Surfing Waves

hey guys n gals, surfing for 8 months. moving from a minimal to a funboard 7'9" to a 7'2" pointy thing. had it out twice so far and am just getting to grips with catching waves. however when i stand up the wave keeps passing by after a short ride. am in the whitewater getting used to the board. could this be a factor? do i need to take it out to bigger waves or is it purely a question of getting the balance right?

On a larger, higher volume board you can catch waves earlier which could make for a longer ride. Also the buoyancy of the board will help you stay on the wave longer. Riding a smaller board requires more work in terms of paddling which may equate to catching fewer waves and having shorter rides. It may even be less forgiving in terms of stability & balance. However, the smaller board should be easier to duckdive and manuever. Also lighter and easier to carry and transport. Big boards, little boards...they each have their pros and cons. It's up to you to decide what your surfing goals are. Keep in mind, the more you ride a board, the easier it'll be to ride as you learn to adjust to the differences in the way the board rides. Surfing different boards (and different breaks) teaches you to adjust to different situations and will help improve your surfing ability.

I found when I went to a smaller board and was in the white water with it that i had to be much more agressive. Had to paddle harder and seemed like I was jumping up onto its middle like I was conquering it.

A 7'2" isn't that small, go for it, I started on a 7'2" (and still am riding it), and I am 6'2", you'll be fine, but if you are not catching waves and staying on them then you need to meve closer to the breaking point.

What?? Seriously - unless you've actually got a clue what you're talking about, then don't post!!

OK - back on topic. I went from a 7'6" popout (riding slop) to a 9'2" custom (graduated onto clean waves) and then had a play with a 6'10" Magic Carpet.

When I went from popout to longboard, I found myself pearling, as I was too used to being up near the front to get the speed up.

When I first used the Carpet, I was lying too near the back and not paddling hard enough, as I was used to the longer board.

I also found the carpet to be more unstable laterally, making pop-ups a lot slower, meaning I missed the wave. This was especially true in the white water or on choppy days. I felt like a total kook all over again until I'd had quite a few sessions on the board, getting used to where to lie on it to paddle, how it picked up the wave, etc

Now - I'm no expert, but if you're still in the whitewater, I'd try getting into the 'smoother' clean waves to see if that helps with stability. I'd also get into the habit of paddling just a couple of strokes more than you used to on the old board and maybe shifting an inch or so forward to stop the board stalling as you paddle.

But, as with most things, it's just a case of getting used to something new and practising...........

The Fafanator wrote:A 7'2" isn't that small, go for it, I started on a 7'2" (and still am riding it), and I am 6'2", you'll be fine, but if you are not catching waves and staying on them then you need to meve closer to the breaking point.

Ok, aside from the fact you say you're six foot two at fourteen years of age you said in another thread that you like lying on your board out back for hours....

I'm five foot eight and my board is 7 foot four and I'm pretty sure it's not 'floaty' enough to lie on...

thanks for the tips guys, pretty much what i thought. does feel abot like learning all over again. fafanator... read some of your replies on other threads... you come off as a bit clueless... i smell a surf poseur!

i just started using a board a lot thinner, shorter, lighter and narrower than my usual and it was hard at first but just im gettin used to it after 2 timeds out

Don't turn so sharply, turn the board more toward the shore. Slow moving waves are like that. If you turn to sharply, it'll just pass underneath you.