New to the surfing scene.

Quote:

anyone given any thought to the big guy mccoy nugget???

thats the one !

learn on it

then rip on it

i had something of similar planeshape that i lent to a begginer

they commented it was really stable and easy to catch waves

you see if you can bodysurf then catching waves is not a problem on any board

if you can swim you can catch waves

most begginers simply lie to far back on there boards

and that is why they have trouble catching waves

even if the board is ten foot

if your too far back it wll still be hard to catch waves

and because they are so hard to manouvre

its unlikely u wil be in the right spot

I’d concur with Silly. Get a really good wetsuit and see if you can get hold of a used McCoy Nugget 7’2" - 7’6". If you are going to be in the water with others - do not try to learn on a long board unless it’s a soft one. Beginners on longboards are a menace, surfing with them in crowded conditions is harrowing. The Nugget will paddle and catch waves well and you’ll be able to duckdive it. Being able to duckdive will really enhance your surfing experience. Get someone to show you how to do it. When not surfing - things like swimming, skateboarding, snowboarding, cycling, martial arts, tai chi and yoga will help you with flexibility, fitness and balance.

There is alot of good advice so I don’t need to add more surfing advice. But I would encourge you to practice poping up off a board alot. I use a weight bench, like for weight lifting because it’s padded and narrow. This saves your knees and also makes it more difficult. You want your legs hanging off the end because it is like and short board and more difficult. You want to learn to pop up without your feet. Doing this daily will not improve your surfing but it will enable you to pop up fast and stable so you are not wallowing around the instant you get to your feet. Oh yes, make sure you practice poping up both goofy and regular no matter how you actually surf. I did 100 a day for a week and then went back in the water and there was a big difference in my initial stability. I still do these among a lot of other things because I’m older and want to keep my flexability and agility. In the water as a beginner you would be lucky to pop up 10 times an hour but at home you can do 100 in 10 to 15 minutes