It's always a bad idea to just paddle out into the waves without first getting a good idea of what the conditions are like. In December, 1995, a young surfer did just that at Tropics in Ventura, paddling out into what he thought was head-high surf when it was twice that size and getting bigger.

    Take some time to watch the waves and stretch. Focus on your neck, shoulders, triceps, back, and legs. Swing your arms and get your pulse going. Get into a calm state of mind.

    Watch the waves for at least twice as many minutes as the waves are high on the face in feet. On a waist high day, that means watching for about 5 or 6 minutes. On a double-overhead day, that means watching for about 20 minutes. Get a feel for where everyone is sitting in the water, where the waves are breaking, and where they're not breaking. Look for rip currents and rocks and hazards. Watch a few larger set waves roll through. Think about where you can paddle out into the surf, and where you can swim in if you get into trouble.

    Put some sunscreen on your face and some wax on your board. Before attaching your leash for the first time, you'll need to figure out which leg is your back leg. Here are some tests:

    The linoleum slide test -- wear socks and run and slide across the kitchen floor. Which foot is first? Plant it front on your board.

    The push test -- have someone push you (gently) from behind. Which foot goes forward. That is your front foot.

    The stair test -- which foot leads on stairs, down? Front foot.

    Bike test -- When you bike and coast, which foot leads on fast downhills on dirt when feet are parallel to ground (well that's just me on dirt, but you should have pedal cranks parallel to ground so feet don't hit racks roots etc.). Front foot on board.

    The best way to figure this out is to try riding a skateboard; your back leg while skateboarding is the same as while surfing.