Surfing School - Equipment - Surf Wax

Definition: Something to keep your feet on the board once you learn to stand up.

Wax

Wax goes on the deck (top) of the board. Typically comes in two coats, a base coat which goes directly onto the deck in a thin layer, and then a sticky coat over that which beads up to provide traction. Use long, quick strokes of the full board length with subtle, light pressure to get a nice bead. Wax combs can be purchased to rough-up wax as it gets worn slick and to strip wax for a fresh coat.

There's no need to buy any custom wax remover from a surf shop, just leave the board in the sun for 5 minutes and strip with a wax comb or any piece of hard, straight plastic. Another great way to remove an old coat is to lay your board out on the sand, covered by sand, for about 20 min on a sunny day. After that, the wax peels of nicely with the sand.

Deck Grips

These are expensive traction pads that provide some extra grip as well as padding for the deck of the board. They can limit the movement of the feet and can result in discomfort to the chest and stomach while paddling.

Tail patches are grip specially designed for the rear of the board, and provide good traction for the rear foot needed in most turns on a shortboard. Tail patches should be placed centered over the rear fins. For the rest of the board, the deck grip can go anywhere that seems appropriate. Try popping up from a prone position to standing with legs slightly apart next to the board. Place the grip so your front foot is centered.