rear part of the surfboard.

Take-off: The take-off is the basis of surfing and describes the process of moving from a lying position to a standing position on a surfboard. The prerequisite for a successful take-off in green ("unbroken") waves is to have practiced the movement on the beach and in unbroken waves.

Top turn: Unlike the bottom turn, which is performed in the valley of the wave, the top turn is surfed against the upper part of the wave. A distinction is made between the forehand and backhand top turn. The surfer rides up the wave face and then turns his board back towards the bottom of the wave.

Turtle roll/eskimo roll: The turtle roll is another technique for crossing the surf zone or broken waves. Here, the surfer turns the board over him (fins pointing upwards) and pulls the nose under the water so that the wave can pass over him and his board. This technique is usually used with longboards, as their volume and buoyancy make a duck dive almost impossible.

Wax: The wax gives the surfer more grip on the board and prevents slipping. It is applied to the top of the surfboard. Due to different water temperatures, there are also different types of wax.

White water waves/white wash: White water waves are already broken waves that can be recognized by white whitecaps.

Wipe out: In a wipe out, the surfer falls off his surfboard. A wipe-out is often followed by a wash in white water.