Surfing Waves

F1rst T1ime posting here, and have been enjoying all the stories and "real talk" advice that's been dished out. This will be a good place to brain pick. I've been surfing for the past 13 months and have been riding a 9'0 foamy w/ ~85L vol. I can maneuver around just fine but I struggle w/ my pop-ups. I wasn't in the market for a new board, but w/ COVID affecting the business', there was a hard to pass up deal for a 6'6 Superfish, w/ 43L vol. Took it for a test drive and by the end of the session I was able to find the sweet spot and paddle w/ speed and what power I had left from getting the feel for it. I was able to duck dive well, but only really felt comfortable to charge after 4 waves that missed.

So at my beginner stage that I'm at, is it wise for me to continue my path in learning to surf w the Superfish or continue w/ the foamy?

It's difficult to say without seeing you surf, but it's a huge drop in volume. I'm not sure you should be slashing your volume in half if you're struggling to pop up on the foamy. On the foamy, you had plenty of time to pop up and could do so before the wave got remotely steep. With half the volume you will be forced to pop up when the wave is much steeper, because the lower volume will mean a huge reduction in wave catching ability. If you're already having problems, it isn't likely to help.

If you can catch waves and stand up 4/10 times, and you want to surf a shorter board - go for it

If you are missing 8/10 waves on the shorter board (ie unable to catch and stand up and at least go down the line) then you aren’t really surfing, you are just paddling. And it will take a long time to improve

12ockSteady wrote: I can maneuver around just fine but I struggle w/ my pop-ups.

I suppose you had the troubles popping up on your sponge 8'0" ?

So how was your pop ups doing on the 6'6" fish ? That where you need an even stronger paddle and quicker reaction time as the take off is steeper and less forgiving.

waikikikichan wrote:

12ockSteady wrote: I can maneuver around just fine but I struggle w/ my pop-ups.

I suppose you had the troubles popping up on your sponge 8'0" ?

So how was your pop ups doing on the 6'6" fish ? That where you need an even stronger paddle and quicker reaction time as the take off is steeper and less forgiving.

Pop up wasn't there at all w/ the 6'6 and I was tiring out faster trying to pull the extra drag. So I've since shelved the fish for now and went out today w/ the 9'0 to practice my pop-ups using the staggered hand placements. Sure enough I was getting to my feet today, but was struggling to either keep pace with wave to go down the line or keeping my balance for longer then 8 secs. All in all I was happy w/ the progression today. Brick by brick...

I am jealous of people who have the storage space / car cargo space to handle a long board. In this crowded present lineup, having a longer board means you get more waves. Not a bad idea!