Tips for a first time surfing on a reef?

Question

All my life I have always surfed on beach break, near jettys, cliffs, rocks, etc... I would say I am at intermediate level...

I used to surfing in very cold water... high 40's to low 50's and once over 9 feet I start to feel like I am pushing my abilities... (cold water makes it a little bit more difficult)

But I this year I plan to travel to a different spot and I would like to try surfing on a reef...

Does anyone have any tips for a first timer?

Will I totally slash my self up? What do you do if you bail?

Answer 1

If its shallow on the way out you can wear booties to protect your sensitive feet.  

Don't freak out when dropping in - if it's a reef break and it's tropical chances are you can see the reef right below.  If you bail on takeoff, you can try and spread out but try and drop feet first.  If you bail on the face, try and punch out the back.  If it's someplace local to you (in the US) then just pay attention to boils and swirls in the water, sometimes you can get pulled over those and have a hard time paddling aruond.  Other than that - it's not much different other than you might find a heavy crowd at the main point.

Bottom line, you just don't want to hit bottom - that's your main focus.  If yo ucan surf 2f-10ft and you're intermediate, then you'll figure out the wave after the first 3 waves probably (for the most part).