No Gnarly Waves Allowed

Some say South Beach is no place to catch a wave, but dudes in the know would beg to differ. Sure, it ain’t Waimea, but SoFi isn’t only the coolest place to live — it’s also the place where you’ll catch a wave that would make Matthew McConaughey throw his stoner head back in glee. The easy access doesn’t necessarily mean your wave-riding dreams will be easy to attain, though. You’ll need biceps to paddle out into the ocean, abs to pop up into a standing position on the board, and balls of steel to ride the wave into the sand.

The surfer dudes at F1rst Surf Shop (100 Collins Ave., Miami Beach) offer lessons in one- to three-hour intervals that will teach you the fundamentals from take-off to drop-in and have you hanging 10 (or five) in no time. You’ll learn what a fetch is and how to catch a swell, but more important, you’ll find that surfing is not only a sport but also a lifestyle that requires nuanced knowledge of the environment. If you’d rather just look the part, the shop carries everything from boards to suits to sunglasses in brands that run the gamut from the obvious to the obscure. Lessons start at $40 per person for a group of four.

Starts: Jan. 11. Daily, 2009