That's my pick of the answers. Start with whitewater and when you can get up quickly and balance a little bit, move back. But always move gradually. Start with the whitewater, then pick the little waves a bit further out, then pick the small ones between the sets at the line-up, and finally take the ones in the sets. If it looks too big, stay away from it, and if you see everyone else bailing, then follow their lead.
Just my two cents as a fellow beginner who has surfed a few bigger waves after a summer of practice, but also has the cuts and bruises to show when he underestimated the situations.
