Picking a Board (Bay Area)

[cdtom]

Hello all,

I'm relocating from the East Coast of the US to the Bay Area in California soon. I've only surfed once, but was able to ride waves on a softy during the first hour of a group lesson in Costa Rica two summers ago. Since I'll finally be able to surf on a regular basis, I'm looking to buy my own board. While I know it's generally advised to start on a long board, I want to get the shortest board I feel comfortable with. (I'm athletic, fit, and also an avid snowboarder.) I'm thinking of just getting a wetsuit, and then going to the beach (Santa Cruz or Half-Moon Bay) and renting boards of different lengths to see what works for me. Any opinions on this idea, and also whether rental boards are that easy to come by in Santa Cruz and Half-Moon Bay? Also, any advice on what type of wetsuit and additional gear I'll need for surfing in the Bay Area?

[boardjunction]

If you are going to Santa Cruz you need to stop by O'niells shop. They will point you in all the directions you need to go. SF has some great shops and surf spots also. the locals are nice and wil give you all the info you need. I live about 45 mins north of SF. Love visiting don't love the traffic. LOL.
Have a good on and check out [url]boardjunction.com[/url]

[billie_morini]

cdtom,
I lived and surfed in the SF Bay Area until about a year ago. My favorite places to surf were:

Bolinas (north of SF in Marin County)
Santa Cruz (38th St, Pleasure Pt)

You'll need a 4/3 suit there. In addition to that, I regulalry used a 0.5mm hood made by O'neill and some thin booties.

In case you don't know, best surf is in Winter. In addition to cold water (50F to 53F), the air temp is cold.

there are many good places to surf in NorCAL. Treat yourself to a winter weekend of surf at Caspar Creek, too.

billie

[ColinJames]

cdtom,
I lived and surfed in the SF Bay Area until about a year ago. My favorite places to surf were:

Bolinas (north of SF in Marin County)
Santa Cruz (38th St, Pleasure Pt)

You'll need a 4/3 suit there. In addition to that, I regulalry used a 0.5mm hood made by O'neill and some thin booties.

In case you don't know, best surf is in Winter. In addition to cold water (50F to 53F), the air temp is cold.

there are many good places to surf in NorCAL. Treat yourself to a winter weekend of surf at Caspar Creek, too.

billie

Billie, I have been living and surfing at OB in SF for a few seasons now and I haven't heard of Caspar Creek, where is it?

[billie_morini]

ColinJames,
Caspar Creek is located in Mendicino County. There is an RV and tent camping park right across the street from it. They're located at 14441 Point Cabrillo Drive, Mendocino, (707) 964-3306. This link will show you their map and you can see the Caspar Creek cove:
http://www.casparbeachrvpark.com/location. The cove provides beautiful peeling waves and the bluest of blue waters. It's cold, too! I enjoy cold water and found that after a couple of hours in this water around Christmas time I couldn't feel my feet any more. That doesn't make me want to stop, however. If you go there in mid-Winter like wife, dog, and me, you'll have the campground to yourself (WiFi included). I've never been there in the Summer and suspect there are too many people, including punks. In Winter, I have shared these waves with the nicest people ranging from teens to 65+ years old.

Hope you make it. I only surfed at OB once. It's too rough for me. If you surf there regularly, you'll have a wonderful time at Caspar Creek.
billie

[cdtom]

Thanks for the replies. I'm looking to buy my first board for surfing in the Bay Area. Since I'm an avid snowboarder, and am fairly athletic, fit, and have good balance, I feel I can get started on a shorter board, say 7' to 7'6 funboard or midmal. I've been told, however, that wave conditions also dictate what type of board to get. Can anyone shed some light on what would be a good type/size board to get for surfing in the Bay Area in particular? Thanks!

[billie_morini]

cdtom,
I'll tell you what I did for the several years I surfed in NorCAL's SF Bay area and make a recommendation. You're not going to like it because you're fit, have ridden snow boards for a long time, and stood up the very first time you took a surfing lesson. I used a 9-foot long board all over NorCAL from Santa Cruz to Mendocino. I recommend a 9-foot long board for beginners. The few times I surfed at the rugged Ocean Beach in SF, I used an 8-foot hybrid. Until you understand how to read waves and currents, can reliably catch green waves greater than 3 feet in height, can execute bottom turns, and can go La la (Hawaiian for diagonal) whenever you want, you'll have more success and fun on a long board.