Surfboard or Sponge?

no one will disagree that it is way easier to start bodyboarding than to start surfing. that is obvious.

But, to progress and advance your skills on critical waves on a bodyboard is harder than most surfers who have never tried it think.

Jamie O'Brien entered the Pipeline bodyboarding event last year and finished 3rd out of the 4 competitors in his initial heat. He was able to pull in to the barrel, but thats it.

The best bodyboarders tend to be smaller guys with lots of flexibility, which is what it takes to be more acrobatic on a bodyboard.

 

I kiteboard. Its fun to go huge and real fast, but really sucks when things go wrong, which is pretty much inevitable. And the thing about kiting is that the conditions are prime usually when the waves are blown out, and you cant really kite without a chase boat when the wind is offshore. Good complimentary sports, unlike the sponge v surf (and we all clearly know the right choice).

 

Moving backwards, why??? Because I stopped surfing on a surfboard?I felt I was better on a bodyboard and would progress better at it. They are two different arts. I don't know why it's so hard for all the shortboarders to understand the switch. Did I offend everyone? Wow surfers are a bit emotional about thier craft, sorry but it's not a club and you didn't lose a member. My whole point from my first post was we should all be family in the water, bc when were are all in the **** if 1-3 OH conditions I got everyones back in the water.

 

Right choice = Bodysurfing.

 

I am going to go ahead and say NO. WRONG. I'm not arguing what is harder to learn, that will be dependent on each individual, but, I bet you won't even learn to bottom turn/scoop and properly ride a BB in a summer.

Despite what many think, BB is not as easy as get out there and rip!

 

This thread is making me HATE body boarders. I mean c'mon already! To come on here and talk about how tough the learning curve is on a bodyboard compared to surfing is absolutely asinine. Riding waves is fun regardless of the medium..but riding on your belly vs standing? Do babies walk first than lay down? This is idiotic. Just for this thread..i'm gonna drop in on every body boarder just for the hell of it from this point forward.

 

for both sides of the story - it is impossible to make such comparisons and judgments unless you went through the process of progressive riding on both surfboards and bodyboards. those who have are entitled to opinions. those who have not are merely jumping to conclusions.

it is like asking the vegetarian, who has never eaten meat - which is better, steak or tofu.

 

Going from a bodyboard to a surfboard isn't part of any wave rider evolution. So u can't say boogie boardind is the first stepping stone. While I surfed, I bodyboarded at the same time. I live 5 miles from the beach and parents that hooked me ip with all the gear I needed. I just had more fun laying down, want to what it feels like to go full speed and smack the lip of a 8ft wave and launch it. Feels better thank a week old nut! As for the learning curve, I think it depends on the rider, u see, I skate and snowboard so I have the balance and the flow, plus I ride dropknee a lot so the pop up would be a big deal not to mention I surfed off and on for a few years.

 

I will be politically correct and say everything is fun. If I was gonna lay down it would be on a Mat no contest, next would be a handboard. To me a body board is at best another tool to ride waves. When it's too big and critical a body board is the best tool for the job since you would snap your surfboard and your neck trying to surf Waimea shorbreak etc. But that said I have always thought of it this way. If you took two people to Pipeline, each of equal physical condition, each had never ridden a wave. One was gonna be trained by Kelly Slater in an hour (no water time just talking) how to catch a wave and get barreled. The other was to be trained by the worlds top bodyboarder in the same way aiming for the same results. Which one has the best chance to pull it off? I think we all know that one might actually die, and one has at least a small chance of success. Thats not saying either would be easy but one is definately way harder. It always seems like the bodyboarders are the insulted ones in these posts, if anything it's way more insulting to the surfers camparing the two. But then again most surfers don't care.

 

I dont see what the big deal is why be limited to one form of wave riding when you can use multiple forms have fun on days when you can surf and pullout a set of handplane, bodyboard or Mat and ride want you wouldnt normally ride on a surfboard

A well rounded Waterman does it all or has atleast tried differnt forms of wave riding

 

...agreed...

 

Stand out, not Up.

 

I don't think it was the bodyboarders who brought up which technique is harder or has a harder learning curve. Anyway we are all after that same feeling. It's not about what u ride but the wave u caught and how u felt after. I just like to talk smack it's fun! !!!E A G L E S!!!! What's up with the east coast flatness! Where's the swell...

 

Pure kook-a-doodle-doo words.

You need to re-find your soul.

 

Don't mince my words sonny boy.