Transition problems

[muoh92]

I started surfing last November. I'm 22 years old, 5'9, 170lbs. I live in Santa Cruz, and I surf at the beaches near Manresa. I surf 3-4 times a week for a few hours each session. I learned to surf on an 8' Wavestorm. After about a month, I bought a 5'11 Lost RV and soon realized that I needed to keep surfing on my foam board for a while. By January, I felt like I was getting most of the maneuverability possible out of the foam board. I could pop up fast, turn down the line right away, and go up and down the face of the wave as much as an 8 foot foam board allows. By March, I finally got the hang of the 5'11 shortboard I had bought months back. My problem is that I can't seem to do well on the shortboard in larger waves. I took my foam board out in waves a few feet overhead in the winter and I loved it because I could get in to the wave early and I felt really confident during the drop. With the shortboard on bigger waves, I either mess up the drop or I miss the wave completely. This seems to happen whether I angle my takeoff or not. Now that summer is here, there doesn't seem to be many big days at Manresa right now, but I was wondering if anyone had any tips about this. I love surfing and I would honestly just keep surfing on my foam board, but now that I've gotten into riding the shortboard, I don't like not having the maneuverability that comes with it. Also, I would like to surf at some of the better spots in Santa Cruz, and I know that showing up on a Wavestorm would probably be a bad idea.

[dtc]

A bigger board allows you to catch a wave earlier (ie before it breaks) and a smaller board requires you to catch a board later (when its just about to break). The earlier you can catch a wave, the less steep the wave is and also the greater the margin of error (you can catch it early or late or in between) and also the more time you have until you have to pop up (ie you have until the wave breaks). This is a function of longer boards and why they are good for beginners.

With a shorter board, you have to catch it later, when the wave is steeper and you have to pop up much quicker. So you have to be in the right place and take off at the right time and pop up straight away. Much less margin for error

Bigger waves come through faster and everything I just mentioned is even more essential and compressed.

Angling isn't the issue; its timing and positioning. You have to get it right - you aren't at the moment. its just practice and making constant adjustments.

[oldmansurfer]

reading the wave and knowing where to take off is more important with a shortboard. You have to get better at paddling, need to be in better shape than with a longer board. Keep working at it.

[waikikikichan]

Easy answer - Goldilocks and the three bears.

Your 8'0" catches waves easily but hard to turn
Your 5'11" is hard to catch waves but easy to turn

So why don't you get a board in the middle of the two

Get 7'0" Funboard, Hybrid, retro fish that should be okay in catching and turning. It'll be Juuuuussst Right !

By the way, who sold you a 5'11" being that your were a beginner at the time.