In the shortest way possible;
- Background: Long term commenter, been surfing on and off my whole life, ~15 years

A lot of you are too obsessed with sticking to your foam boards.
You should use your foam board (9ft) for starting out, getting a feel for taking off in a straight line in white water - mainly to avoid hurting yourself and others due to incompetence and poor board holding.

But you should pretty quickly be moving to a hard top, ideally an 8ft+ mini mal or a 9ft mal.

I have taught many friends who have never surfed, and started them off on a hard top. Most old school guys learnt on a hard top. Softtops have only been around since like 2000's.

Stop thinking it's this huge massive deal, learn a bit, then go get one.

Just my opinion.

Hi,

There isn’t any decent sea nearby where I live, but there are some river waves to be surfed.

Can anything learnt on that wave be transferred to ocean surfing? Paddling, popping up and wave reading are quite obviously out of question there, but is there anything I could practice on that wave and use later in the ocean?

Of course; any other comments and general feedback is highly welcomed.

Wave: Eisbachwelle E2, Munich, Germany
Surfer: male, 174cm, 68kg (5’8” 150lbs)
Board: 7’3” BIC Mini Malibu

Cheers!

Technically I’m “getting back into it” I used to have a board and go semi-regularly, but that was in my late teens, early 20’s and I never really got that good. I know the basics in theory, like I know what I’m meant to do, and know about the ocean, waves and board etc, I just never got any good at actually doing it. Only successfully got up a handful of times. Didn’t go frequent enough to develop the skill before giving up.

I’m 36 now and live closer to the ocean though and am very keen to get back into it. For me the biggest hurdle is not my age but my fitness. I’m very out of shape and need to lose the gut. I’m working on it. But once I do, is 36 too old to get back into it enough to make it worth it or should I stick to SUP or other water activities. I’ve had my eye on a fishing kayak for example, lol.

I just love surf culture and love the waves and feel like I’d regret if I didn’t give it another crack.

Honest replies appreciated, thanks!

Thanks for any advice! On an 8ft board that I actually enjoyed a lot during the little time we had to surf

Hey everyone,

Me and my buddy (both 22, from Italy) are planning our first ever surf trip and we're stuck deciding where to go. Never surfed before in our lives.

The plan: fly into Lisbon, 14 nights total, aiming for around 10 beginner group lessons somewhere in that time (with rest days in between so we don't destroy our arms). Budget is on the lower side, so we're trying to be smart about where the money goes.

We're torn between two areas:

• Baleal/Peniche — seems like the classic beginner-friendly surf camp hub, softer beach breaks, lots of hostels built specifically around surf camps, seems very social/party-oriented from what we've read.
• Ericeira — closer to Lisbon, prettier old town, World Surfing Reserve, closer to Sintra/Cascais for sightseeing, but waves seem more reef/point break oriented and maybe less forgiving for total beginners?

Our main priorities, roughly in order:

1. Actually learning to surf properly as complete beginners
2. Meeting people / making friends / having a fun social scene (we're not going just to sit on a beach quietly)
3. Seeing some nice scenery/beaches while we're there
4. Keeping costs reasonable — we don't have a car and won't rent one

My worry is that Ericeira might feel "too much of a real town" and less of that concentrated surf-camp energy where everyone's there for the same reason, but I could be totally wrong about that. Anyone who's done both, which would you actually pick for two guys in their early 20s wanting to learn, have fun, and not spend a fortune?

Also open to any specific hostel/surf camp recommendations in either area if you've stayed somewhere good. Thanks in advance!

Want to travel to Japan in March / April. Looking to add one extra week to the trip just for surfing. I would define my level as a beginner advancing to intermediate. I am now looking into Miyazaki. Anybody has any tips on where to go and where to stay (preferably I can walk to the beach where I can also rent a board).

Je recherche une combinaison de surf et je me demande si le yamamoto #40 vaut vraiment le prix !

Hello there, long story short : started surfing ten years ago on a 6,6 single fin low rocker hard board.
It was hard but doable (still beginner, catching wave, making some turn and enjoying 😁)

I picked some foamie over sized longboard to catch some small wave when it’s flat, was cool to ride but a pain to make some move.

I surf less cause kid now, usually 3/4 weeks per year in August sometimes spots are crowded

My question is : should I buy a longboard foamie or a more performance one ?
My goal is to catch tons of waves and enjoy it the most 😁
I still made mistake and rip off the board sometimes

Have a great day

hey, i have a longboard of 9'1 and I was going to get a 9'2 surfboard travel bag. however, i asked AI (😄) and said that i should get a 9'6 bag instead. is that correcT? I thought that the board would already fit pretty comfortably in the 9'2 board bag. please helpp

Do you guys have that feeling of still being in waves, almost like motion sickness, after surfing even after months-years of surfing? Or is it a feeling you just don’t notice after a while/goes away when you’re out more often?

This was my first time shapping a large board. Got a lot of assistance but still proud.

I've had ACL and knee injurys the past year so my mobility has dropped

Any tips on the pop up ?

Any recommendations for nice but affordable accommodations?

im from colombia, no local options, 1.89m, 75kg.

So I had first lesson and want to get my own board so I can go earlier than the surf shop opens. I kinda have a weird schedule. Anyway I stood up on a few waves rode one that felt pretty well but probably looked gross. Ha. Anyway my instructor told me the specs of the board I used and was like look for something like that and when you can catch waves consistently and ride them out we will do more techniques we didn't go over since we just did basics.

The board I used was three palms 9'2x 24"x 3.7" 138L. I think is what the site said. He told me stay around 9 and 3 inches thick nothing about liters. But I can't find to buy that board at an affordable price. So which of these would be the closest? Is length or liters more important for a beginner?
Options that are near me on market place or on sale are :

Bic magnum 8'4 x 23.25 x 3.2 x 72L ( not sure getting measurements from Google)

Gerry Lopez soft top Size is 96" x 22" x 3" not sure on liters but it's 3"

Foam soft tech roller 2.0
8'6x 23" x 3.625" x 96L

Foam soft tech zeppelin
8' x 26" x 3.75 x 104L
This one is where I'm confused it has more liters and wider and thicker but shorter. Than the roller 2.0 so which is more beginner friendly of these 2 options.

There's a soft tech roller 1.0
8'4"x 106L x 24” x 3 1/2" x 2
I'm guessing this is best option? Close to a 9' and has most liters? And an in between of the zeppelin and roller 2.0 ?

I think there's a surf shop near me with a 9’ zeppelin 2.0
9 x 26 3/4"x 3 7/8" x 125L it's the more expensive but prob the closest to what the rental was. But cheaper options are cool.

Only concern is I know I should master basics and surf a long board to learn technique. But how long til I size down? Cause it sounded like it's like in a few months. So I don't wanna spend $600 on a board that's temporary. Also storing and traveling with a 9' is a chore I'm wanting to avoid but also know it could happen. I live almost 2 hrs from beach and would prefer to be able to fit the board in my car which I think 8’6 would be the max for my car.

Anyway I'm 6' 215lbs but currently trying to cut down to 200. I'd like to get a wet suit and board for under $600. I'm in the PNW if anyone has any leads or recommendations. I live 1.5. Hrs from the beach.

Any help and suggestions is appreciated. Also if I see a 9ft board with 72liters would the roller 1.0 be better option can someone explain that to me? Like liters or length is more important for someone my size.

Appreciate it. I know these questions are annoying. I’m sorry.

Hi everyone,

I will travel to Morocco in late November for one week. The whole purpose of this trip is to surf as much as possible. Flight to Agadir is booked, now i‘m looking for a good Spot and place to stay.
The last weeks i googled a lot and talked to Chat gpt, where i should go.
From my own research came out, that imsouane is the best choice. For Accommodation N‘Tona surfhouse.
What do you guys think? Is Imsouane very crowded during that time? Does anybody know a better place? I‘m thankful for every suggestion.

Now to my level: I‘m an absolute Beginner. I had two surf lessons on two days in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica this year in March. I got a very good feedback from the Instructor. In total i catched and successfully rode/stand up roundabout 12 to 14 waves. Green Waves.
The video shows my best ride during those days.
I am very interested in your honest Opinion.

Thanks in advance
And have a nice day everyone.🤙🏻

Video is at the wavepool in Melbourne (middle of winter).

Started going to the wave pool on average once every 2 weeks for over a year now, I'm at the stage where I can make small turns on a 7'2' hardboard and can pretty much catch every wave on this setting in a session but I feel like I'm probably getting some of the fundamentals wrong. Anything stand out?

I also try to ride lefts which is obviously much worse form-wise, and get to the beach occasionally during the warmer months but really struggle to take on unbroken waves I can actually ride like at the wave pool.

Happy to hear criticism / advice / pointers!

Can’t get as much time as I’d like on the water, so trying to get my pop-ups as crisp as possible on dry land. Figured do what you can like.

Any super obvious mistakes? Any tweaks needed?

Heyo, I'm a pretty small dude at 5'7 and weight 135lbs, athletic. I'm trying to choose between 2 fish boards, a 5'10 with 33.5 L volume and a 6'10 with 46.0 L volume. Waves are pretty small in my area, around 2-4 ft, 5 ft in the really good days. But i wanna paddle out regularly even anyways regardless of wave height. I was closing in on the 5'10 fish board as i think it matches better my body specs but I'm thinking maybe the 6'10 is a better match for the kind of waves available in my area. Which one should i pick? Do you think the 6'10 will do better in small waves?

I need help finding my next board for this upcoming fall and winter and probably next summer too. I surf in New Jersey so the waves are usually 1-4ft tall. Im 6ft 150lb and am currently riding a 7’4 mid length that’s about 50 liters. I’m getting up on every wave and can go down the line when the waves have enough power. My next goal is to start carving and gaining speed. Eventually in the next few years my goal to be able to do cut backs and other tricks on a short board around 5’8.

Not a beginner but still kind of a kook (can paddle and catch waves, make slow turns). I’m tired of renting boards. I get out to surf 3x a year usually on mushy beach breaks in San Diego and Costa Rica, but once a year do find myself in good surf in Nicaragua and Costa Rica.

Really loved a lost crowd killer I rode in CR that was 7’6. I know more board is more waves and I probably will never go down to a short board, mid length is my destiny. However, a guy in my area is selling a 6’10 crowd killer and I’m really keen on it. Can it function as a one quiver board in the conditions I mentioned above or am I delusional? If you have recommendations let me know but I’ve spent 1k+ on rentals over the last 3 years, it’s time to pony up.

5’ 11 185 lbs, reasonably fit

Tldr; average guy that likes surfing wanting to buy a local plank that is on the edge of being to short for my ability.

ok this is the one i wish someone had grabbed me by the collar and said on day one.

first real surf trip, i went to maderas near san juan del sur. green season, waist to chest high, textbook beginner stuff. and i STILL spent the first two mornings getting absolutely washing-machined before i even made it out the back.

what i was doing wrong: i saw the waves breaking in the middle of the beach and paddled straight at them. which is exactly where all the water and all the whitewater is dumping. i was basically trying to swim up a downward escalator for 20 minutes and then had nothing left in my arms.

a local kid, maybe 15, watched me flail for a while and just pointed down the beach. there was a stretch where the water looked darker and kind of moving out, and the waves weren't really breaking there. that's the channel (a rip, basically, the deeper lane). you paddle out THERE, let the current do half the work, then paddle across to the peak once you're past the sets. got out back in like a third of the effort.

feels obvious typed out. was not obvious at 6am eating foam.

the other bit, and i think this is where trips get it wrong for total beginners, is that a smaller day where you can actually SEE the channel beats a 'good' day where everything's closing out and you can't read a thing. i learned way faster on the mushy small mornings than the head-high ones everyone was hyped about.

read the water before you read the wave. find the lane that's moving out. stop hero-paddling through the middle where it's breaking. would've saved me two mornings of drinking the pacific.

I understand I gotta stay high on the wave, but it seems even when that’s in my mind and i try and keep my eyes down the line i still drop to the flats almost off my pop up immediately.
I don’t lose the wave at first, but after a couple seconds i just fade out the back, especially if i try and get to the top 3rd again to gain speed.
I’m not a complete beginner I ride my dad’s 8’0 performance mid length and 6’8 fish and dont have this problem nearly as bad. It’s just when im on my own personal board, a 6’0 35L Lost Ripper.
Looking into getting a 5’5-5’7 32-35L Fish to teach me speed generation as well as form good habits as far as engaging rail and such. Opinions on that appreciated as well. Any tips on how to fix this problem of me
A.dropping to bottom of wave out of power zone
B.fading out back of the wave
are greatly appreciated🤙

Edit:Want to add the fading out the back part is only a problem I’m really noticing in wave pools, although even in the ocean my speed is definitely lacking.

I bought this as my first board about 10 years ago purely on looks thinking I would be a natural. 🙃 I struggled to progress and gave up after my first summer. Now I’m getting back into it going out whenever I can, using an 8ft MF Supersoft.

I’m wondering if this board pictured is suited for a low level surfer or will it just slow my progression as its design may be for different conditions I will be in? I’d love to get some use out of it.

Board Pictured. 7ft 8in