It’s no secret that progressing in surfing is challenging. Once you master the basics, like popping up and riding down the line, there’s a long way to go before you’re considered an advanced surfer. The gap between beginner surfers and advanced surfers is far-reaching. At the most basic level, an intermediate surfer has mastered everything you’d learn in a North Shore Surf Lesson: popping up, paddling, riding down the line. On the other end of the spectrum, a more experienced intermediate surfer can perform turns and generate speed down the line. After founding a surf school in 2021 to help beginner surfers get in the water and enjoy surfing, Jamie O’Brien launched a surf progression app to help intermediate surfers master advanced maneuvers. We sat down with Jamie for an interview about Jamie’s new app. Continue reading below to learn more about Jamie’s new app and how it can help you improve your surfing with thousands of surf tips.
Jamie, tell us a bit about this new surf progression app. What kind of surf tips can users expect?
“The surf app is super rad… We started a surf app where you can ask anything. You could say, ‘What’s up Jamie? How are Reef and Grom?’ And I answer. You can ask me anything on the app. I filmed over 2,000 different questions and answered them each in five different ways. You can learn how to bottom turn. You can learn how to barrel ride. You can learn how to do an air. You can learn how to do a cutback.”
What type of surfer should download the app?
“The app is going to have something for everyone. Right now, we’re starting with intermediate surfers who want to learn how to compress correct[ly], improve their cut back, and learn barrel riding techniques. We’re aiming for the middle area of surfers, and we’ll eventually work our way out from there. There’s going to be something for everyone, like novelty wave surfing with Ben Gravy, strength training with Nate Florence, and more.”
What makes the app different from the existing YouTube surf tutorials out there?
“The problem with those videos is that they’re 10-15 minutes long. So, you have to scrub through the whole video to find what you’re looking for. [With our app], you can have every single thing you need to know about surfing in one place. You can find what you’re looking for in 30 seconds, save it, and go to the beach and nail it out. They’re all doing a great job, but like anything in life, if I’m gonna do it, I’m gonna do it the best I possibly can. And that’s because I know how important it is as a surfer to learn. I used to watch Bruce Irons and Johny Boy Gomes surf religiously, and that’s how I got to learn. I feel like this is going to be a really groundbreaking app and the surfing world needs it.”
Head to the App Store to download the Jamie O’Brien Surf Progression App. If you’re an intermediate surfer visiting Oahu, check out our North Shore Guided Surf Program, where we’ll take you to the best waves on the island for your skill level. If you’re planning your Hawaii vacation, book your stay at the Turtle Bay Resort to stay close to the action on the North Shore.