What surf board should I buy?

Question

I am a beginner but would like to buy a board that I can grow on. I'd rather not get a long board. I live in San Diego so the waves are pretty small now since its summer. thank you for your answers

Answer 1

You can buy a good long board at Surf Ride or Becker Surfboards. You'll want to start off with a long board. And they are kind of exspensive so start savin.

Answer 2

Definitely get a used board.  I used to surf in SD so i know how the waves are but it doesn't matter I have had friends break boards in those waters! Your better off starting with at least a 7 footer.  The longer the better. You definitely cant rush into it.  But you might be a natural but you don't want to hurt yourself. What beach are you surfing at makes a difference also. You should rent one to try them out.

Answer 3

I recommend buying something used.  You don't need a new board for your first board.  Check out craigslist or local surf shops for good deals.  

You can learn on a short board, but it's going to be a lot more difficult, and you may get frustrated.  Especially with the small waves of summer, it's easier to catch the waves with a bigger board.  

You could buy something in between, like a fun board.  I learned on a 7'6" ron jon fun board.  It was great because it was wide enough and big enough to make catching the waves easy.  But it was small enough that I could turn and maneuver and progress with it.  

I still have it, and take it out when the waves are small.  But since then I have bought SEVERAL boards of all different sizes to take out depending on the swell and conditions.  

I'm going to send you an e-mail (or e-mail me!!) and give you some info on a surfing group I belong to in San Diego.  It's a great group of people who meet up all the time.  We're having a big party on the 14th.  And you'd be able to get a lot of new surfing buddies.  Our website even has a free classifieds section where we sell boards and stuff to each other.  If you can, we're going out this afternoon at 3:30 at Tourmaline, and again at 6pm at South Mission.  Tomorrow morning we're meeting at Avalanche around 7am.

((ok, you don't allow e-mails, seriously, e-mail me and I can send you the link for the site.  It's a lot of fun and a great way to meet people to surf with.))

Answer 4

You are a begginer, you really need a begginer board. You need to go down to the local surf shop and ask them to help you. The biggest mistake begginer surfers make is buying the wrong board. Many surfers think if they buy the best board avaliable designed for really good surfers, that will make them better faster.....WRONG.

Answer 5

you need a longboard. if you want to get into shortboarding, you have to start with longboarding. go to mitch's or surf ride in solana beach or some surf shops on mission beach or wherever you can find boards and get a long foam board. DO NOT GET A HARDBOARD! i've been surfing san diego for over 5 years and i just got my first hardboard last year. and if you don't think longboarding is cool, learn how to hang ten and then go surf. you'll feel like a pro. i like del mar to get used to surfing. since the break is pretty far outside, ride the white wash inside until your comfortable to surf outside. to surf outside, i like swami's in cardiff because it is a perfect right that you can surf all day long especially with a long board. i have trouble pulling into a wave with a 7 foot board. nothing smaller than 8 feet! have fun and good luck

Answer 6

Go with a longboard if the waves are small you wont be able to catch anything on a shortboard and its alot easier to stand up and practice on a  longer board. If you really don't want to get a longboard get something in between like a 7-8'.

Answer 7

Get a big retro fish.  It's not as long as a longboard but has plenty of width and thickness along with a deep swallow tail - all of this will help you paddle better and catch tons of waves.  You'll also be able to grow with these boards since they're a lot more maneuverable than the typical longboard.

Check out 9:Fish Surfboards (http://www.9fishsurf.com/products.html).  They have a couple of models that might be exactly what you're looking for (the 7'4" Hammerhead or 8'4" Koi).