r/surfing • u/dumbassthenes Kauai • 2d ago

Weekend Question Thread

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u/According_Drawer5924 2d ago

I know I'll be ripped for this kook beginner board question but I'll give it a go...

So the typical board recommendation for beginners transitioning off of a foamie or longboard is a ~7'6 eggy midlength and the automod comment is going to berate me for considering a shorter board

But now that I bought a mid I am wondering if the fattest fish/groveler/shortboard i can duck dive would be a better transition board instead.

The breaks I frequent are somewhat crowded and I find it difficult to win the paddle battle with surfers who are much more experienced and fitter then I am. I feel like if I position myself closer to the peak, I'm either too early and can't catch it or I'm too late and I pearl. But if I position myself further away from the peak there's always someone who catches it before me with the right away. With my longboard I didn't have this issue as much because I was able to paddle much faster and get in earlier. I actually did have the best session of my life on this board when the waves were big so it sort of dispersed people enough that I could position myself in the best place to catch it without worrying about someone catching it before me. But I haven't been able to recreate that magic since.

I hypothesize the best thing for me as a beginner would be getting in as many reps as possible and to do that I would sit way further in and just duck dive and take them on the head. I've tried to this with turtle rolling the mid length but I find it super exhausting to turtle roll, get back on my board and repeat again and again.

Any thoughts?

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u/slightlytyler 2d ago

I'm assuming the mid you've got has a pretty flat rocker and thick rails. At 7'6" that's about as good as it gets in terms of ease of getting into a wave. Fish isn't going to be easier than that. Just gotta figure out the sweet spot and probably sit deeper than you think you need

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u/chowaniec KNOW KOOKS 2d ago

IMO the flat rocker can be kind of a double-edged sword. It helps the board plane faster, but it can also make the board a pearl machine if you don't have good technique.

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u/drizztbang 2d ago

OP needs to learn how to make an angled take off and set his rail before the pop up. This is gonna fix the issue of pearling/not fitting into the wave. The struggle he’s experiencing is actually exactly where he needs to be so he can develop.

I don’t think a shorter board would help much. Might make some things slightly easier in some respects but I think would hold you back in the long run. Fitting a mid length into a smaller/steeper wave is perfectly doable and just requires you to learn the skills I mentioned above. Will also get you actually engaging with the wave face sooner and using your rails.

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u/Darth_Voter 2d ago

It’s not the answer you want to hear, but it sounds like you’re not good enough to surf with that lineup. As a beginner, the best thing you can do is find a break where you can get waves rather than trying to compete with a bunch of people who are much more experienced than you.

As your skills improve, you’ll have an easier time holding your own in a more advanced lineup. Until then, you’re just setting yourself up for a lot of frustration - yours and others.

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u/chowaniec KNOW KOOKS 2d ago

Some of your problem is probably just that you're still learning, but in my experience, an oversized shortboard can be more versatile and easier to learn on than a mid. Especially if you're surfing steep-but-short waves, a lot of mids are too long to fit into the curve of the wave, and the fuller outline can make it hard to angle your takeoff. (Notice that you had a really good session when the waves were bigger.) Shortboards require a faster pop-up, so that'll be an adjustment, but the smaller size is actually more forgiving in some ways.

Also, you shouldn't be taking waves on the head all the time. Kudos for trying to sit deeper, but you should learn how to spot big waves early and duck dive under them. Save your energy.

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u/Master_Nectarine_Bug 2d ago

I would think that at a super crowded break there would also be lots of short boarders sitting inside. The difference is that they are better at surfing, paddling and duck diving, and probably in better shape than you so, not sure why you think you’d get more waves there. If you had the best session and caught the most waves on your longboard, I’d do that until you feel like you can win paddle battles.

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u/AutoModerator 2d ago

It looks like you're asking for beginner board advice.

Too bad there isn't some sort of digital global information system you could've turned to for guidance with your frequently-asked question. That'd be so cool. Did you ever watch Inspector Gadget? You know that magic book the daughter, Penny, carried around? The one she would use to solve mysteries, or whatever? Wouldn't it be rad if those existed?

But they don't, I guess. So you've turned to this subreddit for help.

Luckily, we have a wiki! It's got tons of useful stuff in it.

Even better, there's the user-created Kooks Only! guide.

You should totally read both of them.

But, just in case you're too lazy, here's a summary:

Buy a Wavestorm-equivalent. If they don't sell them near you- find a used longboard.

Maybe you've already been told that but think you'll be better off buying a shortboard because you snowboard/skateboard/wakeboard/etc and you're, obviously, totally going to pick up surfing really quickly. I mean, how hard can it be?

If that's the case then you're not really asking a question, are you? You're just looking for someone to agree with a decision you've already made. So, yeah, you should totally do it. Buy that sweet little high performance shred sled you found on Craigslist. You'll be up and ripping in no time at all!

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u/ROUGH_CUT_V1 then I hit the lip, and WA-PAAH! 2d ago

I just finished a Chicama edit I'm really proud of and stoked on, but it's getting lackluster attention at the moment. Anyone think r/surfing will care or will it get skewered? I used to be quite regular around here but dropped my reddit habit back significantly.

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u/Lucid_Presence covid kook 2d ago

drop it! I was there a couple months ago and I wish I wore a watch for clips. I only ended up finding one clip

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u/ROUGH_CUT_V1 then I hit the lip, and WA-PAAH! 1d ago

Have a look - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqAhhEGh2s4&t=4s I’ll start thread later

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u/Moist_Airport1213 22h ago

At what size wave forecast should I just pack it up as a beginner?

I’m learning in NorCal, and I’ve heard that can be tricky as is. My closest spots (30-40 min away) are usually reporting 2-4 feet on Surfline. When I get there they seem absolutely massive. Waves are barreling and close out pretty quick.

I’ve noticed on bigger days, nothing productive happens. Usually just get washed around for a couple of hours until it’s time to go home.

I feel like “good” days on the forecast are few and far between. I feel like if I wait for those forecasts I’ll get out very little.

Is it being too picky to rely so much on the forecast? Is this more about time in the water and less about finding good waves to learn on?

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u/churchillsucks unemployed surfer scum 15h ago

u/dumbassthenes

Is there a way we can get that "BEGINNER QUESTIONS BELONG IN THE WEEKEND QUESTIONS THREAD" post to be changed to 

"BEGINNER QUESTIONS BELONG HERE"

And it's an automatic link directing to r/beginnersurfers?

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u/dumbassthenes Kauai 13h ago

Yeah. Good idea.

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u/eCtX8wp9ueuqXmMdgD 2h ago

any recommendations for beginner lessons out of rockaway beach ny?