starting on a shortboard

[lowrider_93]

- I was wondering if anyone has started surfing on a shortboard, cus i am planning on starting straight on a shortboard. i know there is a lot of fustration to come, but i really dont want to start on a longboard or funboard. And does anyone know if AKA is a good shortboard to start on.

[Patrick__69]

Get a fish or a big sized shortboard if you must. Almost everyone starts on a Longboard though.

[lowrider_93]

wats considered a big shortboard if i am 5'2"

[surferdude_scarborough]

dont do it, its too damn hard to learn on a shortboard. if id learned on a sensible board id be 2 years surfing ahead of where i am now!!

[lowrider_93]

hahaha i will try to have more patience and be more persistant to learn i skateboard (have(had) a flow sponsor) and i am a junior lifeguard.

[surfer16]

If your sure you want to start on a shortboard, you really souldn't go any smaller than 6'4, also make sure its thick and buoyant as it will make paddling/catching waves alot easier.

[lowrider_93]

-i was thinking of getting a 5'4" fish

[Broosta]

I had about 2 sessions on a foamy, then about 3-4 sessions on a 7'something popout, then bought a 6'4" thruster squashtail. I was 15 so didn't weigh much but it worked for me . That was surfing 2-3 times a week tho in ok waves in Cornwall.

[lowrider_93]

-how tall were u?

[Broosta]

Dunno er, probs about 5'5" to 5'7"-ish and slim build .

[newquaychica]

helloo...

Once i could easily stand up in the white water i got my self a short board. Everyone says to surf for as long as u can on a longer board but because i'm only 5'2 this jus wasn't realistic for me - i know how u feel. The learner boards are too wide and heavy for me to carry let alone deal with in the water, i was wasting all my energy battling with big boards so had no energy to actually surf! If you buy a short board make sure it's wide like ..19 3/4 and 6'2 long. Mine is perfect and i've taught myself to duck dive, catch unbroken waves and turn on it...so yeah u can definately learn on a surf board just make sure u can stand up in the white water first. Good luck! xx

[Broosta]

Dude, 5'4" - thats well short !
How is your surfing and how often do you get in? Don't forget fish are really snakey, in that they are have really unstable directional stability to the left and right . Have you ridden a fish before?


Edit: I'm responding to Lowrider's post which is 2 posts below this one... I'm obviously still in that time ripple !

[rich r]

26 years ago, I started on a 5'11" shortboard thruster design. I was 5'9" then. Switched to a 6'2" when I was 6'1" four years later.

If I had taken lessons, I probably would have been up on it within a week.

As it was, I flopped around for a few weeks learning through my (laughing) friends (who were all decent surfers by then). But, as was our nature, they didn't tell me to move back until I had pearled 20 times, or to move forward until I flopped around for a day or two not catching anything, and so on.

It probably wasn't until my second season surfing that I started catching anything with any consistency, but I got there all right.

If you're going to do a shortboard and you 5'2", go for a 5'6" through a 5'10".

[lowrider_93]

thanks alot, I am thinking of a getting a 5'4" MAKO fish shortboard (AKA surfboards)

[lowrider_93]

-So what size should i think of getting i want something that is small enought to give me a skateboard like feel, but yet have something that catches waves well (and i should have been more specific,...it is a swallow tail not a fish ) And i am about 15 minutes from the beach that has pretty small surf (which i like) and i am 3 hours away from some insane surf. I was also wondering if these waves look ridable to u guys ......peace out

[newquaychica]

[newquaychica]

oh and they look very rideable!

[rich r]

They look rideable.. but it's always hard to judge size without some frame of reference. Those could be anywhere between ankle-high toe-slappers and shoulder-high kick-ass.

Though they kind of say knee to waist high to me.

[bluesnowcone]

its possible its just very very very very very hard, unless you got naturel talent

[lowrider_93]

They look rideable.. but it's always hard to judge size without some frame of reference. Those could be anywhere between ankle-high toe-slappers and shoulder-high kick-ass.

Though they kind of say knee to waist high to me.

-well that cliff is elephant rock which is about 20-30 feet high, perhaps i got natural talent ahahahahaha