Surfing Waves

Ok so im new to surfing for the most part. I have ridden my friends shortboard and been able to stand with no problem. So I went to the local surf shop and bought a used fish. I used it today in 3 foot waves or so and found it much more difficult to stand than it was on my friends shortboard. I was able to stand but i had to keep my body low if i straightened out i would fall. My board is 6'2" looks like a shortboard but just is a little wider and it has the swallow tail w shape and a hip about a foot before the tip of the tail making is skinner than the rest of the board. Umm.... its also a twin fin. Sorry for the horrible description like i said im new. So is there anything i should know about this board and any tips to help me get up and going??

Southpark0419 wrote: So is there anything i should know about this board

1. It's too short for you.
2. Fish aren't suitable for beginners.

Southpark0419 wrote: any tips to help me get up and going??

Okay, I'll try and be a bit more constructive...
A photo would help but it sounds like you're talking about a hybrid shortboard rather a true fish?
These tend not to be ideal in steep waves, and simply dont work in the whitewater. If you're still in the whitewater - forget it. Come back to it in a couple of years.
You want a slowish fat wave, and you'll probably need a breaking section to get moving - so you're gonna need an almost perfect beginners wave.

And once you're up and moving, you need to keep adjusting your body weight to give you drive - it wont just cruise along like a mini-mal.





Oh, and go and introduce yourself on this thread

Is there another board that i should look around for (shortboard style wise)... other than a longboard.... i live on the east coast of FL and mostly small wave days and lots of whitewater...

Small wave days are good for a fish. Ideal, in fact.

You just need to find a clean wave, and get out of the whitewater. After that - if you want to progress on this board - its just perseverance.

http://www.surfworld.us/m10boards/DSC_0008.jpg this is the best i could find looks basically like that board except its got built in twin fins

Yup, thats not a fish. Thats a pretty high performance shortboard with a swallowtail, and with a quad/twin set up.

You dont mention your own height/weight, or the thickness of the board, but I get the feeling you may have just bought a board way beyond your abilities. That type of board is not suitable for learning, and will be absolutely hopeless in whitewater.

drowningbitbybit wrote:You dont mention your own height/weight, or the thickness of the board, but I get the feeling you may have just bought a board way beyond your abilities. That type of board is not suitable for learning, and will be absolutely hopeless in whitewater.

Aww... thats a bummer... uh im tall and slim about 5'11" and 130lbs...not sure on the thickness it dosent seem any thicker than my friends shortboard. Yeah hopefully i can make this baord work for me lol so far its looking questionable

Looks and sounds to be a high performance short swallow tail with retro glass on twin fins. You got the right concept but the wrong board. What you have needs more drive behind it and is very dependent on the rails/tail shape for turns and the twin glass on are a duel profile stabilizers/turn blades (much much harder). Again needs a larger steeper wave with more energy behind it, plus it is not a beginner board. I say you look for a fun board to start (mix between a mal and short) or a 3 fin thruster with a flater rocker and less turned down in the rails around 6'4" or so. god luck.