Surfing Waves

I've been surfing a 7'6" mini mal for about 1.5 years now and I think i've nailed down the basics.. I can pop up swiftly (without the knee), bottom turns, and I can ride along side the face of a wave nicely...

Now I'm thinking about transitioning to a shortboard. My friend suggested an Al Merrick Flyer since it's good for small surf (small as in 3ft. - 6 ft) and I spend a good deal of time in small surf. So I'm wondering if an Al Merrick Flyer is good for a first time shortboarder and what size i should get

i started surfing 6 months ago and i recently moved from a 9' foam longboard to a surftech merrick flyer II 7'. it's a bit wobbly, but very rideable even in small surf and i dig it!