As an instructor from Corky Carroll’s Surf School gave 9-year-old Maya Madden a gentle push into the whitewash at Bolsa Chica State Beach, her mother snapped photos. It was Maya’s first surf lesson.

You gotta start somewhere, so the saying goes. Even Kelly Slater, the reigning GOAT of professional surfing, didn’t come hurtling out of the womb and straight onto the podium. And unfortunately, ...

Surfing is hard enough without adding in the stress of feeling like a nuisance just for being a beginner in the water among seasoned vets in the art of hanging ten. There’s so much to remember, like ...

You gotta start somewhere, so the saying goes. Even Kelly Slater, the reigning GOAT of professional surfing, didn’t come hurtling out of the womb and straight onto the podium. And unfortunately, ...