Surfing Waves

Hey Guys, this is my first post.

I'm a 34 y.o.
I'm 5.11 155lbs

I surfed for 6months flat about 17 years ago in Durban South Africa, and boy do I wish now that forums were as aplenty as they are today.

17 years ago I rode a short 6.6 on Durbans north shore. Boy did I battle, but I didn't give up, and I watched, wipe out to infinity and beyond and really got nowhere. I would have been lucky to ride 10 waves in the 6 months that I went every week-end.

17 years later I'm back by mistake (went to the beach for the first time since moving abroad), and started off on a rental board... this is a bic 7.9 and I've been 5 sessions. IF I had learnt on this I would be doing much better today.

I'm doing pretty well, except for the exhaustion. I've surfed 4 x 7 hour sessions and 1 x 5 hour session.

I'm pretty confident as I can read the waves okay, and I've been popping up since first session and yesterday I was in some decent green and rode about 60% of those.

I'm in Taiwan now, and the surf is pretty mushy but can come clean quite often.

I'm pretty comfortable on the 7.9 but I saw a circle one mini m at 7.3.
I'd like to ride my own board as I dont really want to get too attached to a rental, because it's starting to feel a little too comfortable.

What are the implications of going from the bic 7.9 (I dont even know what this is ... a long board?) to a mini m at 7.3?

Is there much of a learning curve from one to the other?

The bic is actually made of hardened plastic and is heavier than a normal minimal. The minimal, at 7'3", should be plenty wide and fun for your weight, and since it will be lighter and shorter you should be able to turn and enjoy it more.

You're right teach, I took the minimal over to my spot this week-end. Boy she's tight and yeah you're right, she's so much lighter.

I was lucky as the swell was VERY sweet this week-end.
The pop-up is not too different, but I lose momentum on the short fast breaks quickly.

Paddling is a b*tch.

I see the short boarders "pump" their boards in the weaker surf - I wish I knew how do do this. I did try, but I dont know the mechanics so I failed miserably.

Paddling: carefull that you are centered, you might be too far back or forward and thus creating drag for yourself. Try to find the paddling sweetpoint where you glide. It was easier in your old board, it was fatter and more stable, this new board has a balance point, just harder to find. Try inching up or down an inch or two and see if you can tell the difference.

Yes, I think you are right, I think I may be too far back. There still that phobia I have of the nosetip puncturing the surface as I pearl. The bic was round the mini mal is a little pointed.

Yeh, I know the fear - but honestly, if you're balanced on your board you can catch the wave much earlier before the wave is too steep and avoid pearling more often.

I know moving back feels like you're less likely to pearl, but in reality if you move back you need to be in a steep section of the wave to take off. So you're taking a steeper drop, and often this makes it much more likely to pearl.

Jimi wrote:Yeh, I know the fear - but honestly, if you're balanced on your board you can catch the wave much earlier before the wave is too steep and avoid pearling more often.

I know moving back feels like you're less likely to pearl, but in reality if you move back you need to be in a steep section of the wave to take off. So you're taking a steeper drop, and often this makes it much more likely to pearl.

yeah that makes sense, I'll try that at my homebreak tomorrow. still not used to the nosetip just millimetres off the surface, I guess if it dips in a little it can still come back up right?