- Take the board straight out trough the whitewater to between waist to chest deep. Remember to take the board straight through the waves. The board will react just like a boat, and you wouldn't take a boat out at an angle through the waves, now, would you?
- Turn the surfboard around so the nose of the board is pointing toward shore, while still in the whitewater. Also be sure to stay away from other groups of surfers in the water. This is a safety issue, because you're going to find that moving the surfboard around in the water is difficult at best, and until you can paddle around quickly through the waves, it's best to stay out of crowds. (see "Where should I surf")
- Wait for a long even strip of whitewater to approach you, then get on your board so that it's flat (from nose to tail) in the water, and flat across the width of the board, and at least start out in a stable position on the board.
- So now you're laying on the board pointed toward shore, with the whitewater fast approaching your feet. When the whitewater gets about 2 feet behind you, give the board a couple paddles, and if the board is big and buoyant enough, it should almost catch the wave on its own. At first the wave will bounce you a little. If it bounces too much, wait until you're riding smoothly along on your stomach on the board, then go ahead and stand up.
