Where does the Wind blow?

We have already talked about the sailing directions and the problem of losing upwind distance in the section "First Steps". Especially in the beginning you will plunge into the water quite a few times. Until you stand securely on the board once again, you will always have drifted a bit away due to the wind. If keeping the course and gaining upwind distance doesn't work out perfectly yet, you will also use to drift away a little in the direction the wind blows.

You need to consider this circumstance when you choose your surf spot or starting point. Only when you are able to securely get back to where you started, that is, make up for the lost distance by getting upwind, you don't need to mind this issue that much anymore. What is the perfect beginner spot like, then? Well, together with a preferably extensive shallow water area, it mainly depends on the wind direction.

A sideshore wind is ideal. Here, you can simply surf back and forth, and even if you slightly drift away, you can get back to land a bit further down then. It hereby doesn't matter if the wind – seen from the shore – blows from the right or from the left. Onshore wind often brings waves about, which makes the surfing experience a bit unsteadier. With offshore wind you will drift away from the shore if you aren't expert in regaining upwind distance yet. Surfing with offshore wind can only be recommended if there is a safe way to return.

The diagram above shows the different wind directions. They are described from the perspective of someone looking out at the water from the shore. All wind directions marked in green mean that there is little risk of drifting away, because you will always float towards land. However, if you surf too far away from land in sideshore wind and then get in trouble, you will also drift away from the shore more and more. In our section "safety rules", we demonstrate what to do in such a situation. Beginners should always surf only close to the shore.