Surfing Waves

Hi All,

I'm new to this forum and surfing, I've been out about 4 different times but have made significant progress the last 2 times. I was recently using an 8'4 BIC Magnum and catching almost every (foam) wave. Should I consider a different board and/or larger waves yet?

Any feedback is much appreciated.

Safety first. Bigger waves means stronger currents and more severe poundings. Are you ready for that? I guess not or you wouldn't be asking about it. My recommendation is to work at catching unbroken waves and once you can do that work up in size slowly. The power of waves increases exponentially with the size so a 10 foot wave is way more than twice as powerful as a 5 foot wave. As for the board how much do you weigh and how old are you and how much time do you intend to spend surfing.

jaycee wrote: and catching almost every (foam) wave.

You are not catching the wave if you're only taking off in white foam. The wave is catching you, then after a bit you break free from it's grasp. 4 times is not enough to think about moving down in size, more like 40 times.

Stay with what you have in the board , progress will get you onto catching unbroken waves turn left or right and riding the face of the waves using the wave.
You are are very raw beginner, at this stage you would only be riding bigger white water and getting out to the real line up would be hazardous to you and everyone else.
It takes time and much surfing (that's the enjoyable part). Go surf more

Thanks guys, I appreciate all your feedback.

I'm definitely past the 'foam' as I did those maybe on my first 2-3 pop ups. I've been dong 3-5ft waves just as they break and foam if they're spilly that day (by bigger waves I meant catching the green but still small waves). I'm definitely in no rush to get in the line-up or develop kook status. I surf mainly on the west coast of Canada so waves don't get too massive, plus I'm all about putting in the time to master the beginner techniques and pay my dues.

Realistically, I'll be surfing 3-5 days a month. I'm late 20's, 118lbs. The first couple times I had a soft top and the last two times the renter suggested moving away from soft tops to the BIC. Thoughts?

If you're catching foam and paddling fine on the BIC, you don't need to go back to a soft-top. If you can, try and rent the same board(size/dims) every outing, so you don't have to adjust every time out. Like others suggested, stay on that 8'4 until you get your basic skills down. If you're only surfing 3-5 times a month, that will take some time and a board change will only hinder your progress.

When I'm moving from foam to before the break (shoulder height), should I try and catch the wave at an angle or go straight like with the foam?

jaycee wrote:Thanks guys, I appreciate all your feedback.

I'm definitely past the 'foam' as I did those maybe on my first 2-3 pop ups. I've been dong 3-5ft waves just as they break and foam if they're spilly that day (by bigger waves I meant catching the green but still small waves). I'm definitely in no rush to get in the line-up or develop kook status. I surf mainly on the west coast of Canada so waves don't get too massive, plus I'm all about putting in the time to master the beginner techniques and pay my dues.

Realistically, I'll be surfing 3-5 days a month. I'm late 20's, 118lbs. The first couple times I had a soft top and the last two times the renter suggested moving away from soft tops to the BIC. Thoughts?

Big currents on Canada's west coast....I remember reading about drift diving there when I was a diver back in the day. Keep the stoke, lots to learn like safety and etiquette plus general ocean knowledge.

jaycee wrote:When I'm moving from foam to before the break (shoulder height), should I try and catch the wave at an angle or go straight like with the foam?

Most surfers want to ride the unbroken part of the wave which is constantly moving. There are a few methods to accomplish this. One is to go straight down then immediately turn sharply to take that energy created by going down the face and turning it into energy to move the board sideways along the unbroken face of the wave. Another method is to angle while you are paddling for the wave. Both of these require being able to lineup in the right place and read the waves to figure out which waves to catch and which to not catch.

oldmansurfer wrote:

jaycee wrote:When I'm moving from foam to before the break (shoulder height), should I try and catch the wave at an angle or go straight like with the foam?

Most surfers want to ride the unbroken part of the wave which is constantly moving. There are a few methods to accomplish this. One is to go straight down then immediately turn sharply to take that energy created by going down the face and turning it into energy to move the board sideways along the unbroken face of the wave. Another method is to angle while you are paddling for the wave. Both of these require being able to lineup in the right place and read the waves to figure out which waves to catch and which to not catch.

This is great advice, thanks! Can I accomplish both those manoeuvres with an 8'4 board? Also what's the best way to start trying out turns?

Yes the 8'4 BIC should be good. I am not a surf instructor but here goes my take on learning to turn. First just push down with your feet push your toes down to turn toward your toes and your heels down to turn toward your heels. That is called trimming but I call it ankle turns

Ride the soft board until you break it.
With the hard one and almost no skills broken nails, cuts from fins are a sure thing.
You will be dangerous for yourself and the others.

oldmansurfer wrote:Yes the 8'4 BIC should be good. I am not a surf instructor but here goes my take on learning to turn. First just push down with your feet push your toes down to turn toward your toes and your heels down to turn toward your heels. That is called trimming but I call it ankle turns

Thank you so much for your own personal tips, I appreciate that you recognize this is a beginner's thread - all of your positive advice is greatly welcomed

Welcome to the forum
Since you might consider bigger waves along the way, here's a piece of advice, I'm not sure if it's useful to you but this is what I did.
I went out one day when it was heavy and took constant beatings to get a feel for the current and how to react to it, then when I knew the power what I was playing with then I considered surfing them.
Basically if you can take the beating, you can surf it, if not, stay away.