Surfing Waves

Hi everyone,

I was born and raised in a coastal town in Asia and learned to surf when I was young. I moved out beginning my adolescent years and lived in towns hundreds of miles from a nearby ocean thus prohibited me from going to the waters. Few months ago I had a job opportunity that allowed me to move to the beautiful city of Santa Barbara in California. Walking on beaches once again and looking at the great surf opportunity I want to get back into it again but I'm unsure of what to get.

I'm definitely in between the novice - enthusiast level but more towards the novice part due to the amount of years I have not been back on a surfboard. There are many surf shops near me that can help me but I still want to get some general information on what to ask for so it wouldn't be a long process.

I am looking into Fish boards or Fun boards.. will these suit me well? The shortboards are for more advanced surfers right?
I am 175 cm tall (5 ft 9 in), and I weigh in between 160-170 (Trying to lose weight for triathlon)

I am un sure of the dimensions of boards to look for.. I hope you guys can help me! I apologize in advance if my English is hard to understand.


Also, should I buy a new board or just buy one suitable off of Craigslist? I don't have much money to burn after putting in on a good road bike haha..

Have you surfed since you were a kid? Because if you haven't it's not like riding a bike. I haven't ridden a bike in 30 years but still pretty sure I can ride one the moment I jump on it. But I quit surfing for 12 years and it was just like learning all over again.

Since you do triathlons, and hopefully do open ocean swims, you should have the right paddling skills to transfer over. Just go bigger than what you think. You WILL change boards many times. Get the biggest you can fit in your car or stairwell, etc. If your up to it, 2 feet over your head will be an okay getting back into it size. So 7'6" fun board or Mini-tanker. Just to buy a pointy step-up or mini-gun.

oldmansurfer wrote:Have you surfed since you were a kid? Because if you haven't it's not like riding a bike. I haven't ridden a bike in 30 years but still pretty sure I can ride one the moment I jump on it. But I quit surfing for 12 years and it was just like learning all over again.

I learned when I was about 8 or 9 and surfed frequently until I was about 14-15, I am now 28.. so about 12-13 years like you. I have yet to have a chance to rent/borrow a board yet but I feel like it would probably be back to learning it all over again. what would you suggest I get?

waikikikichan wrote:Since you do triathlons, and hopefully do open ocean swims, you should have the right paddling skills to transfer over. Just go bigger than what you think. You WILL change boards many times. Get the biggest you can fit in your car or stairwell, etc. If your up to it, 2 feet over your head will be an okay getting back into it size. So 7'6" fun board or Mini-tanker. Just to buy a pointy step-up or mini-gun.

Yes I do open water swims often but they were mostly in lakes (last place I lived was not near the ocean), but I went out for a couple swims in the ocean since I moved here and it felt pretty good. Since I will be changing boards many times, what should I look for? I'm actually just peeking in Santa Barbara's craigslist and I was wondering if you could go to it real quick and see what you can recommend me from the list (since often CR postings have little description..). I will definitely take in your advice though!

edit. also I am completely lost on how pricing work for these boards.. so it's hard looking at the USED ones without knowing if it's a fair price or not haha..

my post should of read as " DON"T buy a Pointy step-up or mini-gun "

I looked on the Santa Barbara Craigslist. Hardly any 7'6"s. There's a 8'0" Clyde Beatty. But i'm hesitant to recommend swallow tails. But looks fat and fun.

Oct 12th had a 7'4" stewart for $100. It's all ding up and the tails busted. But just pop in some 2 -part ding stick repair and it'll be good for your first full season. Fins and boxes look fine.

Do u got the option to rent different boards? If so this experience will tell u what to buy.

johnsonmac wrote:I learned when I was about 8 or 9 and surfed frequently until I was about 14-15, I am now 28.. so about 12-13 years like you. I have yet to have a chance to rent/borrow a board yet but I feel like it would probably be back to learning it all over again. what would you suggest I get?

I think about an 8 foot board minimal or funboard type should be good but 9 foot would be even easier. You could try taking lessons or renting a board to start with and get a feel for it. You are in good shape and relatively young and I presume uninjured so maybe start with a smaller board around 8 foot then you will be able to progress a bit without buying a new one. Waikikichan suggests you stay away from a pointy funboard....not sure why but he teaches surfing so I would listen to him. If you will be surfing less often go longer.

Don't panic too much about your first board. Get one that is 7'6 or bigger, mini mal or longboard. Because of your background this will be an interim board, maybe for about your first 50 surfs (give or take). At the end of that period, you can decide what you want to do, shorter or mid length or long boarding. Or all of the above.

The first board just needs to be water tight and a good decent size. For you - if you were a complete beginner I would have different advice.

Pricing just requires you to spend some time checking things out. Look at new board prices, look at historical pricing. It's no different to anything else.

You should also look at surf shops, which will usually have a second hand section and will professionally fix problems. Don't let them convince you to buy a short board or whatever is on the rack. Stick to what you need, not what they have to sell. Might cost a little bit more than off CR.

Keep in mind you also need fins, which will cost $50 upwards. So if the board comes with fins, that is a saving. I would replace the leash on any 2nd hand board - if you buy at a shop see if they will throw in a new leash or give you a good discount. A bag is worthwhile normally, but depends on how much you love your board.

At the end of it, sell the board if you want, probably get 75% of what you paid.

dtc wrote:Don't panic too much about your first board. Get one that is 7'6 or bigger, mini mal or longboard.

We should just always put this as the first reply to any question about first boards

I recommended not getting a Pointy step up or Mini-gun not so much for his sake but for others around him. A fun board, hybrid or big fish ( whale ) that comes to a point is fine, doesn't need to be round like a trash can lid. I'm just looking out for him so he doesn't get duped into buying a improper board. You'll be amazed at the amount of college kids that came into our shop so stoked about the great "Longboard" deal the got on Craigslist. Ends up being a 9'0" Rhino chaser full pin tail big wave gun. They tells us " But the internet said beginners should look for a board 9 feet ? "