Aloha guys!
I just moved to Honolulu about 5 months ago because I was lucky enough to land a job out here! I have always been an ocean addict - I got my open water diver cert. when I was just 14 years old, I studied marine science and policy in college, and now, even my job revolves around protecting marine resources! One thing I have yet to do is learn to surf. I have always been fascinated by the sport, always been jealous of the guys (and girls) out there that can do it, and now I just happen to live in the location where the sport was actually born. I think it's time.
I am looking to buy a board that I can learn on. I have about $525 I got for Christmas to splurge on it, and I have been told by numerous people to get a 9'0 longboard and that HIC was a really good Hawaiian brand. I am about 5'4" and 125 lbs. I am pretty fit, but in the few times I've actually paddled out, I got tired pretty quickly. So I need something that will move fast enough to actually catch the wave before I can attempt to stand up. Eventually I'd like to be able to surf on a shortboard, but I'm not even concerned about that at this point. Really, I just want to learn the basics and get strong enough to be confident in the water. I've always been comfortable in the ocean, but I know surfing is a different beast.
Anyway, sorry for the long post. Just looking for some genuine advice on getting started.
Mahalo!
Chelsey