Surfing Waves

I am starting out on a 5'11 board and I am 5'5 and 104 pounds. Any tips on starting out on a shortboard would be very helpful. I was wondering about the board size also.

if its a fish then youl have to practice alot, if its a shortboard, you will have to work like mad

5-11 is really short. I started on an 80s fish about that length but i was really young then, you sound like your pretty tiny so you could be alright. How often do you go practice and do you have any experience of other board sports (skateboarding etc.)? Assuming you have and your balance is good then your main problem is gonna be paddling and catching waves, you could do with getting something a bit longer with plenty of float or you might find your getting frustrated not getting out or missing waves.

I skateboard and skimboard so.....

You r having the same problem as me... i also skimboarded alot.. but my problem is the pop-up.. my board is 6'6 and im 5'3

I suggest you try some other longer boards from a hire shop or surf school and you should feel how much easier the longer boards will be to learn on.
If you start on a board too short you end up getting frustrated becasue you will be working your butt off and not getting many waves.
Even experienced short boarders really have to wach their wave selection when surfing short boards and for a begginer to select the right wave is a tough job!
On a longer board you'll be able to progress so much faster than on your 5'11. You'll learn all the basics sooner so you'll be able to ride your 5'11 well even sooner than you would of if you started out on it!
I would go for a longer board but Good Luck

Ok thanks