Surfing Waves

Hi All,

I have been surfing for many years and am comfortable catching waves and all of the basics. I do not go surfing very often so am still a beginner/intermediate. Currently, I have an 8' mini mal epoxy board, but it is very difficult for me to surf on. I have used my friends boards and they have been much easier. My board is really hard for me to catch waves in and one instructor told me that it was not for my level. I have always had the idea that any longboard is good to progress and easy to catch waves on.

Because this board is not working for me, I am looking at buying a new board. I am 5'4 and 145 lbs and athletic (a waterpolo player). I am looking at the 6'6 7s super fish II as my friend said that he learned on that board and I should get it. I was also going to go to a boardshop and ask around for what they think but i have heard a lot of varying opinions on what board I should get. Does anyone have experience with the 7s super fish and does anyone know if it will be easier for me to catch more waves on than my 8' board?

If anyone has other recommendations it would be greatly appreciated as well. I am looking for a board that is fun and most of all easy to catch waves on and progress my surfing as well.

Thanks!

Erin

Welcome Erin, help is on the way.
Firstly if you can't catch waves on an 8ft mini mal you need to look at your technique for catching waves ( white water or green).
If your technique is poor on a minimal, going shorter is going to compound things.
How are you failing in catching the waves? Or what is the difficulty with the mini mal?
Specifically because that will reveal where it is going poorly.

You said you had more success on your friends boards , knowing the differences in the boards and what you can do on them might help us advise you.

A couple of points about some epoxy boards they can be more floaty and can be pushed around like a cork ( usually the older epoxy with EPS cores) Older mini mals may have very basic rails and not be really high performance .

So I guess knowing what you consider the basics you can do would help too.
So many questions because to really help you seeing you surf would be best

About the 7S boards the original shaper was my shaper on the central coast of NSW , he linked performance with bigger volume . They are good boards.
Remedy for all that ails your surfing.
Going surfing often, this is a prescription with multiple repeats, use often .
This tighten up all the loose bits on your body ( if any, relieve stress, make youhappy and a better surfer)
BTW my 8ft epoxy is as easy a paddler as my 9ft PU longboard

Thank you so much for all of your help!

The specific things that are hard to do on my board for me start with paddling. When I paddle my friends boards i can practically paddle twice as fast and with much more ease. My board take many many more strong paddling strokes to get at the speed of the wave and catch it, which contrasts with my friends boards, that do not take excessive paddling effort and it is easier for me to catch waves on. The word I would use to describe by board is that it feels too heavy and clunky. It is a strive brand 8' mini mal to be exact.

I have had many lessons and my surfing instructor said that my board is too hard for me at my level in the sense that it is not buoyant and hard to paddle and does not catch waves easily.

In the sense of catching waves with the mini mal: when I go alone I end up paddling for many waves and do not really get into them. When I am being instructed in a lesson (and with a different board) I am able to easily get into the waves and the standing part is easier. I will go out for 2 hours and barely catch one wave because even though I am generating speed, I am not able to catch the wave. When I get lessons and am able to catch the wave in the right spot, I can stand up easily.

It is hard to say how my friends board are different but they are definitely more stable, easier to paddle, and easier to catch waves on.

I feel that the 7s is smaller and will be easier to maneuver and catch waves on due to the high volume and the fact that it is made with catching more waves in mind. When you say remedy for all that ails your surfing are you referring to the 7s?

Also, how often would you recommend surfing in order to really be able to get better?

Thanks again!!!

erinmck wrote:
Also, how often would you recommend surfing in order to really be able to get better?

Daily.
If you're surfing, say, once every couple of weeks, you'll always be spending your time getting back to where you were last time. Progress can be painfully slow unless you're surfing regularly, and by 'regularly' I mean a couple of times a week at least.
But you can progress even if you don't have the opportunity to go as often as you like - it just takes time and persistence and, above all, the ability to enjoy your surfing no matter what stage you're at, rather than getting frustrated because you're not where you think you should be.

As for your board - is it physically too wide for you? An 8ft mini-mal should be about the easiest board out there to learn to surf on, unless a) it's too wide for you paddle on, b) it's waterlogged, or c) it's some odd high-performance thingummybob.

If you're having a better time on a different board, get a different board. Simple*




* I have a very slack attitude towards buying - and breaking - boards. Listen to Jaffa's advice first

Good answer as to why the board is not working for you by all means the 7S but please see if you can get a trial on one first!
Since the instructor was on hand to see why things were not working , the advice there would be valid.
I didn't particularly like the shapes of the Strive mini mals, the look more performance orientated than i would recommend for someone at your stage. More made for the more skilled rider so more twitchy ( read unstable).
Keep us posted on your progress , please, and talk about your stuff to the other people who might be in the same position as you.

Remedy for all that ails your surfing.
Is going surfing often as possible, this is a prescription with multiple repeats, use often

Thank you all!

I really would love to go surfing every single day, its my dream, but I live 45 minutes from the nearest break so hard for me to get down there often enough. My goal is to do so.

Regarding the board, what size would you recommend of the 7s super fish what size would you recommend for me height and weight?

erinmck wrote:
Regarding the board, what size would you recommend of the 7s super fish what size would you recommend for me height and weight?

I would suggest the 6'6" or 6'9" some weight tolerance in that and good performance, you will feel a little looser and a bit wobbly but surf as often as possible and pick it up.
Have fun!

When you stand on the board, what kind of moves are you able to make? Do you go straight to the beach or do you ride the line along the face of the wave, do you do any turns yet?

I'm worried that you're not able to assess waves properly without an instructor present as you said you can catch them in a leason but not on your own yet you did say you were still moving at the time. You mention this is down to the board but is it possible you can bring your board to the lesson and see whether it's really the board or a mental block?

Any board can catch waves, maybe because you're spending a lot of time with instructors on a different board you're not getting used to your own one enough?

Something important that might need clearing up, what size in specific dimensions are your friends boards that are easy to paddle, what dimensions are the boards you use with the instructor? Are they larger or smaller than your 8' board??

If they are larger going to a 6'6 or 6'8 will be murder for you.. Have you asked your instructor what type of board he recommends for you? What did he say?

Don't throw money at a problem if it can be solved with a bit more perseverance or info. You do sound like you've decided the problem is the board and the 7's is the answer. If you do buy it, I hope for your sake it is! Try before you buy. It'd be an expensive way to find out the issue was technique if the new board doesn't fix anything.

Hi mate ,all the guys that have given you their advice on your problem are right,if you cant catch a wave on a 8 footer its the way your paddling and where you are on your board.epoxy boards are more floaty than a poly board so sometimes that dont help you,a heavier board has more momentem so will be easier to get onto waves,, ive riden the 6,6 fish your talking about and they do go well but your problem is either the way you paddle or where your laying on your board,maybe a bit of both, maybe the problem is the surfschool you went to, if you cant catch a wave on a 8 foot mal you have been tought wrong, ive made boards for nearly 30 years professionaly and only ever hear of this when someone has been given the wrong advice, the first time my two youngest girls ever caught waves was on a 8 foot board,they were 10 and 12 at the time,they paddled into waves by them selves,,so i dont really think your 8 foot epoxy is your main problem,my advice would be to stick at it, watch other people in the water see how there doing maybe ask for their advice,dont go changing boards just because you have never been shown how to paddle or where you should be placed on your board properly,you will go backwards not advance, heres a idea,go to a surf school that knows what their talking about..