Key Takeaways
- ✓ An aerial means leaving the wave face entirely — board and body airborne — and landing back on the wave or in the flats
- ✓ The launch requires maximum speed, a ramp-like section of wave face, and explosive extension off the lip
- ✓ In the air, bring your knees to your chest to keep the board under you — the board follows your feet, and your feet follow your body
- ✓ Landing is the hardest part — compress deeply, aim to land on the downslope of the wave face, and absorb with your legs
- ✓ Aerials build on mastery of bottom turns, speed generation, and vertical surfing — they are the culmination, not the shortcut
The aerial is the most progressive, most difficult, and most exciting maneuver in modern surfing. It is also the most physically demanding and the most likely to result in failure. But when you leave the wave, fly through the air, and land back on the water still riding — there is nothing like it.
At Rapture Surfcamps our advanced coaching sessions introduce aerial basics to surfers who have solid vertical surfing skills, reliable snaps and re-entries, and sufficient fitness for repeated high-intensity attempts. The aerial is not a beginner or intermediate maneuver — it is built on top of everything else.
What Is an Aerial?
An aerial (or "air") is a maneuver where the surfer and the board leave the wave face entirely, travel through the air, and ideally land back on the wave or in the flats. Unlike every other maneuver in surfing, the aerial breaks contact with the water.
Aerials range from small "chop hops" (barely leaving the surface) to massive rotations and grabs at the top of the wave. This lesson covers the fundamentals — the straight air — before you explore variations.
The Three Phases
Every aerial has three phases: launch, flight, and landing.
Phase 1: Launch
The launch is everything. A bad launch cannot be fixed in the air.
Requirements:
- Maximum speed (from the bottom turn and pumping)
- A ramp (a section of wave face that naturally launches you upward)
- Explosive extension at the moment of lip departure
Phase 2: Flight
Once airborne, you have limited control. Your main job is to keep the board under your feet and prepare for landing.
Phase 3: Landing
The landing is the hardest phase. Most aerial attempts fail here, not during launch or flight.
The Launch: Finding the Ramp
Not every section of wave is suitable for an aerial launch. You need a natural ramp — a section where the wave face steepens rapidly, creating an upward trajectory.
Ideal ramp sections:
- A bowly section where the wave dips and steepens over a shallow feature.
- A closing section where the lip is pitching forward, creating a vertical or beyond-vertical launch surface.
- An end section where the wave is about to close out — the final pitch provides a natural ramp.
Aerial Launch Sequence
Build maximum speed
Use the deepest possible bottom turn, pump aggressively, and carry every bit of speed you can generate into the approach.
Identify the ramp section
Read the wave face for a section that is steepening — a bowl, a closing section, or a pitching lip. This is your launch zone.
Approach the ramp on a vertical line
Your trajectory should be steep — ascending the face at 60–80 degrees. A horizontal approach does not launch you upward.
Compress before the lip
As you approach the lip, compress deeply — knees bent, hips low. This loads your legs for the launch.
Explode at the lip
As the board reaches the lip, extend explosively — straighten your legs, drive upward with your whole body. This is the jump.
Bring knees to chest
Immediately after launch, pull your knees toward your chest. This keeps the board attached to your feet through the air.
Speed: The Absolute Prerequisite
Aerials demand more speed than any other maneuver. Without sufficient speed, you simply cannot generate enough upward momentum to leave the wave.
Speed generation for aerials means:
- The deepest, most powerful bottom turn you can execute.
- Aggressive pumping on the approach.
- Using the wave's steepest sections for gravitational speed.
- Carrying speed through the approach without braking or turning.
The common frustration: "I tried to air but just did a re-entry." Almost always, the problem is insufficient speed. More speed fixes most aerial failures.
In the Air: Board Control
Once airborne, gravity is pulling you down and you have no water surface to push against. Your control is limited to:
- Body position: Knees pulled to chest keeps the board under your feet. Extending your legs pushes the board away.
- Arms: Your arms help balance and can influence rotation. Keep them relatively compact.
- Eyes: Look at your landing zone. Your body naturally orients toward where you look.
Keeping the board under you
The biggest challenge in the air is maintaining contact with the board. Without gravity pushing you into the board (as it does when you ride the face), the board and your body can separate.
Solutions:
- Pull knees up immediately after launch. This brings your feet (and the board) closer to your centre of mass.
- Maintain foot pressure. Even in the air, keep gentle pressure through your feet to hold the board in place.
- A grab — reaching down and holding the rail with your hand — physically locks the board to your body. This is the simplest aerial technique and the one to learn first.
The Landing
Landing is where most aerials fail. You are dropping from above the wave onto a moving, curved water surface while travelling at speed. The margin for error is small.
Where to land
- On the wave face (downslope): The ideal landing. You land on the face and ride away. The downslope absorbs some of the impact and maintains your speed.
- In the flats: Landing on flat water beyond the wave. This works but the impact is harder because there is no slope to absorb the drop.
- On the foam: Landing on the whitewater. This is unstable but can work if your balance is strong.
How to land
- Spot the landing. In the air, look at where you want to land. Eyes lead everything.
- Extend your legs. Just before impact, extend your legs to meet the water surface.
- Compress on impact. The moment the board touches water, bend your knees deeply to absorb the shock. This is the same suspension principle from every other landing in surfing.
- Centred weight. Too far forward and the nose digs. Too far back and the tail stalls. Centre is survival.
Common Mistakes
Aerial Errors
✗ Mistake
Not enough speed — the 'air' is just a high re-entry
✓ Correction
Build more speed. The most common aerial failure is simply insufficient speed. Pump harder, bottom turn deeper.
✗ Mistake
Straightening legs in the air — the board separates from your feet
✓ Correction
Pull your knees to your chest immediately after launch. This keeps the board connected to your feet.
✗ Mistake
Not looking at the landing zone — flying blind
✓ Correction
In the air, look at where you want to land. Your body follows your eyes — this orients you for landing.
✗ Mistake
Stiff-legged landing — the impact bounces you off the board
✓ Correction
Compress deeply on impact. Your legs are shock absorbers — let them absorb the landing.
Drills
Chop Hop Progression
Multiple sessionsBuilds toward full aerials through progressive small launches.
Equipment
- 1 Session 1: On small waves, ride toward a closing section and try to hop the board slightly off the lip. Even 5 cm off the water counts.
- 2 Session 2: Increase the height. Add a more explosive extension at the lip.
- 3 Session 3: Add a rail grab in the air — reach down and hold the rail as you hop.
- 4 Session 4: Find steeper ramp sections and commit to higher launches.
- 5 Session 5: On head-high waves, attempt full aerials off bowly or closing sections.
Board Design for Aerials
Aerial-oriented board design features:
- Lighter weight. Less mass is easier to launch.
- More rocker. Helps with the lip launch and landing re-entry.
- Flatter rocker in the nose. Helps maintain speed for the approach.
- Concave under the front foot. Channels water for speed.
- Performance shortboard dimensions. Typically 5'6"–6'2" for an average adult.
Progressive Approach
Aerials are the culmination of a long progression:
- Solid bottom turns
- Powerful top turns and re-entries
- Vertical surfing — using the full wave face
- Explosive snaps at the lip
- Chop hops and small airs off closing sections
- Full aerials with grabs
- No-grab airs
- Rotational airs (360s, etc.)
Skipping steps leads to frustration and injury. Each stage builds the speed generation, body awareness, and timing needed for the next.
Safety
Aerials carry higher risk than water-based maneuvers because you are falling from a height:
- Know the depth. Never attempt aerials over shallow reef.
- Fall flat. If you miss the landing, spread your body to maximise surface area on impact.
- Protect your head. The board can rebound unpredictably after a failed landing.
- Build gradually. Small airs on small waves before big airs on big waves.
Final Thoughts
The aerial represents the cutting edge of surfing — the maneuver that has progressed the sport more than any other in the past two decades. It demands everything: speed, power, timing, wave reading, body control, and courage. Start small, build progressively, and enjoy the process. The first time you leave the wave, float through the air, and land back on water still riding — you will understand what all the effort was for.
