Surfing Waves

Hi im new to the sport and i d like to start with a shortboard. I know its harder for a start but dont have much money to spent for 2 boards. Although i think i m gonna make it with some hard work! . well becoz i live in greece i dont have many options to choose between many brands etc. some nice staff (i think) i found are these: (im 1.80m or 6'2 and 72kg or 160 pounds)
http://www.funproshop.gr/shop/bic-short ... surfboard/
http://www.s-exhouse.gr/index.php?page= ... 21&lang=el
http://www.forward.gr/surf-sup/uurfboar ... oards.html
i was thinking about the bic coz its cheaper and heard some good news for begginers. Although could someone tell me what Height should my board have?
thank you

Yasu Stefan, we seem to be getting an upsurge of Greek learning surfers.

Let's give you a little bit of help in saving few Euros which in turn will help you save Greece.
Enough political stuff_______, honestly I'd suggest a longboard to start, you are really going to struggle on a short board as the predominant surf is small and fairly powerless , making a short board even less of a platform to learn on. If you cannot have fun and learn on a board it is not economical ( comes from a Greek word) and it you can't afford two then one long is really the best way to go.
It's all Bs for you buy a bigger BIC about 9ft. If you are worried about your image, don't you won't have any credibility until you can surf OK!


Pick something that can give you fun over something that won't

He's not been out for a while, but I think it's time he had a little a daytrip...




P.S. 1.80m tall is just over 5'10, not 6'2....

didnt get that

drowningbitbybit wrote:He's not been out for a while, but I think it's time he had a little a daytrip...




P.S. 1.80m tall is just over 5'10, not 6'2....

stefanosxtei wrote:didnt get that

I think he is commenting on the fact that the major question by every newbie is should I get a short board, and over and over the answer is no don't.
The next most frequent question is why can't I learn fast on my short board often several months later by the same person who asked the first question!

Read down the shortboard pages


Going long is good advice, but anyone is free to choose their surf craft of choice!
A question a lot of us here are trying to figure out what is going on. Why short boards
Stefan why do you think you want a short board

i think coz i just feel im gonna enjoy it the more difficult isnt always worse remember greece is getting destroyed(will not we ll kick their *** ). what s worse?? so longboard shortboard? i ll take a shortboard and if it doesnt work i ll use it like a shield in front of the cops while we brake in the goverment! haha so shortboard it is! thank you all!

[quote="stefanosxtei"i ll take a shortboard and if it doesnt work i ll use it like a shield in front of the cops while we brake in the goverment! haha so shortboard it is! thank you all! [/quote]
Good to see a positive outlook

A famous Australian surfer Nat Young once said "support the revolution go surfing!"
That was the counter culture revolution in Australia and against the Vietnam war.

Stefan the foam inside surfboards was used to make napalm stick, stay away from Molotov cocktails with your new board what ever it is.
Better idea here is another guy in Greece actually near you this is his thread, enjoy, team up and go surfing.
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=19389

I think you would have been much better off going for a longboard, But none the less if you want a shortboard noone will stop you. Let us know how you get on!

wow thats some nice info jaffa. well guys thank all of you. i ll let you know what i did at the end and how i manage greetings from greece

I think you should reconsider. I've been surfing about 6 years now, and when conditions are right for a shortboard I can surf one reasonably successfully. In smaller less powerful surf its absolutely pointless. The surf you get in Greece may be ok for a shortboard once a year. What are you going to do the rest of the time?

Surfers who are already very, and I mean VERY good, can surf a shortboard in small waves and make it look easy. To try to learn on a shortboard in weak waves is actually impossible. It's a bold statement, and you're welcome to try to prove me wrong but I don't think you are giving the sport a fair chance.

Best of luck, and welcome to the forum. As others have said, post how you get on.

so something like this would me ok?
http://www.bicsportsurfboards.com/produ ... u,479.html
im 6'2 (1.80 m ) and 160 pounds)

stefanosxtei wrote:so something like this would me ok?
http://www.bicsportsurfboards.com/produ ... u,479.html
im 6'2 (1.80 m ) and 160 pounds)

Hey Stefan,

I'm pretty similar size to you - 6'1 75kg (165lbs) and learned to surf on a 7'6 mini mal. it was about right for me. I agree it's easier to ride a longer board, as they catch waves earlier, and give much longer rides by gliding around sections that would stop a shortboard in its tracks.

My brother started to learn to surf before me, on a 7'2 mini mal, and gave up after 12 months because he wasn't seeing rapid improvements in his ability, and was still somewhere between whitewater and face-rides.

The lesson is that longer is better, and can be the difference between becoming a surfer and giving up.

I now ride a 6'1 hydrid or a 6'2 shortboard, depending on the day, but there's always days that a longer board is needed.

Also, I find my ability on the 6'2 shortboard is much more limited than the wider and thicker hybrid. I need better waves (but not big waves either) to get it going well.

jimi
I've been surfing about 6 yrs too.

stefanosxtei wrote:so something like this would me ok?
http://www.bicsportsurfboards.com/produ ... u,479.html
im 6'2 (1.80 m ) and 160 pounds)

If you lived here Stefan, then yes that board would be about the smallest one I would buy as a beginner. But then the surf gets pretty good here quite a bit. I wouldn't feel right recommending anything less than a 9ft board. If you buy a proper longboard 9ft learning to surf might actually be what its meant to be.... fun!

i was just think a bit smaller like a 7'6 so i dont have to buy at least for the next 1-2 years another surfboard. Im a student in university and money are a big thing. where i live you can find easyly waves 1-4 ft and 5-6 also.. you can find though bigger waves in some spots. Dont know i m just thinking about the money..

You'll be able to surf a 9ft board forever, and it will take years before its the board that holding you back. If, and when you decide to go smaller, you'll be glad you got such a big board, because you'll always have one for those days when a shortboard just isn't worth it.

stefanosxtei wrote:i was just think a bit smaller like a 7'6 so i dont have to buy at least for the next 1-2 years another surfboard. Im a student in university and money are a big thing. where i live you can find easyly waves 1-4 ft and 5-6 also.. you can find though bigger waves in some spots. Dont know i m just thinking about the money..

As already suggested, get the longest board you can afford, and can fit in your car/house/apartment. In about 3 years, then think about getting a 7ft board to increase the turning/performance aspect. You'll want to keep the longboard, and if you sell it you'll miss it. If you get a mini-mal/funboard around 7'2 you will probably want to get rid of it after a while because it isn't a great board for tricks, and isn't a great board for longboard-style riding, and won't catch waves as easily as a true longboard.

I'm not convinced that you need to get a shorter board to 'progress'. There's plenty of excellent surfers who surf longboards in all waves, and it is a different form of surfing. I guess it all depends on your idea of progression, but catching lots of waves, and getting long rides where you can experiment with trim, turns and weight positioning is a good place to start for beginner and intermediate surfers. If you want a smaller board to make tighter turns and steeper drops, THEN think about a genuine shortboard or hybrid fish - but by this stage you should know exactly what you need.

Remember, the best surfboard is the one that will get you the most fun waves. This doesn't mean it's the same board as Kelly Slater rides. If you're not trying to do snaps or tucking into barrels (maybe in 6 years you will be) then you don't need a board optimised for that style of surfing.

hi guys! so i got a 6'0 retro fish last month! got my first waves after the first 4-5 times and last week i had some nice turns also!! its perfect!!! its a lot of fun! (and lot of water above me ) thanks you all for responding my posts!

congrats on the new board.

Yasu, Go the Crete Crew