A first surf lesson in Varkala lasts up to 90 minutes. Roughly twenty of them are spent on the sand learning to paddle and stand, and the rest in chest-deep water over a sandy bottom, catching small broken waves with an instructor beside you. You will fall a lot, you will probably stand at least once, and you will be hungrier afterwards than you have been in years.
That is the summary. Below is the lesson as it actually unfolds, minute by minute, based on how our beginner sessions on Edava beach run, so nothing about the morning surprises you.
The day before: getting your start time
Surfing lessons do not run on a fixed timetable, and a school that says otherwise is guessing. The right time depends on the tide and the wind. Kerala Tourism's guide to surfing in Varkala notes that early mornings are usually best because the wind is lighter and the sea more settled.
So the day before, you get a time. Ours fall somewhere between 06:30 and 09:30, and we confirm yours for the date you want to surf. If the sea is wrong that morning, you hear about it before you set an alarm, not on the beach.
What to bring: swimwear you can move in, sunscreen, a bottle of water and a towel. The board and rash vest are provided. Leave jewellery at home; Kerala Tourism specifically advises against sharp or loose jewellery in the water.
What to wear: something that stays on when a wave rolls you. Board shorts or leggings and a fitted swimsuit work; loose shorts and bikini tops that tie at the neck do not. The rash vest goes over the top. Tie long hair back, take off your watch unless it is built for the water, and put glasses in the car rather than on the sand.
Minute 0: the pick-up
Most schools, including ours, collect you and take you to the beach with the boards on the roof. The ride is short, and it is where you meet the rest of the group and admit to each other that nobody slept well.
Minutes 0 to 5: the briefing
Before anyone touches the water, you gather on the sand. The instructor explains the plan for the morning and the rules that keep you safe:
- how to hold the board so it does not hit you or anyone else;
- how to fall: flat, and away from the board, never head first into shallow water;
- where the instructor wants you, and the signal to come back;
- what a rip current looks like, and what to do if you feel one pulling you out.
That last point matters on this coast. The RNLI's advice on rip currents is simple and worth remembering: don't swim against it, stay with your board, and raise your hand and shout.
Minutes 5 to 10: the warm-up
Surfing uses muscles most people do not know they have: the shoulders for paddling, the lower back for arching, the legs for the pop-up. A few minutes of stretching and mobility on the sand makes the rest of the lesson less awkward and tomorrow less painful. Even professionals warm up on land.
Minutes 10 to 20: paddling and the pop-up, on the sand
This is the most important part of the lesson, and it happens before you get wet. Boards are laid out on the sand and you learn three things:
- Where to lie. Too far forward and the nose digs in; too far back and the board stalls. The instructor finds your spot and you remember it.
- How to paddle. Long strokes, chest up, feet together.
- The pop-up. From lying on your chest to standing in one movement: hands under your shoulders, push, bring your feet under you, stand low with your knees bent and your eyes forward.
You will do the pop-up again and again until it stops needing thought. It feels repetitive. It is meant to. Every rep on the sand is one you do not have to work out in the water.
Minutes 20 to 30: into the water
Now you walk the board out into waist-deep to chest-deep water. Kerala Tourism describes exactly this progression: sessions begin on the shore and then move "into waist-deep water". There is no paddling out past big waves. Beginners learn in the whitewater, the broken foam that rolls in after a wave has already broken, because it is gentle, predictable and pushes you towards the beach.
Your instructor stands in the water beside you. They watch the sets, choose your wave, and tell you when to go.
Minutes 30 to 60: the first waves
The first few waves you ride lying down. The foam arrives, the instructor gives you a push or a shout, you paddle two or three strokes and suddenly the board is moving on its own. That feeling, the board picking you up, is what the whole lesson is built around.
Then you try kneeling. Then you try the pop-up. Most first attempts end with a splash, and that is fine: every fall teaches you where your weight was wrong. The instructor names it, feet too far back, looking down, stood up too late, and you try again on the next wave.
There is usually a moment, somewhere in this half hour, when it works: you stand, the board keeps going, and you ride the foam most of the way to the sand. Nobody forgets that one.
Minutes 60 to 90: repetition
The last half hour is where the progress happens. You are tired now, which is exactly when technique matters. Fewer waves, better ones. The instructor starts asking you to do more of it yourself: judge the wave, time your paddle, pop up without the push.
If you are not standing yet, you are not behind. Some people stand on the third wave and some on the thirtieth, and the second lesson almost always goes better than the first because your body has had a night to absorb it.
After: the part not on the schedule
The boards go back on the roof and, in our case, everyone ends up at a small chai stall where the Varkala surf crowd gathers to talk about the morning's waves. It is not officially part of the lesson. It is, by general agreement, one of the best parts of it.
What most first-timers get wrong
- Looking at their feet. You go where you look. Look at the beach.
- Standing up too slowly. The pop-up is one movement, not three.
- Standing too upright. Knees bent, low, arms out.
- Fighting the water. You are not supposed to beat the sea. Let the foam do the work.
- Skipping the second lesson. It is where the first one starts to make sense.
Is one lesson enough?
For a taste, yes. To surf whitewater on your own, most people need a few sessions, ideally on consecutive days while the movement is fresh. Our beginner lessons page explains how we build from the first session, the lessons page has current prices, and our guide to what surf lessons cost in Varkala helps you plan a few days of them. If you are nervous about the water, read is surfing safe for beginners in Varkala? first.
A last practical note: Kerala's coast is hot, with the tourism department putting typical coastal temperatures at 25 to 36 degrees (Kerala Tourism). Drink water before the lesson, reapply sunscreen after it, and eat a proper breakfast. You will have earned it.