Surfing Waves

Would the above board be a good first shortboard after riding a Minimal to learn the basics?

I'm 5'8" and weigh roughly 85kg.

Are you a minimal ripper yet before you go weirdo ? Only suitable if you are well beyond basics

What is your fitness level and age? At 5'8" and 85kg you are either muscle bound or fat bound I think you want to stick with boards that have flotation. It's going to be more difficult to catch waves with a smaller board. Maybe try one 6 inches shorter than your minimal or if you are really a glutton for punishment try one a foot shorter.

Thanks for the opinions. I'm not a ripper in any shape or form. I'm happy just catching a wave.

Just turned 37 and spend a lot of time in the gym. I'm not surf fit. I can see what your saying makes sense, but I really want a board that I can learn to duck dive and my minimal is so boyant it refuses to go under. other than that it's a great board.

channel Islands list the weirdo as a novice board and their calculator suggested something around 6ft would be suitable for somebody my weight. Not that I'm set on gettit, it just seems like a good place to start.

Any alternative board around the 6'6" you could recommend, I'm a glutton for punishment!

What's more important ? Catching the wave or Duck diving under the wave ?

I'd rather have a board I can catch waves and have fun surfing than a board that can duck dive and not as easy to catch/ ride.

You work out at the gym with heavy weights ? Consider duck diving your minimal as weight pushing. Surfing is more timing and technique than raw brute force.

Martin wrote:channel Islands list the weirdo as a novice board and their calculator suggested something around 6ft would be suitable for somebody my weight.

"Novice" is quite relative here
And ignore the volume calculator - that's almost always set for very experienced surfers (even when it has a 'beginner' category)

If you're not surf fit, then forget about going smaller at the moment - sure, a shortboard will be easier to duckdive, but then you simply won't be able to catch any waves

If you're 85kg (same as me), you should be able to duckdive anything up to a high-volume 6'8. I can duckdive a fatboy 6'10 for all but the most critical waves.
Incidentally, duckdiving is a whole skill in itself, and a shortboard won't magically mean you can duckdive. It's more about timing and ocean knowledge, so I'd still recommend more time on your mini-mal until your skills are more than 'the basics'.

waikikikichan wrote:What's more important ? Catching the wave or Duck diving under the wave ?

I'd rather have a board I can catch waves and have fun surfing than a board that can duck dive and not as easy to catch/ ride.

You work out at the gym with heavy weights ? Consider duck diving your minimal as weight pushing. Surfing is more timing and technique than raw brute force.

Posted at exactly the same time and saying exactly the same thing

Ok so twice got stopped because someone posted the same idea. So you get a board that you can duck dive but can't catch waves with it for several sessions. If that prospect doesn't put you off then go for it. It's really all a matter of motivation. I think lots of people try to surf a short board and give up because it is more difficult to catch waves. You have to learn to line up better and be more exactly in the right spot. The bigger the board the more leeway you have in lining up. The shorter board will be noticably more difficult to paddle and maybe even just to sit or lay on it. But I learned to surf on a board that I could duck dive however I rarely duck dove it. It's not impossible just don't get discouraged.