Is this board for me? 7'6 Mini mal

[frostless]

I am a beginner just started this sport not long ago, I dont have regular exposure to the water thus I havent been making progress consistently.

I just got rid of my foamie cause I believe it was the time--I caught white water easily with it though with some difficulties with green waves. now I got this second-handed minimal, the dimension is 7'6, 21 5/8,2 7/8. Bought it because I found the board I bought last time was way too small & way too hard to catch waves.

I am from country people dont surf much thus I have not relevant surfing background nor many surfing buddies, I live in sydney and I have taken some lessons by far.

I am a 176cm,72 KG, 29 yrs Male. average fitness. I dont know much skill just when I catch green waves occasionally I cannot turn just ride to the shore. My goal is to be able to catch reasonable big wave regularly and do some turns. Not too sure if the board is for me to achieve this goal?

PS anybody surf in maroubra/cronulla area that I can hopefully sometimes surf with? I definitely can use some helps,
Below are my boards,

[dtc]

The board is ok, not the best you can have (probably would suggest something about 9ft and 1/2inch wider) but its far from the worst you could have bought. But its yours now, you should be able to make it work - so either go and surf it or, if you want, buy a longboard and keep this board to use as a really nice second board in about a year or two (depending on how often you surf).

However, since you have it, I suggest hit the beach at least a good 20 times with it and if you are really frustrated after those sessions then maybe get the longboard. Or get another lesson and see if its you rather than the board. 20 times really isn't that much, but you should see some progress. The board will certainly let you surf bigger waves and turn and so forth - its you who needs to get to that stage, not the board.

Given you don't have much previous water experience and don't surf regularly, you will struggle. That's just the way it is - surfing is a hard sport to learn. Stay optimistic, learn what you can out of the water (safety, etiquette, techniques, tips, fitness etc - this forum and youtube can teach you everything!) and make your time in the water as efficient and effective as possible. You will get there, have good days (and bad) and its worth it.

[waikikikichan]

Shorten the leash rope that attached the leash to the board.

[frostless]

The board is ok, not the best you can have (probably would suggest something about 9ft and 1/2inch wider) but its far from the worst you could have bought.

9ft long? Even the foamie that I just got rid of was just 8 ft long.. That is why I made this baby step to try this 7'6. Though lacking the paddling power has always been my problem.

[dtc]

You said you had difficulty catching green waves and had paddling issues. A shorter board makes that harder; and a foamie board is more buoyant than an equivalent hard board (ie a foam board paddles and catches waves easier, although once on the wave a hard board is undoubtedly better)

I'm not saying the board is wrong, it's probably an 8/10 choice for your level, where a 9ft ish would be 10/10 (and a 5'10 short board would be 0/10).

Catching waves is timing, positioning, technique and paddling. Longer boards have more margin of error if you make a mistake in one of those skills. This means you can develop quicker because you are catching waves that you might miss with a shorter or lower volume board.

However, I emphasise that the board you have is a perfectly reasonable starting point and you should head out ASAP and get going!

Remember that a bigger board isn't a panacea - when things go wrong or refuse to go right, it's 90% - 95% going to be your fault and not something that could have been avoided with a longer board. So don't sit there thinking you can't learn because of the board - you absolutely can.