OPINIONS NEEDED!! what classifies a wave as big?

[oldmansurfer]

I think many surfers seem to think because a board is supposed to be good for small mushy waves then it won't be good on steep tubing waves but in reality it is generally a matter of learning how to handle the board on waves that are different than what it is made for. Likewise just because it's supposedly good for small mushy waves doesn't mean you can ride it on small mushy waves. Ridding a surfboard takes skill and knowledge and with a little more it will typically work fine in waves other than what it was made for. Maybe if you are entering a surf contest you may not want to have a board that isn't designed for the waves you have to surf but especially if you are just learning, a better board won't help unless it's one that will help you catch more waves (in my opinion). Learning to surf depends on you catching and riding more waves and learning to read the waves

[Geezer]

I think many surfers seem to think because a board is supposed to be good for small mushy waves then it won't be good on steep tubing waves but in reality it is generally a matter of learning how to handle the board on waves that are different than what it is made for.

There are alot of tyoes of boards out there now. There are some boards that go in just about anything, and some that just won’t.

Boards like these are limited in their application:

[Geezer]

Boards like these can go in a wide variety of conditions.

[oldmansurfer]

Limited just means you have to adapt your surfing to make them work.

[Geezer]

Limited just means you have to adapt your surfing to make them work.

Sometimes its a square peg in a round hole. A 5’something groveler isn’t working in big powerful surf. Those guns aren't for mushy waist high waves. As much as I support the its the indian not the arrow idea, some types of boards ARE limited and aren’t applicable to just any kind of wave.


That said, I leave you with this….

[oldmansurfer]

Maybe it’s just me . The longer I am on this forum the more I realize that what I have experienced is not typical. When I restarted surfing after not surfing for 12 years I bought a used 9’6” big wave gun. It was a decent board for me to relearn on. I rode everything from knee high to triple overhead. Then got a longboard that was even better because I could catch waves in larger area of the lineup. My experience relearning was similar to learning in that I fell a lot for a while. However even that was probably not similar to your average surfer. And the only reason I was attempting triple overhead waves at that stage is because I was in reasonable shape and the waves weren’t breaking top to bottom. There was a 6 foot area below the whitewater where I could surf in relative safety if the wave outran me

[jaffa1949]

The personal sliding scale of terrification, look over the ledge!