Surfing Waves

I have always been interested in surfing, however, I grew up in the midwest... pretty hard to find a beach there eh? Anywho, on my second year of college on the East coast and everything seems to be pretty stable. I'm much closer to the ocean (still a jaunt away, but like I've said... I've always wanted to surf!) and I would really like to try it out. I imagine I will rent a surfboard the first few times I go, just to see what it's like... but I have a few questions.

Everyone seems to recommend a nice long, and bulky board to start out. Which definitely makes sense, and I may try and rent one for my first time... but wouldn't it also make sense to try out a board that I'd be able to realistically use in the end? I imagine I can only fit a ~7 foot board in my car. I may be able to push it to 8 feet if I pull down the front seat. (I would prefer to avoid this though!) Would it be better to rent a larger board, or should I go with smaller boards that I could potentially end up with? I've always had pretty good balance, as I've been snowboarding since I was like 6. But, snowboarding and surfing are so very different. Can hit speeds of 60-65 mph snowboarding, but the ground doesn't move from underneath you. Not to mention the fact you have to actually catch a wave.

I'm in the mid-atlantic region at the moment, and it seems like the waves are usually pretty small. Would this affect which board I should try renting? Are the generic shops very useful in receiving help on a beginner's board? I know that snowboarding shops can really be hit or miss, especially if they're mainstream.

Would it be recommended to take a lesson from somewhere, or is it simply enough to just grab a board... and give it a shot?

One thing I like about snowboarding is that you can find that spot where no one goes, are there any such areas for surfing? I feel like all of the beaches are always insanely packed in the summer months. I'm in the mid-atlantic region if anyone has any words of wisdom. Ocean City, VA Beach, a few in NJ. That type of area.

Appreciate the help guys!

A common mistake of newbie surfers is to try a board that pros use because that is what they want to do. First thing is most likely you will never be able to do what a pro does. It's no big deal but only a very small proportion of surfers end up that skilled. In the second place the smaller the board the less waves you will catch and there is a short enough board that will mean you won't be able to catch any waves on it at all for months of trying (like a pro performance board.) Third is you are not willing to spend months trying to surfing and not catching any waves at all. So first of all take a lesson then see how it goes.

It is also common for snowboarders to think they will be doing airs in no time at all but so much of surfing relies on knowledge of the ocean. You need to learn how to judge the ocean conditions..... where should you go to get the good waves? How do you get there? Where are the currents? What hazardous areas are nearby? What do you do if you get caught in a current? Then also a disadvantage for snowboarders is that you have to paddle. Surfing is 90% paddling once you get good at it. In the beginning maybe 100% of the time because you won't be able to catch waves till you build arm strength (paddling arm strength).

Very good point, I definitely don't plan on doing any flips or anything for that matter. I just want to be used to something that can fit in my car. But I suppose that's something to be worried about if I decide to actually get into surfing.

Appreciate the quick reply!

Take a lesson then make up your mind. If you like it you can rent a few boards and see how short you can go. Also what is wrong about roof racks for your car?

I've never found racks to work well on my car, although, I've just tested it for kayaks. The kayaks would partially obstruct the top portion of my view. Not enough to completely obstruct my view or anything, but I didn't like it. Ended up just using my parent's vehicles whenever I wanted to go kayaking. I also don't like relying on racks for 1-2 hours drives, I'm always worried the item will fall off. Perhaps it's a combination of pettiness and paranoia, but if it can fit in my car I will make it fit

Rent what you like the first time out.....especially if the waves are small you will find out why we recommend starting on a big, "bulky" longboard. Once you start to learn how to surf you will see that the big board will become "smaller" under your feet.

Unfortunately, your snowboarding experience is about as relevant at this point as the number of times you've been to Taco Bell in the past year. In the beginning, the biggest challenges you will have are paddling, positioning, paddling, timing, paddling, fitness, paddling, poise & form while paddling & paddling......

A bigger board paddles easier. 45min into your first session you will be completely worn out. The smaller the board the faster this will happen and your paddling will be even less effective the smaller you go with your board.

Go get wet! Start as soon as possible and go as often as you can. Rent first if you don't surf daily; a better option while you "get your feet wet" and sort out what you need to learn effectively. That will take care of the roof rack problem and the uncertainty about what to buy.

Rent a big one and a smaller one and see what the differences are then go from there.

Thankfully not too many on that Taco Bell portion. However, I do agree and figured as much. From my experience, which is limited to Snowboarding, Wakeboarding, and a little bit of windsurfing... all of the "boarding" sports are completely different beasts in their own way.

Yeah, I suppose paddling would get tiring.

Penumbra wrote:Yeah, I suppose paddling would get tiring.

You have no idea.

Big H wrote:

Penumbra wrote:Yeah, I suppose paddling would get tiring.

You have no idea.

Heh, suppose being beat on the beach will just have to be half the fun

Penumbra wrote: I've always wanted to surf!) and I would really like to try it out. I imagine I will rent a surfboard the first few times I go, just to see what it's like.

Me too, I've also dreamed to Sky Dive one day and I would really like to try it out. I imagine I will rent a Parachute the first few times I go, just to see what it's like. ( if you get tired snowboarding, you can stop and go rest to the side. Surfing...... you drown. )

Penumbra wrote:but wouldn't it also make sense to try out a board that I'd be able to realistically use in the end?

When you were a little kid, did your Tricycle come equipped with Hydraulic disk brakes and 6 inches of travel with compression and rebound dampening ? Or did it have carbon fiber disk wheels and aero-bars ? Is the same bike you learned to ride on the same bike you use now. Could you have learned on the current bike ?
As you skills and paddling power improve THEN change to a smaller board. For now bigger is better. If a very wide and thick 7 foot is all that will fit in your car, so be it. Why not get a 8 foot Costco wave storm ( it'll probably fold a little bit )

Penumbra wrote: I've always had pretty good balance, as I've been snowboarding since I was like 6.

I would ask people on the beach if they want a surfing lesson. The guys would answer "Nah, I don't need a lesson because I'm a snowboarder". So I'd answer "Oh, in that case, I should sign you up for TWO lessons ". Snowboarding that long of a time means it'll just take that much more time to break the grounded in habits that don't transfer over to surfing.

Take lessons , rent boards of suitable size, get roof racks learn how to secure a board that suit you on your racks after the lessons an board trials.
Learn how to read the surf since you want to surf without crowds so you need to be self reliant for your safety. Less likelihood of there being lifeguards, BTW you are responsible for your beach safety A board leash is not a lifesaving device
Learn how to recognise rips and know how to deal with them, learn surf etiquette and the road rules of surf breaks, get fit for adding both to get out into the line up and to catch waves
Further aboutroof racks a board even in a bag will not obscure your vision like a kayak would
You're at college but to really advise about a suitable board, your height and weight would help.

Great advice given!

Another reason for starting out on a 9 foot board is wave count. Each time you ride you can practice....

*Where and how to paddle in order to catch it,
*How to popup.
*How to stand so you can shift your weight
*How to trim turns
*How to carve turns
*How to kick out
*How to safely wipeout
*and many more

Learning to surf requires failure. You will learn a lesson from every mistake and it's a good thing! A longboard will help you catch more waves, get more practice, improve your skills, and have more FUN.

When starting out, a shorter board slows this down because you simply cannot catch as many waves.

You can consider me thoroughly convinced, will definitely use a behemoth when renting... however, when purchasing a board I will probably have to go 8 feet or less. By then I imagine I will have plenty of in person advice from shop dealers and the like, though. I imagine there are short, fat boards that can hopefully function with the lack of a foot or two.

Definitely appreciate the help though

You need to get on a board and see how it goes before you consider buying one. Better yet get some instruction and let the instructor pick your board. Let us know how it goes. Lots of boards work. The question you are asking is if an 8 foot or less board will work for you. It's possible but there are many variables and in general getting a surfboard that fits in your car is not the way to get the best board for you as far as getting a board that will help you learn. Once you get where you are going the shops may be able to advise you on boards that would fit in your car and work for a beginner at a particular beach. They may offer you board storage so you don't need to transport your board. You may find a friend who surfs and has racks. Lots of things can happen. But just don't get too far ahead of it all. First go surf. We are all addicted to it but it's not for everyone

Penumbra wrote:You can consider me thoroughly convinced, will definitely use a behemoth when renting... however, when purchasing a board I will probably have to go 8 feet or less. By then I imagine I will have plenty of in person advice from shop dealers and the like, though. I imagine there are short, fat boards that can hopefully function with the lack of a foot or two.

Definitely appreciate the help though

When you use a derogatory term like behemoth it signifies that you don't believe thadvice, a fat board does not cover loss in length, and requires different surfing techniques like being able to drive the board from rail to rail!
I have driven at 100 mph with boards on roof rack, only problem is increase in fuel consumption.
Don't worry the shop dealers will,sell you both the justification for your beliefs and then the board that fits those beliefs but won't work as well as what is advised here.

Yeah, don't trust shop assistants. Most of them think 6'4 is a big board; they've usually been surfing since they were 2 years old and never had a big board (or needed one).

Buying a board because it fits in your car is like taking a t-shirt skiiing because the jacket didn't fit in your suitcase. Sometimes there is just no way around it; but any car can be fitted with racks. Buy the equipment that suits.

In any case, try surfing first then see what you think about boards

If you've windsurfed before you should know the longer the board the easier it is. Rent first then decide what to buy. Plenty of people buy all the gears and find out surfing is not for them, or they've bought less optimal equipments. If you are totally sold on buying 1st, then get 8' wavestorm at costco for $100. Roof racks are totally dependable as long as you use real tie downs and not bungee cords. I've driven 5-6 hours on the highway with a 12' windsurf board. My friend had a few of those 12 footers on a super tiny car the size of Chevy Spark.

For a beginner, nothing beats surface. It gives gou better gliding capabilities i.e. better paddle support and more stability.

Last summer I surfed with a Firewire Addvance 7.6, at 70 l and a CI Wavehog 8.4 at 71l. So almost the same volume. Although the addvance is touted as a beginner board, the longer board was soooo much easier to take of and ride on, it was unbelievable.

jaffa1949 wrote:

Penumbra wrote:You can consider me thoroughly convinced, will definitely use a behemoth when renting... however, when purchasing a board I will probably have to go 8 feet or less. By then I imagine I will have plenty of in person advice from shop dealers and the like, though. I imagine there are short, fat boards that can hopefully function with the lack of a foot or two.

Definitely appreciate the help though

When you use a derogatory term like behemoth it signifies that you don't believe thadvice, a fat board does not cover loss in length, and requires different surfing techniques like being able to drive the board from rail to rail!
I have driven at 100 mph with boards on roof rack, only problem is increase in fuel consumption.
Don't worry the shop dealers will,sell you both the justification for your beliefs and then the board that fits those beliefs but won't work as well as what is advised here.

That's not how I meant it, to me behemoth is in no way a derogatory term. Purely descriptive: large, bulky, lots of surface area.

I have a few behemoth powder boards, nothing derogatory about them at all. No harm meant by it

I won't be telling them I want a shorter board, but even so... probably will just end up with the recommended Costco board in here. I'm pretty sure I can fit a 8 footer in my car, and I can look at racks again. From what I can tell, the foamy beginner board should work the best.

I did think a better option would be storage of some kind, as the question of what I do with the board is an important one... but all of the units are $33 near the ocean, and ~$70 near me. This is for a 5x5xZ unit, not sure how tall they are, but I imagine they'd be able to fit a surfboard... as most buildings can. I can't shell out that kind of money monthly though, unfortunately.

I can't just leave the board on the rack, as someone could just take off with it at that point. I'd rather not have to lug it up to my dorm all the time, as I imagine my roommates wouldn't be too happy about that ^^

Anywho:
Would the 8 foot costco board work for someone about 6'1" and about 165 pounds? Give or take, I haven't measured either in quite some time. Weight capacity of 200 lbs makes me think I will be alright, but I imagine that's just for staying afloat haha. Granted, I booked some lessons for a week from Tuesday, so I don't even know if I will be sticking with it yet. But, all information is good I suppose