Can You Learn to Surf at 40, 50 or 60? (Real Advice for Beginners)

🌊 “Am I Too Old to Learn Surfing?”

Yes, you can learn to surf at 40, 50 or even 60 — but the way you approach it matters more than your age.

This is one of the most common questions people ask.

And it usually comes with something underneath it:

👉 “What if I’m too late?”
👉 “What if I look stupid?”
👉 “What if I can’t do it?”

The truth?

👉 You’re not too old.

But you do need to do a few things differently.

🏄 My Reality Learning to Surf at 28

I started surfing at 28 on the Gold Coast.

Which sounds young… until you’re out there.

I learnt at places like Snapper — which, honestly, I hated at the time.

It’s world-class… but also:

super competitive
fast
and hard to get waves

Most sessions?

👉 I’d catch one wave… maybe.

Sometimes none.

I’d come in frustrated, throwing my board on the sand like:

👉 “I’m never surfing again.”

And I meant it.

😤 The Part No One Talks About

Surfing has one of the slowest learning curves of any sport.

Way slower than something like kite surfing where you can progress quickly.

With surfing:

you wait
you miss waves
you get it wrong… a lot

And that messes with your head.

🧠 The Real Struggle Isn’t Physical — It’s Mental

For me, it wasn’t just the waves.

It was the thoughts:

“I’m not good enough”
“I don’t deserve this wave”
“Everyone else is better than me”

And being in a lineup where you don’t feel like you fit in?

👉 That amplifies everything.

Especially when you don’t look like the typical 20-year-old surfer girl.

👉 If this sounds familiar, this is worth reading:
How to Stop Negative Thoughts While Surfing

🏄‍♂️ The Biggest Mistake I Made (And Most People Do)

I was put on a tiny, high-performance board from the start.

Because I was told:

👉 “This is what you need to get good.”

It made learning:

harder
slower
more frustrating

It took me YEARS to realise:

👉 Board choice is the fastest way to improve your surfing.

💡 What Actually Matters (This Is the Truth)

If you want to learn surfing later in life, focus on this:

🥇 1. Board Selection (Most Important)

A bigger board with more volume will:

help you catch more waves
make standing up easier
build confidence faster

👉 This alone can change everything

🥈 2. Fitness (Especially for Women)

As a surf coach, I see this all the time.

The biggest struggles:

upper body strength (for paddling + pop-up)
balance
flexibility

If your body isn’t ready:
👉 surfing feels 10x harder than it should

👉 Start here:
How to Improve Your Surf Pop-Up

Exercises for older surfers

🥉 3. Time in the Water

There’s no shortcut for this.

You need:

repetition
exposure to waves
time reading conditions

Even things like:

body surfing
using a handplane
learning tides and swell

👉 all build your understanding faster

🧠 4. Mindset (This Is the Hidden One)

This is where most people quit.

Not because they can’t do it…

👉 but because they don’t believe they can.

Things like:

scarcity mindset (“there aren’t enough waves”)
comparison
feeling like you don’t belong

👉 will stop your progress before your body does

Helpful articles :

Overcoming fear of big waves

Surfing and the ego

🌬️ Confidence Changes Everything

One of the biggest shifts in surfing is confidence in the water.

Especially when it comes to:

wipeouts
hold-downs
bigger surf

When you feel more comfortable underwater:
👉 you commit more to waves

👉 This is where breathwork becomes powerful:
How to Build Breath Hold Confidence for Surfing

🏄‍♂️ Longboard or Shortboard? (And What You Actually Want From Surfing)

One of the biggest decisions early on is:

👉 What kind of surfing do you actually want to do?

Because that determines:

the board you ride
how fast you progress
and how much you actually enjoy the process

🟢 Longboarding (Great — If That’s What You Want)

If your goal is:

cruising
catching lots of waves
smooth, relaxed surfing

👉 then a longboard makes perfect sense.

They’re:

stable
easy to paddle
great for building confidence

But here’s where I see a lot of people go wrong…

🔴 If You Want to Shortboard — Don’t Stay on a Longboard Too Long

The common advice is:

👉 “Start on the biggest board possible”

And yes, that helps you catch waves…

But if your goal is to shortboard?

👉 It can actually slow your progression.

Because you’re not learning:

how to paddle into waves properly
how to position yourself
how to duck dive
how a smaller board feels in real conditions

💡 What I Recommend Instead

If your goal is to shortboard:

👉 Start on something slightly bigger than what you want to end up on — not massively bigger.

Think:

mid-lengths
funboards
or just a few steps up in volume

This allows you to:

still catch waves
but actually learn the skills you’ll need later

I see this all the time as a coach.

People spend years on big boards…

👉 then struggle massively when they try to step down.

🧠 My Experience

I was put on a small, high-performance board early on.

It made everything:

harder
slower
more frustrating

But on the flip side, I also see people go too far the other way and stay on oversized boards for too long.

👉 Both extremes slow you down.

⚖️ The Real Goal

It’s not about:

the easiest board
or the hardest board

👉 It’s about choosing a board that challenges you just enough while still letting you progress.

🌏 Learn in the Right Environment

Your environment matters just as much as your board.

If you want to improve faster:

👉 choose places with:

consistent waves
less crowds
forgiving conditions

Places like Lombok are ideal for this.

You get:

warm water
consistent surf
more time actually riding waves

👉 I break this down more here:
How to Score the Best Waves in Lombok

🏄‍♀️ Surf Camps & Retreats (Fast Track Option)

If you want to speed things up:

👉 surf camps or retreats can help massively

Because you get:

structured progression
coaching
more time in the water

Just make sure:
👉 they align with your level and your goals

🌊 Where You Learn Matters

Not all surf spots are equal.

Places like:

Snapper
crowded point breaks

👉 can slow your progress massively

Instead:

smaller waves
quieter beaches
forgiving conditions

👉 will help you improve much faster

👉 This guide will help you choose:
Beginner Surf Spots in Australia

🔄 Starting Again After Time Off (Where I’m At Now)

Right now, I’m actually preparing for my own comeback.

I haven’t surfed properly since having my son — he’s 5.5 now.

My whole goal has been:
👉 getting him into surfing so I can get back into it too

That’s the dream.

At the moment:

I’ve been on Magnetic Island (no surf)
doing paddle boarding and kayaking
rehabbing a back injury
rebuilding strength

Because the reality is:

👉 nothing gets you surf fit like surfing

And I’m giving myself about 4 months to build back up before heading to Indonesia and getting back into it properly.

🌊 Final Thought

The biggest mistake isn’t choosing the “wrong” board…

👉 it’s not being clear on what kind of surfer you actually want to become.

Once you understand that:

👉 everything else gets a lot easier.

❓ FAQ