Surfing Waves

so im originally from michigan. ive snowboarded and skated since i was 7 and i just bought a new board 10 minnutes ago
6'1 x 19? x 3
im 5 foot 7 and about 220. im gonna drop weight fast since most of it is beer weight and im not drinkin...just nice salads and water.
is this board going to be good for me? and also where can i go to learn? north shore is not gonna happen. ill die so any locals if you know thatd be sweet
and if anyone wants to give out some lessons for a burger or somethin thatd be sweet to
thanks guys
brink

the board is very small for a first board, it will take you a while to learn to pop up. If you can rent a longer board first to learn, you may easily get frustrated on the 6.1. Practice popups on the floor, il trade you my almost brand new thick 6.6 fot that 6.1 maybe if you want. The board seems a bit small for you and your skill level.

On that board you're going to be stuck on a south shore beach break for a year or two!

You definately need to learn on something bigger!

what size would be better?
i figured it was sort of like snowboarding...for my size i always went down a few so i could twork the board easier with turns and spins.
i think i might be going in the wrong direction here.....does anyone live in oahu and wanna help?

I hear where you're coming from with the easier maneovres, but the real limitation of a shorter board is catching the waves, getting more tired and being heaps less stable. I tried a 6"0 after surfing for 2 months surfing on a mini mal, and still struggled to get onto my feet quickly.

Hiya Brink.

I had a short board at first, because i couldn't afford anything else... But since i got a minimal i have actually been able to surf!... believe me you'll have so much more fun starting on a longer board.

Loads of people buy a short board and try to learn on it...after all, they are damn sexy looking... some people succeed, but many get frustrated and give up.

Read through this...
https://surfing-waves.com/beginner_surfboard.htm

And this...
https://surfing-waves.com/beginner_surfboard1.htm

Good luck dude.

I just came back from O'ahu a few weeks ago, and I grew up for a part of my life there.

As a begginer you're quite restricted because untill you learn to get to your feet, turn, and not wipeout a lot...your stuck with beach breaks.

99% of O'ahu is lava bed reefs. Every good break is a reef.

Good Luck

brink wrote: i just bought a new board 10 minnutes ago
6'1 x 19? x 3

Brilliant! Another opportunity!!

Here we go...


....ready...?

Ta-da!!





Okay, for a slightly more constructive answer - Read this

If you've never surfed, you've got a long time before maneouvrability is an issue. At the moment it's going to be about paddling and catching waves, and for that bigger is better.

Ha ha, I just noticed the 220lbs bit - a newbie fat (sorry, but 5'7 and 220lb is preetty heavy) guy on a 6'1?

Please get someone to video it!

i know im not the smallest dude...but it was cheap and the dude was cool...so i figured i could try it out and maybe find a cheap longboard.
and the smallest weight ill ever get down to is 185...i kick box and anything below that sucks so i gotta stay around there.

HOSSEGOR

he meant in oahu

jus realised

so i take it there isnt anyone around oahu that would wanna help or trade boards even for some cash extra? im in for anything...i just wanna surf and i dont know how..so i plan on teaching myself but if this board isnt gonna work id like a bigger one...

Where on Oahu are you?

Ask at a shop where a good place to go is for a beginner...
Get lessons...

Get a bigger board 1.6' + taller than you and pretty wide and thick.
If not; let us know how you do on the one you've got.

so a 7 foot 4 board would prolly do the trick? i wanna find a 9 to 10 foot board but i just cant afford that right now..and its rainy season in hawaii..expecting 40 days of straight rain which sucks.....so i might have to learn in the rain...i am getting wet any ways right

yo Brink Im from ann arbor what about you? I used to be your weight, now Im at 200 and 6'3 height. Ive been surfing about 4 years and the shortest board I ride is a 6'3 fish thats super thick and wide. if I lived in oahu the shortest board I would ride would be a 6'10". otherwise, if you arent getting any smaller than 185, than 6'6 is probably your lower limit after 1-3 years of serious surfing.

if you want to get better quickly, other than surfing/paddling/swimming daily, get a balance board and do squats on it. do 3 sets of swiss ball pushups and 50 pop-ups a day in your living room.

i am in pearl city...and i actually am picking up a nine foot board tommorow
i am hoping this will be fine...i actually dropped my 6"1 board and now the tip is broke...pissed me off but now i guess i get to try and fix my board myself...im gonna use this thing as kinda a fixer upper for my real board

brink wrote:and i actually am picking up a nine foot board tommorow
i am hoping this will be fine..

That's more like it. Have fun