I am a begginer who is looking into buying my first surfboard. I don't think I'll ever get another board so the board I buy has to be really good. So I was wondering if longboards or shortboards were better for just cruising big waves and making quick turns. Please note, that I do not want to do tricks on the surfboard because I already love doing tricks on my skateboard. So I am basically picking up surfing just for criusing big waves and making fast turns. I understand that it is hard to learn on the shortboard if you are a begginer but I still think I can because I already skateboard and longboard on land. My choices now are: Flyer II by Al Merrick, MSF by Al Merrick, or The Strange by Al Merrick Thank you for all the help!
As a fellow skateboarder, as well as someone who skated first and then got into surfing...you're going to eventually approach surfing with the same mentality that you have skating, that "Well I just ollie'd this gap...let me try kickflipping it now" thought process. So don't say that you don't want to do tricks up front because that's likely to change. Have you considered looking at shapers local to you? Often times you can find something from a local shaper that's almost identical to a shape from a big-name shaper, not to mention that you'll save a ton of money. Case-and-point: I'm riding a 5'8" board shaped by Peli that's almost identical to the Channel Islands Dumpster Diver and cost me about $200 less. I wish I could give you a better recommendation on which board to get but having ridden none of them, it's the blind leading the blind. Best of Luck!
As long as you get an Al Merrick you will Fn rip anything. I'd go ahead and buy a ticket to Bali now. You've made it dude. What kind of shell necklaces do you have? Don't skimp on shell necklaces or else you're gonna suck at surfing.
Sorry kid, surfing and skating are not that similar. I used to skate years ago, and surfing feels totally different. I would echo the NSP suggestion above. It is a cheap pop-out board that will allow you to catch big and small waves, while also allowing for some turns. I am not sure what "tricks" you are talking about. Many of the top surfers are so good because they can carve up the wave with precision. If you want to blow more cash and don't like the NSP, look into a classic fish or egg shape. They are also good boards for beginners that want performance. You better start watching some tutorials on etiquette, paddling, popping up, and turns. You will also need to work on upper body strength. Skater kids are usually pretty skinny up top, and you will need some lean muscle to help your paddling.
Get yourself a used longboard and surf every day in every condition. Waist high waves will be 'big' to you in the beginning. By the time you're able to surf 'big' waves you'll be ready to ride a shortboard. Stay away from NSP's and foamies cause you'll get no respect in the lineup just like here in the forum. ~Brian www.greenlightsurfsupply.com Shape Your Surfing Experience
If it makes you feel any more confident, know that virtually every beginner between 1980 and 1995 learned on some sort of 80s thruster shape not that different than a flyer, before fun shapes came around. Its hard, as many worthwhile things tend to be.
17AK, I found this very helpful video for your review.[video=youtube;TTvOyTtPzRg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTvOyTtPzRg[/video]
Sean White said it best when he said that you don't just surf. It is much different from everything else. Where as everyone and their mother can probably say "I skateboarded" or "I snowboarded", surfing is a different animal. You don't just do it once, and if you do, you haven't surfed. It takes time to learn to even do the most basic things. It is not something that you will do every once in a while, or else it is not something you will ever be any good at. And sorry, but I personally don't think skateboarding, longboarding, or snowboarding will help you out at all learning to surf.
