Surfing's New Wave

Gear, Girls and where to go-what are you waiting for, Ripper?

Grab your board now, while surfing is still riding a crest. Besides being a great excuse to spend more time at the beach, surfing has earned street cred as an alternative to mass-market extreme sports. Surfers and equipment companies have done their best to shake the stoner stereotype that has dogged the sport since Fast Times at Ridgemont High.

Surfing kings such as Kelly Slater and Bruce Irons have ditched hanging 10 for moves that will leave poseurs sucking seawater. So before you paddle out, let us clue you in on where the waves are, what's new on the beach and which board you ought to be strapping to your roof. If someone asks you what's happening in the surf world, you can smile, throw a shaka and say, Bro, It's Been Sweet."

Beginner, huntington beach, California

Even though the waves rarely exceed three feet, this beach is still considered the center of the surf scene. Every summer thousands of surfers, groupies and wannabes pack the beach next to Huntington Pier to watch top pros from the Association of Surfing Professionals (the U.S. Open of surfing) tear it up. A great place to start surfing.

Intermediate, lower trestles, san clemente. California

Named for the train trestles that surfers cross to get to the break, this spot is a hotbed of futuristic surfing. The point-break-style waves are ideal for such modern tricks as airs, cutbacks and off the lips. One warning: The Trestles crowd consists mostly of surfing professionals and aggressive locals, making this beach frustrating for a beginner.

Expert, pipeline, oahu, hawaii

The Banzai Pipeline launches out of open ocean and explodes on a shallow reef to form a perfect pipe. Every year the Gerry Lopez Pipeline Masters challenges top pros to take on these dangerous" waves. Strictly for experts.

Death Wish, teahupoo, tahiti

Regarded as the world's deadliest wave, Teahupoo is surfing's serial killer. It's already taken numerous lives. This lethal wave sweeps around a barrier reef a few hundred yards offshore before erupting along a razor-sharp coral reef.

Surf Sports

Best Place to Surf Naked

(or see girls surfing naked) hossegor, france Situated near Nice on the Mediterranean, this vacation destination is mobbed during the summer months with thin, bronzed, nude Euros. If you can keep your mind on surfing and eyes on the waves, try catching one of the huge tubes that roll in here.

Best Place for Surf Groupies

gold coast, queensland, australia During the summer months (February through May), this section of Australia heats up with Aussie women who have an appetite for surfers. And the waves are legendary at Kirra, Burleigh Heads and Duranbah. Don't forget to check out the action at Surfer's Paradise, a strand of nightclubs.

Best Surfers' Resort

tavarua, fiji This all-inclusive surf resort set on a small island in Fiji is a surfer's Club Med. Guests are treated to a boat ride directly to the break with hot Jacuzzis and a full-service bar on the beach. The resort limits occupancy to 25 people, which guarantees crowd-free lineups as surfers take a shot at Cloudbreak, one of the most perfect waves on earth. A dream trip for any surfer.

basic boarding

Bottom Turn

What it is: This is the first trick you do after standing up on a wave. To complete, drop down to the bottom of the wave and lean into a turn in either direction. Required Experience: Six months to a year.

Off the Lip

What it is: When you come off a bottom turn head straight for top, or "lip," of the wave and quickly turn or slash off of it. Some surfers call them "lippers," but don't listen to them. Required Experience: One to two years.

Cutback

What it is: To complete a cutback, race out onto the shoulder or open part of the wave and quickly cut or carve back toward the whitewash. If you bank back off the whitewash it's called a roundhouse cutback. Required Experience: If you can bottom turn, you can cutback

Air

What it is: When you project off and above the lip with your feet stuck to the board and land back on the wave. Modern surfers have been adding grabs, spins and, just recently, flips into the mix. Required Experience: Good Luck, Beginners, estimate four to six years to learn.

Tube

What it is: When a surfer ducks under the falling lip and gets completely surrounded by a tube or tunnel of water. It's why people start surfing in the first place. Required Experience: None. Tube riding is an art form—either you're born with it or you're not.

"teahupoo is surfing's serial killer."

Surf on over to the Playboy cyber club for nude Photos of boarder amy cobb—cyber.Playboy.com.