jacksonville beach florida newbie

[hangtite]

moving to jacksonville beach soon...long time motocross and standup jetski racer...always wanted to surf but it wont happen in dallas texas..well now that i am going to be living on the atlantic i want to get started on my new hobby SURFING!!!....have read many pages on your forum and have learned a lot but like a lot of beginners still have questions...i am not the rental type and dont mind buying a board (used probably) that i may only use a short time, sooo im 5'10 and 220lbs, any recommendations on a starter board? also any info on good beginner spots and people who give lessons in jacksonville beach....i am so looking forward to learning to surf and conversing with others on this forum...thanks in advance for any help you can give!!!

[namino tsume]

dont matter if you anit the renting type, rental boards are not regular boards, they are soft toped, more boyant, and more stable, and safer. It is always smarter to rent first.

no if you really dont want to, then go for a fun board around 7'6-8'

[little waves]

i agree with namino for the leangth, around 7'6"ish, even around 8' wouldn't be to big. i definately would'nt go shorter than that if you are just starting out. you can always sell the board after a couple years when you are ready to move on.

and again, agreement with namino, i would rent, at least once or twice for a day/half day just to get the feel of it. its not a good idea to go into buying a surfboard blind. also, check a lot of shops, dont buy the first one ya see. a used board can be your best friend or your worst enemy. at a shop they will usually sell you a pretty good board, even used - but if you go through a classified ad or something, beware of people selling leaky boards filled with water, etc.