This artwork is Starboard's original, drawn for SUP surfing. When you first practice, start in calm water that an instructor has checked, not in the waves.
The moment you lose your balance, your first instinct is to hang on to the board. This picture shows Sean Poynter SUP surfing, and what to think about so your body and your gear don't collide as you fall into the water.
01. First, choose where to practice
A photo taken in the waves doesn't mean it's a place for beginners to practice. At first, learn to fall and get back on with an instructor, somewhere the area around you is clear and you've checked the depth and the bottom.
If people or rocks are close by, or the water is shallow, the moves in the picture alone won't solve that. Before you go in, choosing a place where you can avoid those risks comes first.
02. Don't fall onto the board
The first two pictures show keeping your distance from the hard board and not diving in headfirst. The original explains spreading your body out wide and falling so you land bottom first.
Don't read the words about falling away from the board as meaning you should always jump big. Keep an eye on where the people and gear around you are, and learn from an instructor how to fall in a way that suits that water.
03. Watch where your head and paddle go
The remaining pictures show the original's tips on protecting your head and letting the paddle handle lead underwater. The idea is not to grab blindly at a board that the waves are moving around.
Once you're in the water, check your surroundings and where the board is, then climb back on the way you learned. It's a good idea to practice falling and getting back on as a pair. Carry on with the getting-back-on picture below.
Sources and scope
The artwork is Starboard's original infographic with Sean Poynter's four tips for falling in waves and surf; the explanation is Starboard Korea's commentary. We don't recommend doing these moves as shown in shallow water or near obstacles, and we explain that beginners should practice falling and getting back on together, with instruction, in calm water that has been checked.
The illustration is Starboard's original artwork; the explanation is Starboard Korea's editorial guide, translated into English here. Sources checked: 2026-09-08.
