Deciding upon which board to buy as a beginner was kind of overwhelming. So many options. Maybe this post will come in handy for someone in my position seeking advice on first or second boards. ***other beginners definitely should listen to what most people on the forum suggest when going with a long board to start. I skipped the foamy stage because the local surf shop suggested the epoxy would be more like a real board I would eventually want to transition to in the future. I see why foamys are good for beginners though to avoid injury.
I started out with 1 lesson where I was able to catch small unbroken waves without the assistance from the instructor by the end. My new found pleasure led me to purchase an 8.4 Tahe (formally bic) epoxy the next weekend. I could feel my paddling getting stronger session after session. Many nose dives later I seemed to be catching most of the waves I paddled for.
I started riding the line and making some turns in this summer slop. Stoked!The waves are supposed to pick up a bit in the fall here in New England. After talking with the local surf shop and letting them know my intentions on surfing through the fall then switching up to snowboarding in the winter they recommended a fish to diversify my quiver. I purchased a 7”2 NSP fish shape that paddles like a champ. I was actually surprised going from 72 L to 52L and knocking 14 inches off the board length. I find it paddled as fast as my first board but it is much more maneuverable with changing directions. I only took the fish out once so far but it was an extremely flat day so I didn’t have much waves to catch. I did catch the first one I attempted though which put a big smile on my face.
Moral of the story is I am pretty pleased with my progression over the last 11 weeks. If you dedicate yourself and go balls deep you can too. It also helps if you have a high fitness level coming into it. If you can’t make the break do some full body workouts or get a balance board or surf trainer to build that muscle memory. High protein diet to help with recovery. Take some workout supplements like creatine or BCAA if you are sore. Stretch daily. Listen to the pros when it comes to board selection. As a beginner you don’t need the best board on the market, you need the board that is going to allow you to catch the most waves.
I will keep you posted on how this new fish board transition is working out for me as I get my time in with it and as the waves pickup.
