How many were self taught?

[PandaJosh]

Like how many of you just taught yourselves to surf? did you learn on a longboard or a shortboard I'm starting out on a shortboard I think it be better in the long run but what about you guys.

[jaffa1949]

Well, Pandajosh a huge proportion of anybodies surfing is self learned, even after people have been to surf school, applying what they learned is self teaching.
Your thoughts about starting on a shortboard probably won't be that helpful as you will struggle to catch waves on a short board and if you don't catch waves as much you don't learn as quickly.
Go longer to start get your basic skills and then begin shorter boards.
This is pretty much the standard advice given to all those who ask the same question.
Of course you are free to choose whatever board you think you want, read up through the threads, see if you thoughts change!

[Jimi]

Yeh, as Jaffa said, the short board will make your life more difficult to get the basics. Once you are easily popping up and riding the face then a short board may actually be easier, but until then the log is the fastest way to learn.

Also most of my mates are self taught.

[tony g]

Yeah I was self taught too. I also learned on a short board because i didn't know any better and it seemed like everyone was getting into shorter boards in the mid to late 70's. You will progress much faster on a longboard. They catch waves easier and are much more stable.

[surf patrol]

Self taught, as were all my surfing mates.

[IB_Surfer]

I think most of us where self taught. Lessons are fun, you get to go surfing in a big huge foam board in whitewash, which gets you hooked to surfing.Mostly, surfing is about learning about yourself.

When I first learned to surf there where no blogs, no websites with advice, so at least you have that advantage.

[ModreadzRising]

I was self taught as well. I initially bought shortboard and a bit overzealous. How hard can it be right? Shortly after I bought a foam top. From what I've learned I can tell you that you're on a very, very, very steep learning curve. There's so much you need to build prior to riding a short board. For example, you physical ability to paddle, get in position and catch waves. But not only that, but timing is extremely important, if not one of the most important things. All of which have a small window of error on a shortboard. There's also the safety aspect. If you don't know what you're doing on a shortboard, and trust me you don't, that you will harm other people with your board as well as yourself. Just yesterday, a noobie on a shortboard who was obviously riding a board he wasn't capable of riding, took off right in front of me. If I hadn't ducked under his fin would be in my head. I guarantee you, anyone in the line up on a shortboard that can trim and carve on a wave have been riding for years. Ask them. I'm sure 99% have learned on a foam board or long board back in the day. So my advice is to ditch the short board. You'll pick up so many bad habits surfing it that you'll take a lot long to learn how to ride. Evenutally you'll get frustrated and maybe even quit. As for me, I've been surfing for almost 10 years. Anyway, gain your stars and strips. Go from a soft top and work your way down. Shorter isn't always better fyi.

[oldmansurfer]

I was self taught on a short board but I had been knee boarding before that and body boarding before that and bodysurfing before that.

[Livetosurf]

like most people I had a lesson that got me hooked but from there on in its all about "self taught" defiantly the best way to learn going too figuring out how to do something or watching others speaking to others in the line up is were you really get to know what's going on.

[nolte]

I was/am self taught (still a lot of learning left for me to do). My first board (which I still have) was a thruster shortboard by design, but it's 7'x23x3 1/4" and epoxy. Basically a boat. I never had any trouble catching waves on it once I learned how to paddle efficiently and time the waves correctly (which IMO is the hardest part for a beginner).

That being said, I recently bought an 8'3 single fin retro thingy, not quite a long board per se, but shaped like one with a flatter rocker and full nose. It's just a much better board for the small mushy conditions we usually have here. You really have to work a short board to keep it going, even a very high volume one. So what I actually found was that a high volume short board didn't hinder me at first when I was really just concerned with getting to my feet and sort of going along the wave. But once I wanted some longer rides, I found that the board just wasn't suited to the conditions I was usually using it in (knee the thigh high mostly), and in that sense, it was kind of starting to hinder my progress. I am keeping the shorter board for bigger days, probably tomorrow if this swell can get a little more organized.

TLDR: A VERY high volume shortboard might be OK for learning, but also consider the conditions you will be surfing most of the time.

Also, don't be so concerned about being a "longboarder" or a "shortboarder" because, initially you're just a learner/beginner anyways. And in most places, those terms don't really apply. Now if you live in Hawaii or somewhere that has good shortboardable waves ALL THE TIME, then those terms have a little more meaning. If you live somewhere with small or non existent surf most of the time like the east coast US or the UK, there are basically people that ride the right board for the conditions and there are "short boarders". You'll see guys out on potato chips on a knee high day but they're not catching anything and when they do it's a few frantic pumps before totally bogging down. Just surf and have fun.

[Iron Lee]

Yes. But I had 6 years of skating and 15 years snowboarding experience. So I knew that once I could finally catch a wave, It would be all good. It was. I think it's difficult for people if they have no previous board sport experience.

[oldmansurfer]

In my case I grew up in the ocean and body surfed since I was a kid. I didn't start surfing till I was 18 but I was bodysurfing on waves with 20 foot faces when I was 14 and paipo boarding bigger waves before I started surfing. I was starting to kneeboard on my paipo boards when I turned 18 and my parents gave me a brand new shortboard shaped by a very good shaper. I took it out a couple times and then put it in the corner of my room since I was so into paipo boarding and it was so much more difficult to surf. A couple months later I made a brand new paipo board and it took me 2 weeks to make it. I had to warp the wood with hot water so it had a kick in the nose and then I carefully shaped the bottom with channels and concaves a design I had come up with for my finless boards and then adding fiberglass and resin to strengthen and protect the wood and then a rope handle. I broke that board shortly after making it. I was riding a wave with a close to 15 foot face and the lip hit me and broke it in two. Anyway I looked at the board and thought about the two weeks it would take for me to make another one and made a quick visit to my surfer friends who I knew as a kid. I asked them how to learn to surf as quickly as possible. They all said go surf as much as you can. I started surfing every day and on the first day I already caught "green waves". By two weeks I was comfortable taking off on waves but couldn't turn much however I was going along with the wave and not riding the whitewater in from day one. By two months I was riding waves with 8 foot faces and by a year twice that size and by two years four times that size. I know my experience isn't typical but I was hooked on surfing in one form or another for four years before I started short board surfing. I was used to big surf and not afraid of the ocean and knew how to get around well without a board. I had good arm strength because I was already paddling to get into the bigger waves on my paipo boards and prior to that I had been a swimmer and a bodysurfer.