Leah Dawson's Guide to Alternative Surf Craft

17 Lessons

Explore the magic of alternative surfboards with Leah Dawson, a style icon whose collection of surfboards is as diverse and unique as her approach to each wave. From fish to bonzers and everything in between, Leah shares insights on unique surfboard shapes in her 17-lesson video course. You'll break through surfing plateaus, discover new ways to ride waves, and have a lot more fun surfing.

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Surfing isn't just longboards and shortboards. There's a whole world of alternative surf craft waiting for you.

Learn about five special types of surfboards from Leah Dawson's garage. She discusses how each interacts with a wave, the hydrodynamics at play, and how each shape influences your approach to a wave. "Every board gives us a different feeling," says Leah. "And those feelings are priceless."

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Find the barrel on any board you ride.

Leah knows no matter the board, we are always looking for a good tube. In this course, she shares how to adjust finding and ditching speed on boards of completely different sizes, shapes, and styles. From foot placement to finding the barrel stance that works for you, Leah offers some golden nuggets of insight.

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"My surfing has always been about riding as many different surf crafts as I can get my hands on, because I’m incredibly enthused by the different feelings I can achieve just by switching fins or by riding a friend’s board."

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“The flavor of the month is always changing.”

Leah admits that the same instinct to grab a different board all the time is exactly what keeps her growing as a surfer. Her goal with this course is to help you achieve the same thing.

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Find inspiration to ride new surf crafts.

What are alternative shapes, after all? Leah covers anything that's not your average thruster shortboard or your traditional longboard in this course.

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"How can two boards ride so differently? That's the beauty of alternative craft."

In 17 lessons, Leah helps you understand the nuances that make alternative boards so...different. From contours to rails, how different fins work the way they do, and ultimately, how you'll start applying your own style to riding any and every board you come across.

"My go-to is never knock a board until you try it," Leah says. "The more variety the better."

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Course Curriculum

Welcome to Leah Dawson's Guide to Alternative Surf Craft

Alternative surfboard aficionado and style icon Leah Dawson dissects the alternative surfboards between a longboard and a shortboard to help you catch more waves and have more fun surfing.

Meet Your Instructor: Leah Dawson

5 mins
728 MB

Alternative Shapes

Leah analyzes a few popular alternative shapes, explaining the design features that make them unique and what each offers in creativity and performance.

An Introduction to Alternative Surf Shapes

9 mins
1.19 GB

The Terrapin Midlength

8 mins
1.12 GB

6'8" Long Twin

8 mins
1.02 GB

5'2" Fish

8 mins
1.11 GB

6' Twinzer

7 mins
975 MB

6'8" Downrail Single Fin

9 mins
1.25 GB

Style and Approach

Leah imparts wisdom ranging from her own personal approach to the technical and mechanical tools you'll want to master on different shapes.

Leashes

7 mins
936 MB

Paddling

9 mins
1.2 GB

Meeting the Wave

8 mins
1.07 GB

Being a Visual Learner

6 mins
885 MB

Foot Placement

7 mins
1.01 GB

Cross Stepping

2 mins
259 MB

Kick Outs

4 mins
451 MB

Barrels

5 mins
677 MB

Getting Back Into Position: The Road Back to the Lineup

6 mins
895 MB

Parting Thoughts

A final wrap-up and review for the road.

Leah's Parting Thoughts

2 mins
219 MB

FAQs

Who is this course for?

If you're at a plateau in your surfing and want guidance from one of the world's best surfers to push it to the next level, this course is for you. Leah wants this course to help anybody from the surfer in their first year to more experienced athletes with 20 years of waves under their belt.

What does "alternative surf craft" cover?

Leah shares the special design aspects of five unique boards in her own quiver, but the lessons were picked specifically to expand each student's own understanding of all surfboards. By learning about these five shapes, the waves and conditions they are best suited for, the lines a surfer can draw with each, and the proper mechanics of foot placement, cross-stepping, and more, each student will have a foundation of knowledge they can apply to exploring any and every new shape that piques their interest.

What do I need for this course?

Just an internet connection. (And some fundamental surf skills are a pre-requisite).

What doesn't the course cover?

This course does not cover the basics of surfing and surfing fundamentals. If you're interested in learning to surf, Kassia Meador's Definitive Guide to Longboarding is a great place to start.

In what currency is the price?

Prices are in USD.

How long do I have access to the course?

For life, brah. If you ever want to reference one of Leah's lessons, just fire it up!

What if I don't like it?

We really hope you love it! And we feel confident you will. There is no instructor on earth better qualified to teach you about the magic of alternative surfboards than Leah Dawson. She's also highly candid and entertaining in how she shares her knowledge. Unfortunately, we’re not able to offer refunds after you access the content. If you’re on the fence, we strongly recommend that you watch the preview video to get a sense of what the class is like before you buy.

About Leah Dawson

From Orlando, Florida, Leah Dawson started surfing longboards from an early age and loved riding shortboards every time the waves were big enough. But once she rode a single fin shortboard for the first time, she was hooked on a whole new aspect of surfing that she's become known for around the world.

"It really drove me towards wanting to explore surfing in ways that I didn't really see in magazines and in the modern surf movies," she says. That started a journey of collecting surfboards — anything she could get her hands on. "It's like fingerprints. They're all unique."

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