Surfing Waves

Hi Guys, Francis here, I'm new to surfing.....and am hooked big time. Love it. I started this year in March and have probably been for 30 sessions since then. I am 5ft 6 and about 65kg. I have been using an 8ft foamy. My level is now at - (sorry still learning the terminology) I can pop up easily, I have progressed from white water to surfing green water across the wave (down the line?) with small adjustments (trimming?) along the way. Waves up to about 3-4ft if rolling but not if bigger waves are dumping. I am getting better with positioning but still do find that I miss too many waves being out of position.(too far back or not paddling fast enough?) I also struggle paddling out when waves are bigger - get smashed by whitewash and pushed back - saps my energy big time. I can turn at bottom of wave if moving right (Im right footed - left foot in front) however I struggle more so turning at bottom going left - I often fall off backwards. So my question is do I stick to the soft top or can I learn more by going to a hard board? At this stage I have no desire to eventually get a short board, I like the mini mal - long board scene I think.

The confusion lies with the contradictory advice I see online. Some say soft tops are only to try once to see if you like surfing. Others say don't go hard board until you've learned xyz and are not a safety hazard to yourself and others around you.

I've considered transitioning to a 8ft hard board. I've seen a 7ft 9 Bic board for sale as well. But I understand volume will drop from 75litres to around 60. Anyway looking forward to your advice. Sorry for the long winded post - trying to provide as much detail as I can, ok cheers

SirFrancis999 wrote:The confusion lies with the contradictory advice I see online. Some say soft tops are only to try once to see if you like surfing. Others say don't go hard board until you've learned xyz and are not a safety hazard to yourself and others around you.

I think the varied advice is from old school and new school thinking. There wasn't the amount of "sponge" boards readily available before.
( although I've been on one for over 25 years ).

If you are still in the white water soup stay with the sponge board. Once you learn to trim across the face and start to do simple turn ups and turn downs THEN think about getting a hard board. You say you are trimming, but having a hard time going back side. So because of that reason I would stay on the sponge more until you can figure out your stance problem ( don't fix the arrow, fix the Indian first )

SirFrancis999 wrote:I've considered transitioning to a 8ft hard board. I've seen a 7ft 9 Bic board for sale as well. But I understand volume will drop from 75litres to around 60.

First, forget about Liters.
Second, riding a sponge board can be deceiving in terms of float and stability. An 8 foot sponge board is more like a 9 foot hard board. Going too small will make you miss waves even more as you need to take off where the wave is faster and steeper.

Thanks for the reply, much appreciated. I don't mind sticking with the soft board, however I have read so many comments that they are harder to turn than a hardboard and will hold me back. If I can learn all the turns up & down just as easily on the softie, then no hurry to upgrade.

When I do switch to an 8ft hard board I will try to find one around 3in thick rather than 2 3/4 and 22in wide. I will look into my stance re the back turns now. ok cheers

A guy I know keeps a wavestorm softboard in the back of his truck because it’s not likely to get stolen and he can surf it if he happens across nice waves (Hawaii) and because it catches waves at a break he calls f#*€¥* s%#*^ because it has nice looking waves but every time he tries to catch a wave with his regular board he misses the wave and screams those words but the wavestorm catches those waves

SirFrancis999 wrote:Thanks for the reply, much appreciated. I don't mind sticking with the soft board, however I have read so many comments that they are harder to turn than a hardboard and will hold me back. If I can learn all the turns up & down just as easily on the softie, then no hurry to upgrade.

The problem isn't really the sponge construction of the board , it's the Rubber Fins attached to it.

"Harder" is good, it will teach you how to position yourself in different places on the board, it will teach you patience and timing.

Look at video of Jamie O'brien surfing his sponge at Pipe. A good surfer can surf any board. Last week surfing among some Japanese longboarders, one of them commented to my wife that "it's sad they can't turn like that on their $3000 (+plus ) board when I was doing it on a $100 sponge board.

SirFrancis999 wrote: When I do switch to an 8ft hard board I will try to find one around 3in thick rather than 2 3/4 and 22in wide.

That's the problem, most 8 foot mini-mals aren't 3 inch thick. Big guy / hybrid boards, yeah.

SirFrancis999 wrote: I will look into my stance re the back turns now.

Your Left front foot is probably turned in too much. Like facing 3 o'clock instead of between 1-2 o'clock.