Bodyboard instructions: a step-by-step bodyboarding guide

Good bodyboard instructions start before you reach the water and carry on after you leave it. Fitting the leash plug, reading the beach, catching whitewater, turning across a wave and looking after your gear all make your first sessions on a bodyboard, or boogie board, safer and more controlled.

How to fit a bodyboard leash plug

A leash connects you to the board through a leash plug, a small fitting set into the foam. If your board has no plug, fit a proper bodyboard plug. Threading a cord through the deck is an improvised fix, and it does not replace one.

Choose and mark the plug position

Find the stringer first. It is an internal reinforcement rod, and drilling through it can leave the plug sitting crooked and let water into the core. For an arm or wrist leash, the upper-left, upper-right or top-centre area all work, depending on your attachment side. One installation guide places ankle-leash plugs near the lower corners instead. Mark the spot before any tool touches the board.

Make the hole and seat the plug

Once the mark is set, make the hole slowly. Controlled pressure stops extra board material breaking away around the edge. Hole size and drilling direction depend on the board and plug in your hands, so follow their instructions over any general rule.

• Size check: one manufacturer's plug calls for a 10 mm drill bit on a board 5–7 cm thick, and those dimensions apply to that plug only.
• Deck piece: push one half of a two-piece plug through the deck, the upper surface you lie on.
• Slick piece: insert the other half through the slick, the board's underside.
• Locking: keep the leash-cord opening on the deck side, then twist both pieces together securely.

Attach and check the leash

With the plug seated, pass the leash string's loop through the plug opening. Feed the leash through that loop and pull the connection tight. The string's existing knot needs checking too, since a loose knot undoes all the work on the plug.

• Cuff placement: fasten it on the wrist or upper arm.
• Cuff tension: firm enough to stay put, loose enough to avoid discomfort or restricted movement.
• Plug seating: confirm it sits securely before entering the water.
• Wear points: inspect the string, connection, cuff, cord and swivels for damage.

Check the beach before bodyboarding

A well-fitted leash only protects you in water you can handle. Before bodyboarding, the beach itself needs reading: where you are allowed to ride, how the waves behave and what to do if the sea turns against you.

Choose a lifeguarded area

Start at a lifeguarded beach. There, red-and-yellow flags mark the zone for swimming and bodyboarding. Black-and-white chequered flags mark an area for surfboards and other craft, so stay out of it.

Within the flags, go with another person rather than alone. Stay within your ability. You should also be able to swim without the board if you get separated from it.

The RNLI adds its own checklist: check wind, tide and swell, wear a leash, inspect your equipment and follow lifeguard advice. Worth knowing before you buy: a leash sits on that safety list, not among the optional extras.

Watch the waves and water movement

From the flags, spend a few minutes watching successive waves break. Note whether larger sets break differently and where the whitewater reforms. Height alone tells you little: depth, sandbars, tide, wave shape, currents, shorebreak and crowding all shape the conditions.

That watching also reveals hazards. A calm-looking gap between breaking waves may hide water flowing seaward, which the Met Office calls a rip current rather than a "rip tide". Pick safe entry and exit points, check for rocks and reefs, and line up a fixed landmark on shore to spot sideways drift.

Respond to rips and cold water

If a rip catches you anyway, the RNLI advises against fighting it head-on. Wade out if you can stand. Otherwise, move parallel to the shore until you are clear, then head in.

Your board helps here. The RNLI advises holding onto the bodyboard as a flotation aid when in difficulty. Cold adds a second risk, since the RNLI states that water below 15°C can cause cold-water shock.

• Float first: let the board and your body support you.
• Breathing: regain control before trying anything else.
• Signal: raise an arm and shout if you need help.
• Move: call for help or head to safety once you are able.

Patience pays off with cold-water shock: according to the RNLI, the initial effects normally pass in less than one minute.

Get on your board and catch a wave

Once the beach checks out, the work moves to the board. The sequence runs from wading in to lying in position, paddling, then catching a wave of broken whitewater.

Enter manageable water

Learning to bodyboard begins in shallow water. One beginner progression starts without fins in water up to the navel, with waves below 50 cm. Fins come next, in waves up to 1 m. These limits are examples: they do not guarantee that conditions are safe.

Fins give you propulsion into waves and against currents. Fit them before the water gets deep enough to need them, and take them off only once you are safely out. The fit should support the foot without painful pressure. Neoprene socks may cut rubbing but change the fit, while a fin tether reduces the chance of losing a fin.

Lie on the board and paddle

Practise the prone position on land first. The tail sits under your lower abdomen, weight centred. For a first ride, place your hands near the nose corners, rest your elbows on the deck and keep your head raised.

Position decides everything else. Too far forwards, the nose can go under and pitch you off; too far back, drag builds and waves get harder to catch. Wade in lifting your feet high so they don't get stuck, then start paddling: centred weight, arm strokes, kicks below the surface.

Catch your first whitewater wave

Begin with small waves that have already broken. White water waves give you a steady push without a steep face to manage. Turn the board so its nose points at the shore before the wave arrives.

• Accelerate: kick strongly and paddle as the wave approaches.
• Shallow-water launch: push with your legs to slide smoothly onto the board as the wave reaches its tail.
• Read the cue: a sudden acceleration means the wave has caught the board.

From that moment, both hands go on the board and your head stays up. Adjust your weight in small amounts during the ride. On the water, that matters: big shifts throw away the speed you just caught.

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Turn and control speed on a wave

Straight whitewater rides build the reflexes. When they become reliable, move on to unbroken waves and aim across the face instead of straight at the beach.

Set a line across the wave

The difference comes down to your hips. A turn starts from your body, not your hands alone.

• Weight shift: move your hips and weight towards the side you want to go.
• Rail: press the board's side into the wave face to hold the line.
• Shoulder: aim for the unbroken area just outside the breaking part of the wave.
• Turn shape: keep it rounded and gradual.

A gradual arc towards the shoulder buys you time. Riding across the face then becomes a matter of setting the rail cleanly rather than forcing a sharp change of direction.

Build or reduce speed

Once your line is set, speed comes from trim: riding the board relatively flat on the wave. Leaning forwards can add momentum. Pressing the nose down slightly can add speed, though too much weight forwards risks a dive.

Slowing down works the opposite way. Raising the nose slightly increases friction and can take pace off the ride. Dragging your legs in the water also slows the board.

Rinse, repair and store your gear

Salt, sand, heat and knocks wear gear down between sessions. A short routine after each one keeps your board, fins, leash and wetsuit ready for the next.

Rinse and dry after a session

Rinse salt and sand from the board, fins and wetsuit with fresh water, then let everything dry.

The wetsuit needs more care while drying. Keep it out of direct sunlight and heat, hang it on suitable support and give it ventilation. Smaller items deserve the same rinse:

• Leash: rinse the cord, cuff and swivel.
• Fin tethers and socks: rinse them, then dry them fully.
• Other accessories: never leave them packed away wet or salty.

Inspect and repair damage

With the board clean, check the deck and slick for holes before riding again. Damage can let water into the foam core. Repair a small slick hole on a clean, dry board, following the instructions for the material you use; one repair procedure specifies a 24-hour final cure.

Same logic applies to the leash: run the wear-point check described above before the next session.

Protect the board in storage

Heat is a real storage threat. Prolonged direct sunlight can cause bubbles, blisters or warping. One board-care instruction sets the limit at 50°C and rules out leaving a board in a sun-heated car.

Position counts as much as temperature. Standing a stored board on its tail can lift or break the tail corners, so lay it down instead.

For travel, a board sock guards against everyday scratches, while a padded bag gives more protection on longer journeys. Store the rinsed leash cord coiled rather than stretched.