Tips for a new surfer (tall and heavy, Hawaii)

[johannespaulII]

Hello everybody,

I'm a new surfer with a couple of questions for the more experienced of you.

I'm a student who moved to Honolulu this September. Obviously, I fell in love with surfing immediately, even though I'm far from a natural. I have been surfing rented longboards at various spots in Waikiki 2-3 times a week since I came here. I have definitely gotten better, but there are also days where I feel that I am back where I started. Anyways, I am having an awesome time, and I'm looking to get a bit more serious about surfing. I am also planning to get a car which will make it easier to get around with my own board, and allow access to other spots than just those around Waikiki.

So, the first question is what board I should be looking for. I am 6'4 and roughly 210 lbs, but athlethic. I started out of 11' longboard, but I have transitioned to using slightly shorter and narrower boards. I find the shorter/narrower ones to be a lot more fun, so I would definitely like to learn how to surf shorter boards. I am, however, very aware of the limitations set by my weight and lack of experience, and I have no desire to switch to anything too short which will only cause me frustration. I want a board that can carry me and that I can catch waves on, but also one that lets me maneuver a bit once I get up.

I have been considering getting a funboard or a large fish. These seem like good compromises between buoyancy and maneuvrability. It is also my impression that they can be used on a pretty wide range of wave sizes, which would allow me to try out some more challenging breaks after a while (I don't have the money to get more than one..).

I hear all sorts of different things about these board types, so I'm having a hard time understanding which type would be better. Most forum posts I have come over have also recommended boards in the 7'-8' range. Considering my body shape, will this be too small? Should I rather be in the 9' range?

My other question is for anyone who has experience from Oahu. I usually surf Populars in Waikiki, but I feel ready to try on some new places. Most of the North Shore would obviously kill me instantaneosly, I have no intention to tempt fate with anything remotely close to what I've seen up there. But what would be a nice transition from Populars? Ala Moana seems very crowded and aggressive, so I'll stay out of there until I have some more experience. Any ideas?

Thanks a lot for your input guys! Any other tips for bigger/heavier guys are also highly appreciated!

[jaffa1949]

johannespaulII welcome I know the breaks around Waikiki there are quite a few that can stretch your limits if you have only been surfing since September.

With your weight and height I wouldn't go too short 9ft 9'6''would be a good performance range of boards.
an 11foot board at Waikiki is the guaranteed catch a wave and stand up easily type of learning board, don't go fishy or funny.
Boards in the range I am suggesting will do anything you will capable of for a few years yet. This forum post is not recommending anything under 9ft shorter will bring frustration
Watch some of the big Hawaiians who surf longboards, do they fail at manouvreability ?
Guys ride Pipe on longboards so south shore no worries.

Ala Moana is a sort of a pocket training ground before anyone gets serious about the north shore both in skills and attitudes.
Just look for an upgrade in challenge along the Waikiki stretch excluding Ala Moana you've got Fours , Threes, Paradise, Canoes, Queens, Publics and Ricebowl you can go around Diamond head to Light House, Suicides there is also Kahe point on the west coast for when you have a car. Tread softly you are still very much a beginner, but destined for fun!

[johannespaulII]

Thanks a lot buddy. Could you elaborate on why I should not go for the fish/fun shapes? I've heard a couple of good things about funboards in particular as good beginner boards. And will it really take a couple of years with a couple of sessions per week until I can consider anything else than a longboard? I don't really look at shortboarding as a magic "end point" as long as longboarding is fun, but I would clearly like to be able to give it a shot at some point. And I certainly have friends who started shortboarding with a lot less experience than a year of consistent longboarding. They were all definitely smaller guys than me though.

I'm looking forward to checking out those spots once I get a car and a board. Thanks again!

[drowningbitbybit]

Could you elaborate on why I should not go for the fish/fun shapes?

A fish is a short, fat board and it's primarily for small and/or weak waves - not something that you should have an issue with in your neck of the woods
They're designed to be very loose, which is lots of fun in small waves, but means they don't hold the face very well on more serious waves, and "loose" to a good surfer means "wobbly" to a newbie
Also, fishy boards don't work (in my experience) for taller/heavier guys - if the board is too long then it starts to lose the advantages of the shape, and then it'll be a horrible board, like trying to surf a lilo.

(N.B. I'm generalising here... someone usually comes on with a comment about a 200kg guy surfing an overhead monster on a 6' fish... I know it can be done, but why make life difficult for yourself? )

As for funboard shapes, I'm actually quite a fan of them - they are a compromise, but the compromise works in your favour (ease of catching waves, paddling ability etc, does everything adequately) as well as against you (bit of a mish mash that won't do anything perfectly). I would think that a funboard would be your next step once you've a bit more experience - go with Jaffa's recommendations for now, and maybe try a funboard a little down the track.
At your height/weight, a funboard in the 7'4 range might end up being about your limit anyway as far as shortboarding goes.

[johannespaulII]

Thanks a lot. I'll go for a nine-something footer, and have a look at funboards once I feel up for it.