Given the above schedule, many people can learn to surf in one day. It's impossible to predict precisely how long it will take you to ride a wave, but with the right equipment, guidance and attitude, you should ride a wave between five and twenty hours. Well, if you really want to go to the next level of surfing, you have to do it consistently and give yourself a real chance. At a minimum, I would suggest surfing once every fortnight at the initial level.
You could do less, but you run the risk of returning to where you started the previous session. How many surf lessons do you need? A two-hour surf lesson is usually enough for most people to acquire the basics and an idea of how to surf and techniques. After that, you can buy your own equipment and try it out on your own, or go back to taking more classes; it all depends on your comfort level. Although surf antennas have existed since the 80s, their popularity has skyrocketed in the last 10-15 years due to equipment and general advances in the level of professional surfing.
With this in mind, to learn to surf the waves backwards, expect to add an additional 50% to the time needed to learn how to surf front waves, that is, approximately 240 to 400 hours of surfing. The difficulty of surfing is related to the time it takes to learn how to surf, and many beginners and aspiring surfers are anxious to know how much time they must invest in surfing before they can truly learn. Maintain a good level of physical condition outside the waves so that this doesn't hinder your improvement in surfing. Remember that you'll have to take some time to familiarize yourself with the basic principles of surfing before you're really prepared for it, because if you can't do it, you'll be a danger to other surfers.
I have been surfing intermittently for 10 years (I am currently 40 years old) and I live in a country without waves, so surfing has been limited to holidays. As mentioned above, paddling in advanced surfing spots unprepared is not only dangerous, but it will likely slow you down and discourage you from surfing. Anyone who has attended the UP Surf Coaching beginner surf course will know that I describe the process of becoming a surfer from day one. The surf popup is one of the hardest parts of learning to surf and it's something that causes a lot of difficulty for many people, especially in the first few days.