Surfing Waves

hey folks, i bought a 2nd hand 7'10 minimal to come down a bit from my 8'6 nsp, just so i could try to duckdive/get out back a bit easier. first attempt today an it all went wrong, not gr8 conditions to be fair but it was like learning all over again, i was missing the wave or pearling, couldn find the 'sweet spot' at all. i know i have to keep at it, thank god a caught a decent wave just befor i was heading in, at least i know its possible, any tips ??

I would ride the board and get used to it more before writing it off completely. If you are pearling more than your other board it could be that your new board has less rocker than your other board, or you are not on the tail enough when making the drop. Anyway try to give it a little time, and if you still don't like it then try out some other boards.

Try and get used to the sweet spot in the white water. When you can pop up, turn etc on the white water it'll give you much more confidence on unbroken waves.

I know you said you were struggling to catch waves, and the advice above is all good for that. You also said you wanted to try duckdiving etc... forget duckdiving a 7'10.

I know this won't sound helpful, but seriously you'll need to paddle a fair bit harder if you're missing waves or pearling. A lot of poor timing and placement can be made up for by sheer paddling power! Keep at it and don't be discouraged.