I couldn’t catch waves surfing until I learned these vital hacks

Six simple surfing hacks that will instantly transform your sessions

It’s a breathtaking morning. The waves are breaking cleanly, and the sun isn’t strong yet, it’s an ideal surf day in Cahuita, Costa Rica. The best part is, it’s just my brother and me out in the lineup. I’m sitting on my board in the warm water. The air is still and serene.

Suddenly I spot a big set wave approaching. Excitement and adrenaline rush through me as I realize I’m perfectly positioned. I start paddling fast and feel my board slide into the wave. I pop up and boom—the nose of my board plunges into the water and I go flying into a tumble of whitewash. This is just one of the countless surfing failures I, and most others who have tried the sport, deal with.

But everything changed when I discovered a handful of hacks that transformed my surfing almost instantly. I went from the beginner who caught no waves to riding along with surfers who had been doing it for years.

Here are the hacks nobody talks about, mostly because experienced surfers don’t even realize they’re doing them. Most beginners wonder why some people can catch every wave they want while others just paddle around and get tossed. The truth is, catching waves isn’t about strength, luck, or bravery. It’s about a few technical details that most beginners never learn. Once I fixed those, everything clicked.

If you’re stuck in that frustrating beginner stage, paddling your heart out and wiping out anyway, these are the hacks that finally changed everything for me.

1. I started paddling way earlier than I thought I needed to

I always assumed I should wait until the wave was practically touching my fins before I started paddling hard. That’s what every beginner does—and it’s why none of us catch waves. The moment I started paddling earlier, when the wave was still rising behind me, everything changed. I finally had real momentum. Instead of the wave passing under me, it picked me up and carried me. Early speed is the entire game.

2. I angled my board before dropping in

I used to go straight down the face and bury my nose every time. It felt like no matter how perfectly I popped up, I wiped out anyway. The trick was ridiculously simple: angle the board slightly in the direction I wanted to ride. Just a small turn—5 to 15 degrees—kept the nose from diving and let me slide into the wave instead of falling off the front. Suddenly the drop didn’t feel like a freefall. It felt smooth and controlled.

3. I kept my chest low when popping up

My pop-up used to be a panicked jump to my feet, which threw off my balance instantly. When I focused on keeping my chest low, almost glued to the board for an extra split second, my whole takeoff changed. I stayed compact and centered, and the wave had time to lift me before I stood tall. Staying low gave me stability, and stability gave me confidence. It made my pop-up feel effortless instead of chaotic.

4. I cleaned up my paddling

I never realized how sloppy my paddling was until I fixed it. I used to splash everywhere, pull too shallow, and wiggle side to side. Once I switched to long, deep, controlled strokes—no splashing, no wandering—I got way faster with the same amount of effort. The board stayed straight, my chest stayed steady, and I finally built speed instead of wasting it. Speed equals power in surfing, and this hack gave me tons of it.

5. I looked where I wanted to go, not at my nose

Every beginner stares at the nose of their board. I did it for months without even knowing it. The problem is, your body follows your eyes. If you look down, you fall down. When I forced myself to lift my eyes and look down the line of the wave, everything synced up. My shoulders turned, my hips followed, and suddenly I wasn’t fighting the board—I was flowing with it. It sounds simple, but it was one of my biggest breakthroughs.

6. I learned to read sets instead of chasing every ripple

This was the moment surfing finally made sense. I used to panic and paddle for any tiny bump that appeared. I wasted energy and missed the real waves. But once I started watching the horizon and noticing how sets stacked, I could position myself in the exact right spot before the wave even formed. I stopped guessing and started anticipating. That alone helped me catch more waves in one session than I used to catch in a week.

Final thoughts

I used to think I was bad at surfing, but once I mastered these skills, my surfing improved dramatically. The funny thing is, most beginners don’t even realize they’re making these mistakes. Many get frustrated and quit without knowing they’re inches away from a huge breakthrough. My family and I live on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica, in a town called Cahuita, where we surf every day. And every time I paddle out, I’m grateful I didn’t give up before these simple fixes changed everything.