Surfing Waves

I don't exactly have the typical surfer body. I am about 6 foot tall and about 215 pounds. I have surfed once on a flat day at Virginia Beach with reasonable success. I rode a blue rental board that was the better part of 9 feet. In the flat it felt at times the board may not be buoyant enough. I'm betting with a decent wave the buoyancy changes dramatically?
I have a muscular build and do not want to lose that just to be light enough to surf. Is there any hope.

If this guy can do it at Padang Padang , then you can too , choose your own board sized to suit and go for it

Yes of course theres hope! But you got to be able to perservere and not give up! You have to want it and want it bad! Its not gonna be easy . . . I should know. I'm 45, 6 foot four and weigh around 215. But I'm very fit. Best advice is:
1. get yourself a big, floaty, wide longboard to learn on. 9 foot, maybe 10. save money get it second hand. go epoxy it lasts, not foam!
2. practise in the white water to get to stand up. 1 or 2 foot waves are fine.
3. Practise practise, practise. You need to do this as often as possible, a few times a week is good. twice a year is BAD.
4. Dont give up. You Will learn it. Even on crap days when you catch NOTHING. Its all good practice!
5.. Once your standing up, paddle out to the line up and the unbroken waves and repeat point 3. !!!

It took me a couple of years, but then i was based in london at the time and the waves on the Thames were xxxxx! (only joking)

Hope that helps! A lot of us are too old, too big, too heavy etc etc. We can still surf! But personally I love the old cliche abiout which is the best surfer? The one having most fun. Quite often that does feel like me (even if I'm not on a toothpick shortboard, 16 years old, and have blond dyed hair and know all the daft catchphrase words. Its not about that crap anyway)

Happy surfing. (Not all surfers are oppressive and antisocial to beginers despite what you might read or experience on the waves!)

I'm 5'10" and 205, trust me you can surf just fine. I have several boards...a 6'6" McCoy Nugget, a 7'7" McTavish Carver, and an 8'6" Blue Mini Longboard. Even the 8'6" board turns like a bandit for me. If you are getting started, a solid 9'6" or 10' board will do wonders for you. Rusty also makes some boards (called desert island) that are 8' shortboards. (Turns out, Rusty is a big guy too!) Good luck, brother, it only gets better!

Agreed, I'm not a small surfer though in height I am I'm 5'2" and busy riding a 5'10" biscuit shortboard, its a bit thick and wide, but it is lovely...

I like and agree with what Rob Machado said, he said that a little bit of foam here and there isn't bad and actually can be good for the soul (Something like that anyway)

And it's true! Just because the board isn't a potato chip doesn't mean it isn't good or isn't right! Go for nice thick, wide long board to start, nothing wrong, and you never know, you might find you like longboards so much you never move to a shortboard anyway!

Ph yea and also the buoyancy part isn't much of a problem look at shortboards, most of those you lie on them and they sink under, even when paddling it's hard to make them go completely above surface.

Thing about that is, can you catch waves? If you can, then it is good enough to start with if you can't and can't paddle it good, then maybe look at wider, then thicker, THEN longer, as usually more width is the answer to catching most waves you'll start with

Buoyancy won't be the limiting factor at all. There's plenty of boards out there that can float an elephant (well...maybe not that much). It's more about paddling. If you're a strong guy, then that helps. But it's not the type of strength that you get out of benching 450 lbs, and curling 90 lbs each arm. It's the kind of strength you get from a LOT of paddling/surfing/swimming.

jaffa1949 wrote:If this guy can do it at Padang Padang , then you can too , choose your own board sized to suit and go for it

fat surfer.jpg

Holy cr*p!!! Is that for real or did you do an amazing Photoshop job?!?

No it's real and several photos have appeared in mags. Seriously when he gets air the tsunami warnings go off the richter

Any idea what size board he's on??

Rashie wrote:Any idea what size board he's on??

I would say the mid 7's. That's okay for a wave like that, though. As long as you can get corked into it, you get the speed out of that.

I am 6' 236 lbs and surf 2-3 times a week. I normally surf a long board just because I am getting older (41) and I enjoy not working as much catching waves. When surf is really good I use a 6'10" fish and have no problems.

I'm 6'3" and 305lbs, though I don't look anything like the padang padang guy (Jealous of his wave though). Anyway I don't have any troubles, my favorite long board is a 10'2" south point but I have 9'6" I like a lot, and I can get up on my nephews 7'2". I am having trouble finding a good SUP though! Best of luck.

6' 3" 215lbs 45 years old - no problems

Rashie wrote:

jaffa1949 wrote:If this guy can do it at Padang Padang , then you can too , choose your own board sized to suit and go for it

fat surfer.jpg

Holy cr*p!!! Is that for real or did you do an amazing Photoshop job?!?

Real : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrf93aLQXBE : 1m05 on is . . . awsome for any surfer !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2BRl4QYWtw

My favourite surf video! So much power behind his carves.

It is a shame he spends most of his time on a SUP

Rickyroughneck wrote:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2BRl4QYWtw

My favourite surf video! So much power behind his carves.

It is a shame he spends most of his time on a SUP

That is a freakin awesome video!