Contributed by Korina Rossi, Catalogs.com Top 10 Guru

Surfing reigns as one of the most physically demanding sports, requiring balance, flexibility, and strength.

But the challenge doesn’t stop there: surfers have developed a rich culture of slang, hand signals, and dressing styles that can perplex the outsider. With a few tips, you can easily learn to look like a veteran surfer from your first day riding the waves (well, at least until you try to stand up…but we won’t talk about that right now!)

Here are my top 10 clothes to wear with your surfboard:

10. Wetsuit

Especially during fall and early springs, the traditional black wetsuit is the uniform of the best surfing beaches. While they can be rather pricey, look for sales in the off-season, and you’ll be riding the crests like a pro.

9. Board shorts

Board shorts, the quintessential gear for summer surfing, come in all sizes and cuts. Surfing is not a sport of camouflage, so surfers favor flamboyant colors and designs. Just make sure your shorts are securely tied… wardrobe malfunctions aren’t fun for the victim! (Everyone else will have their Instagram ready!)

8. Hawaiian Shirt

Bowing to the roots of surfing, the Hawaiian shirt is a great reminder that every surfer should book a trip to Hawaii at least once. When it comes to these classic tropical tops, remember the brighter and more garish, the better. This is no time for neutrals!

7. Grass Skirt

Luau music, grass skirts, and drinks in coconut shells are a fun way to teach the kids about surfing culture. Add a coconut shell bra, especially if you’re a guy. (Hint — a couple of Screaming Hurricanes before deciding to wear the outfit will help!)

6. Graphic T-Shirt

Like skateboards, surfers doff eye-catchingly motley t-shirts as their civvies. Choosing shirts that have an eco-friendly theme will make the point without making you look like a chrubbee—in surfer’s lingo, a poser. Skip the fake surf shop designs from your local chain stores… real surfers will spot those in a second.

5. Bandana

On days when every surfer on the beach is sporting the same black wetsuit, attracting the attention of fans can be dicey. Adding a few colorful bandanas to your surfing ensemble will keep you in the limelight.

4. Rash guard

Sun burns and blisters are the bane of surfers everywhere, who often miss a day of surfing to nurse their shoulders with aloe. Wearing a rash guard, a shirt made of synthetic materials with a high UPF rating, will keep you on the waves and out of the shade. Do use a good, waterproof sunscreen, especially for your first few days out on the waves. Why? Lobsters do NOT look cool on boards, dude!

3. Sarong

Sarongs aren’t only for ladies these days: the number of male surfers wearing traditional cover-ups has been on the rise. I guess the guys are discovering how nice it feels to wrap up after a few hours in the water.

2. Tank Top

Tank tops have earned their place in the well-stocked surfer’s wardrobe because of their style, lightness, and range of arm motion. Look for shirts that can stand up to the sun, sand and salt. The elements are hard on fabric, and you don’t want a tank that ends up in shreds the first day you wear it.

1. Hoodie

Fighting off the post-surfing shivers is vital if you want to belly up to the bar with your new surfing buddies after a day riding the swells. Tuck a fleece hoodie in your gear bag, and you’ll never miss out. (And no, it is NOT more manly to shiver and pretend you’re not cold. Major turn off to see wearing goosebumps!)