By now you have found a good place to surf and have gotten used to paddling around on the board without falling off.

• Grab your board, and head out into the water until it's up to your chest or so. Hopefully you'll still be where the whitewater is rolling in and not outside the breaker line.
• Let some whitewater roll by, getting a feel for the rhythm of the waves.
• Wait for what looks like a pretty solid chunk of whitewater, and turn around, facing the shoreline. Get on your board and start to paddle in.
• When the whitewater reaches you, it will surge you forward. Stay in control of the board!
• As you feel yourself surge forward, stop paddling and grab the rails of the surfboard with your hands.
• Do a push-up and quickly 'pop' your feet underneath you. Do not kneel; go straight to your feet. Both feet need to be under you at the same time, one in front of the other, with the toes pointing perpendicular to the centerline of the board.
• At about this point you'll need to know whether you want to be a regular-foot or a goofyfoot.
• Immediately afterwards, let go of the rails and stand in a stable crouch.
• It's right about at this point that you will begin to fall. Try not to land on anyone and anything, particularly your board. Fall shallow so you don't hit the bottom.
• Hey, you're surfing! Smile, and go do it again.

    Naturally, most surfers do not surf in the whitewater. They like to turn and do maneuvers on the open face. You'll get out there too, once you can stand up in the whitewater reliably. This helps you practice standing up on a fast-moving surfboard without having to worry about where the wave is breaking, other surfers, pearling, going over the falls, or any other hazards. It's how I learned!