Surfing Waves

Hello everyone, I'm trying to decide whether a new board will be a justified investment or not in my situation and I'm also confused about some things. Hope you guys can help me out.
I started surfing in September with a lesson in Puerto Rico which was a cool experience overall. After that, I got my first board which is a boardworks 9' foamie "Froth" (I'm 6' 190lb). I went for a few sessions and was able to catch whitewater but struggled to pop up. I was travelling in Mexico in December and I spent 4 days in Puerto Escondido and rented a few boards there which were 7' and 8' fiberglass boards. I was able to catch pretty big (for me) 4'-5' waves but I couldn't consistently pop up so most of the time I ended up bodyboarding.

After that trip, I've been really confused about the right board size for me among other things. Here in Miami, I'm struggling to catch mushy small green waves on my 9' board but I was able to catch 4'-5' waves with a shorter board in Escondido with much less effort. Since we don't even have whitewater very often here in Miami I worked on my pop up at home and now I can pop up 99% of the time in whitewater or very small waves If I'm able to catch them which I really struggle with, which brings me to my original question about the boards.
I get exhausted paddling my 9' foamie but I wasn't too tired paddling a 7' fiberglass board in Escondido. Also my 9' foamie feels kind of like a paddleboard like it sits too high above the water (not sure if it's a good or a bad thing) and when a wave comes it just passes right under me 90% of time no matter how hard I paddle. I'm also trying to keep the nose as close to the water as possible and to keep my sholders low in the last moments when catching a small green wave. I'm really sorry fo the long story but bascally my question is, should I just ditch the foamie and get a fiberglass board or should I just keep working on my skills?

Chinotto, hi, catching the whitewater waves in Puerto Escondido and then in Miami is a difference of the power delivered by the waves.
It is easier to catch a powerful white water ( Puerto Escondido) that a weak Miami wave.
That is why you could use the 7ft board. Even if you couldn’t pop up on it!
You are very much a raw beginner in very weak surf! The foamy is designed to catch waves easily but it is entirely skill that you are lacking.
Paddle skill/ timing skill ( waves pass under you) pop up skill, until you get them working well the foamy is the board for you. The flotation might be an issue but not at your stage. Going 7ft on a normal board you are just going to float around the line up missing waves.
Your weight and height also suggest 7ft is not an option yet.
If you want to get a new board go 9ft normal glass or epoxy regular longboard shape, say 9ft 22” by 3” thick , get your paddle positioning correct and things will be easier.
Option stay on the foamy until you are paddling on to and catching waves easily and popping up and turning and riding the wave, the face not the whitewater.
The bottom line it is not the board, just needing skill

chinotto wrote: I was able to catch pretty big (for me) 4'-5' waves but I couldn't consistently pop up so most of the time I ended up bodyboarding.

YOU did not catch the wave, THE WAVE caught you. On a calm day, you have to do a lot of running to just get a kite to take off. On a windy day, you really do need to give much effort at all. Miami= no wind Puerto Rico= breezy wind.

chinotto wrote: but I was able to catch 4'-5' waves with a shorter board in Escondido with much less effort.

Again, if you didn't stand up, you DID NOT catch the wave. You might have got on it, but you did ride it, you basically held on by bodyboarding it on your belly. Until you can understand what REALLY catching a wave involves, you will not understand what board to get.

Thanks for your replies guys! I really appreciate it. I like the idea of the wave catching me, that's true I guess. Although, there was a spot in Escondido with long fat green waves and I was able to catch those and bodyboard a few times without a nosedive or anything. Btw I nosedive much more on my 9' board than on those fiberglass ones in Escondido.

I went for a session yesterday and some points I made about my foamie is that when there is a current I just get super exhausted fighting it so after each wave I just ended up very far from my initial position. I've seen beginners here that can't pop up or catch a wave but they have fiber glass boards (usually around 7') and don't seem to be tossed around by the currents as much. Also I thought maybe the soft fins can be a problem? Maybe I need to try upgrading those first?

Chinotto, you are still blaming the board, fins this time. 95% of surfing is paddling, out to the waves into position against the currents, and then for a brief moment you catch a wave and rodent.
You are no where fit enough, it is probable your paddle technique is beginner hopeless, 7ft. I repeat 7 ft will not solve your problem.
Take heart though, if you read through surfboard advice you will see there are so many repeats of the same questions by beginners.

Riding the white water is the same as a bike with training wheels
You also need to learn to read the beach and understand and utilize the beaches behaviours.

I understand what you're saying Jaffa but I don't specifically mean the length of the board. If I get a 9ft board but a fiberglass one as you recommended it will have much less volume than my foamie and it will be different. I guess I just feel like I'm on a boat on my foamie and I don't like it much, I liked the different feeling of a fiberglass board back in Escondido and surprisingly it was much easier to paddle than my bigger foamie.

chinotto wrote:I nosedive much more on my 9' board than on those fiberglass ones in Escondido.
I've seen beginners here that can't pop up or catch a wave but they have fiber glass boards (usually around 7') and don't seem to be tossed around by the currents as much.

You keep on trying to make your case that a 7’0” will be better than a 9’0”. You don’t need to listen to our advice. Lot of the greatest inventions and advancements in the world, came from being unwilling to accept “the normal way “ of doing things. If you feel so whole heartedly that 7’0” is the “way”, put your money where your mouth is, vote with your dollars and go buy one. “ What doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger “ , but make sure you paddle out where there’s a lifeguard.

chinotto wrote:Also I thought maybe the soft fins can be a problem? Maybe I need to try upgrading those first?

Fins mainly come in to play when you are Turning. There are Alaia riders, stand up bodyboarders, skim boarders and Derek Hynd that surf without fins. You probably could take one or two fins off and flip the other one backwards and it won’t matter.
The problem I think you have with catching, popping up, drifting out of position and overall tiredness is your feet dangling off the sides of your board. ( like training wheels Jaffa alluded to ) They are acting as anchors and a water brake. I think your belly boarding down the wave has you automatically spreading you legs for stability. ( I don’t know anyone that has their feet together) Check to make sure your feet are on the deck., they are slowing you down.
Another veteran surfers have developed is this suction cup on our stomach to grab the board as we paddle. Newbies don’t have it yet and tend to slide around and waste energy just trying to stay straight.
By the way, did you wax you soft 9’0” ?

Thanks waikikikichan! I always make sure my legs are not in the water when I paddle. I trained myself to keep them straight all the time. I've seen some people putting their feet up when paddling for a wave, maybe I need to try that? I haven't tried waxing, I thought it wouldn't make much of a difference since it's EVA but I actually like how sticky the regular wax is maybe I need to try it. I'm sorry I made you think I want to get a shorter board, I guess I'm just not good at expressing myself , anyways my point was not that I want a shorter board but that switching to a fiberglass board could make a difference for me. Of those boards I tried in Escondido I actually preferred the longer ones which were 8' something.

For all that softboards have their place, I personally dont really like them. I find them less stable, slower paddlers and just all round not as good as a proper board. So if you want to get a 9ft longboard, absolutely (from my perspective) then get one. It wont solve your problems but it might help, whether slightly or just mentally.

chinotto wrote: I haven't tried waxing, I thought it wouldn't make much of a difference since it's EVA but I actually like how sticky the regular wax is maybe I need to try it. I'm sorry I made you think I want to get a shorter board, I guess I'm just not good at expressing myself.

Once you wax that softboard half of your problems will be solved. You even paddle faster since you won’t be slipping front to back / side to side.
I had to take my heat quess-timents about what size you wanted and 7’0” came up several times, so nice worries.

Thanks for the tip! Will try it out tomorrow, hopefully. Yeah, it turned out kind of awkward I just wanted to use 7' as an example and ended up using it too much. My point was that I find fiberglass boards I've tried easier to paddle and handle in the water in general. As I'm a beginner it was really surprising since most people recommend to get a foamie first because of the flotation, etc. and I found very few people who didn't like foamies as beginners. Anyways, I know a 7' board wouldn't be the right decision for the type of waves we have here and my skills.

chinotto wrote: surprising since most people recommend to get a foamie first because of the flotation,

"Flotation" is probably one of the last reasons people consider. The common first reason is that softboards are SOFT. Newbies are less likely to hurt themselves or hurt OTHERS when riding them. So Safety is usually considered above flotation.
Search for the posting about daily dings on fiberglass boards. Hard boards get cracks and shatters easily, while sponge boards whack into doorways and get dropped in the parking lot and nothing happens to them. Softboards have their good and bad point, so do hardboards.

Was changing fins and going over my 9'2" board this afternoon....it's a sandwich moulded epoxy board that is really tough and with an ugly spray job I did myself with canned spray paint on my front porch (easy to touch up )..........admittedly I'm not the most careful with that board, but all the same, I managed to hit the doorjamb 5 times taking it in and out of the house while being moderately careful...................5 times!!!

Yeah, that's a good point about dings. I have a fiberglass skimboard and it gets dinged really easily. That's one of the few things I like about my foamie, not worrying about hitting doorjambs. Although, I would still trade it for a proper board. Didn't get a chance to test waxing today but will try tomorrow if there is still some swell left.

If you are past the stage where you get banged up by your own board every session, you could move to a hard surfboard of similar shape and size. I started with a Costco 8' Wavestorm then switched to a 9' hard surfboard and I really enjoyed the glide of my 9' log. When I was on a foamie I've whined that it was too wide, too heavy, too flat... But I took out the same foamie a few months ago, and that board worked just fine! I still like the proper board better but whatever maneuver I couldn't do at the beginning was 98% due to my lack of skill.

Ok, there was finally a decent swell today so time for an update. Waxing the foamie is a gamechanger. My paddling is way more effective now. I finally was able to catch many green waves, popping up every time and going down the line finally!! Also learned that I had to catch them very early or otherwise prepare to pearl. I even caught a quite steep wave once but that was by accident I guess as I popped up really fast that time I like dropped to the bottom of the wave and was able to surf it which was real fun. Learned to move my weight on the board for better wave catching, very insightful session overall. Thanks for all your advice!!

Great to hear, you are on your journey and are stoked.
Welcome to waxheads anonymous.