Newbie from Palmas del Mar (Puerto Rico)

[error404]

Hey guys,
I just moved to Puerto Rico not too long ago, I'm living in a place called Palmas del Mar ( It's like one big Country Club / Disneyland compared to the rest of PR )

Anyway, I'm about 5 min away (walking) from the beach and about 15min away from a spot that I see a lot teens surfing

I figured, that now that I'm semi-retired at the age of 28 (thanks to the poor economy in US)... I could take on Surfing I found this board while trying to get an idea what would be a good entry level board for me (5-10' / 160lbs). I really, don't want too much as I'm not sure how many months I'm going to stay in PR (Although it could be indefinitely).


I'll be looking at all the newbie topics to get an idea... but if anyone is from Palmas or want to give me some tips/advise, please go right ahead

[naniekso]

so like did u not find a job for a while and just moved to there for a while to chill? awsome!!!

i would get a 8foot and above surfboard to start working on it then move down to a 6'6 fish.

[error404]

so like did u not find a job for a while and just moved to there for a while to chill? awsome!!!

i would get a 8foot and above surfboard to start working on it then move down to a 6'6 fish.

Yeah, something like that.... It was a stroke of luck and having the right connections

I'm working in a few projects down here, but it hardly feels like work... specially when you go fishing in the middle of the week just because the water seems nice that day. BTW, I used to go to a flowrider at the international mall (Miami)... I imagine, it's completely different from real surfing, but I was able to stay on the wave for 45sec-1min easily... No fancy tricks, but at least my balance was good enough


I see a lot of posts suggesting to start on longer surfboards... What are the consequences on starting on a smaller like 6'-6" board?
harder learning curve? I'm asking because I think I know someone that can let me borrow his board. I have all the time in the world... so I really don't care if I get no joy out of the first few times that I hit the waves

[error404]

I just talked to my friend and he has no problem letting me borrow one of his boards... it's 8' long, so guess no problems there!

Now, I need to figured out when It's the best time to hit the waves... today the water seems pretty flat from my living room window, so I'll wait

[Ged]

I'v surfed Palmas Del Mar. Its good on an easterly swell but they are not consistent. Try getting to the north or northwest for consistent swells. You can drive to San Juan in 45 minutes, Rincon in 2 hours. Check out the posts I made below in a topic called wilderness. If you can get over to Rincon and check out Marias. Its a really long wave when the swell is from the NE which is standard for most of the winter. There are dozens of other breaks there too. Besides this practice untill hurricane season when you should get some classic swells on that coast.

[billie_morini]

This link summarizes many of the surf locations in PR. It may be helpful to you.

http://www.gotopuertorico.com/surfing-i ... o-rico.php

You can also check http://wannasurf.com for lots more info