I am buying my first board this week and I am wondering where between Fort Lauderdale and Fort Pierce will have better lines to start to get the feel of my board. I do not plan on popping up on the board right away. I have been researching techniques and I am willing to be patient and learn to do it right. (first time in my life) Thanks for any advice.
Don't be an idiot. Why would you buy a board if you haven't even surfed before? Thats plain stupid. Get some lessons and try it first. You wouldn't buy a car if you have never driven one before, would you? There is only so much the internet can tell you about surfing (and its very little). So don't waste your money and your time, not to mention being a potential danger to others in the water, and get some lessons.
I dont think you needed to be called an idiot, but he has a good point. Why dont you try buying a used board at a surf shop or maybe renting a bit. You are going to demolish your first board regardless, so its a good idea to start off with one that is already broken in for you.
I absolutly agree on buying a used board first. If you are seriously looking to lear and willing to put in the time and effort to get to the point you can enjoy the sport as much as many of us others do, you will have to understand that you will go through many boards, different shapes and sizes through the years. The interent is a good source to research on what board to buy for "starting to surf" Dont just go run out and buy a beautiful 6'1" thruster that is as thin as a potatoe chip because you wont learn very quickly on that. Most all of us that have been surfing for pretty much our whole natural born life, started with a longer, thicker, wider board, that will teach you the basics as well as train you body and muscles to enable you to one day tear it up with a short board. While the first response to your post was completly unwarrented, he was correct that surfing lessons would go a long way. Dont think that you will be standing right up and drilling down the line afterwards, but they should teach you how to paddle correctly, timing, and most importantly, water safety so that you do not injure yourself or others. Most important thing to keep in mine, please whatever you do, do not paddle out into a pack of surfers or in a spot that is known for being a good break such as the inlets and piers along our east coast. You will not recieve a warm welcome and you can't blame them. Being inexperienced, you are a hazard to them as well as yourself. Just find a place down the way from them that is uncrowded and practice there. there is alot more to surfing that just standing up and ripping a wall of water. It never ceases to amaze me that in a sport with such history of comradery, laid back personalities, and built around escape from the chaos of day to day life, you still find people that have such an unwelcome attitude towards other interested in experiencing a passion that so many of us have for surfing. It truely makes me ashamed to be a part of today's surfing culture. Think what you will about the old guys out in the lineup, but at 34 years old and being a shortboard surfer, I would still rather paddle out with the "old guys" because they obviously get it, and my generation and younger just does not.
Beginner Hey bro, your not an idiot. There isn't a lot of help out there when you first start out. The best thing to do is to find some local surfers who are willing to help you out. Even though some locals can be total ****s, don't be discouraged because there will be some that want to pass on what they know. As far as getting a new board, no way! Unless you are tripping over bags of money it will be a waste. Find a beater that floats good. Get something that is 7ft+ until you get the hang of it. Start by surfing in the whitewash to learn how to stand up and get your balance, not to mention you won't interfere with the guys tearing it up out in the break! Best of luck brother. Look on Craigs list for used boards or local pawn shops. Hooch
First of all I am a medical student who currently has an A average so the idiot thing is not accurate. Secondly I actually bought a used board for 40 dollars that needs some minor fiberglass repair which all owners should know how to do. the board is an 8 footer and I learned to bodyboard last summer. The comments about buying a car if you have never driven one before are understandable, but what is even more surprising is when people who don't find out any of the details around a situation are willing to pass total judment and open their mouth and insert their foot. But bottom line I appreciate the criticism and advice. It lets me understand the mentalities of the people I will be with on the water.
One time I posted a question online (on some east coast surf forum) about the break at Fisherman's Island just north of Virginia Beach, VA. I fairly new to surfing, lived in SC, and was eager to learn anything and everything about east coast breaks. The topography around the island looked neat, and I wanted to know what was up. After about 10-15 forum replies ripped me a few new assholes, someone finally gave me the scoop on the break and invited me to surf with him in NC some time. While I never took him up on it, most of the people I meet on the beach are friendly and helpful, and as long as you have a basic understanding of surf-etiquette, people probably won't give you too much sh!t on the water. The point(s)? Learn about what not to do on the water. This - at least - is something that you can learn online. People in forums are jerks. Surfers are very protective of their ... sport, hobby, lifestyle, religion, etc Surfers have a keen sense of their own language - there is no way for someone new to surfing to ask a bunch of surfers a surf question without seeming like a kook. Also, if you don't mind even more BS, Surfers have a common ground that many embrace but few want to expand, unless they feel that they are deepening the roots of someone already a part of it, or she is really really hot. If you're on the water, you seem to be a part of it. If you're in a forum, you don't. Also, "from what I hear" Ft. Pierce inlet on a small day is a pretty consistent, mellow wave that is decent to learn on (but go a ways north of the crowd), and you'd probably be better off trying to pop up as soon as you can, because (a) standing up while retaining balance is the hard part, and (b) riding a surfboard like a boogy board is just silly (aka kookish)
It is awesome to see that there are still a few decent people out there like e-bot and hooch. Both are giving you great advice. I just joined the site honestly because I seen this thread and just could not resist commenting about easthamptonlocal's post. I wish you all the luck bro, if you stick with it, you will truely cherish your experiences in the water one day. Jus talso keep in mind, know when it is too big for you to try and go out and learn. I have surfed Melbourne, Wabasso, Spanny House, and all them one days with large swells when the shorebreak was 5ft and you had to get a running start to punch through it just to be able to get out to the outside lineup. Until you know for certain that you can handle something like like (which usually takes a few years of experience) do yourself a favor and use that day to observe and see what guys do and try to understand why and how they do it. You can learn just as much with watching sometimes as you can with actually doing it. Nice swell building today, looks like a good day to call in sick to work tomorrow!!! C ya in the water.
It looks like plenty of solid surf over the next few days, so hopefully you'll get a chance to get in the water. Remember tho, it takes everyone a while to get a hang of things, so be patient with your surfing, and you'll learn more and more every day. Generally the small days are going to be best to learn on, but its always good to get that experience duck diving and paddling around in bigger surf. The best way to learn in my opinion is to be in the water with experienced surfers. Watching how they do the little things like, the position they are on their boards, and how they are paddling into waves. As far as the types of surfers in and out of the water. Its diverse, you are going to have some people that are too good to want to give you a wave or a tip, and there will be others that will come up to just to share the stoke of being out in the water.
I think it is a great idea to buy a used board but then I'm an idiot because I bought a new waveski having never surfed one. I took me awhile to get the hang of it but I'm having a blast now. When I was learning to whitewater kayak I wasted a lot of time and money trying to learn on other boats. I couldn't consistently roll until I got my own kayak. I was warned that many surfers hate kayakers but almost all the surfers I have met have been mellow and friendly folk. There are some rules that I follow. 1. Stay away from crowds you won't have the control that the experienced surfers have. As a beginner you will be perfectly happy with the less crowded smaller breaks. 2. Always check for guys paddling in before you launch and pass up on a wave if you fear a collision. 3. Look both ways before you launch so you won't drop in on someone. I had a guy drop in right in front of me once when I was kayaking. I put on the breaks and let the wave pass but he would have been the one hurt not me. Surfline gives a nice travel report on breaks around the world. You can read up and get an idea of "the vibe" and crowd factor. I recently paid a visit to the famous break on Sab. Inlet. You will understand why the vibe can be tense there when you see how aggressively the guys are surfing. They break all the rules I just mentioned and you will see many close calls. Anyone surfing there has to have board control or someone will get hurt.
