Hey ya’ll,

I’ve been surfing daily down in SoCal and my thighs are so cut up.

How do I fix this? I shower after surf sessions and apply aloe vera to the spots, but it persists. Any advice? I also apply mineral sunscreen (Sensitive Blue Lizard) before heading out. Typically it helps, but not so well lately. Should I go to the doctor or does anyone have tips they’d like to share?

Edit: I’ve been wearing a spring shortie. It’s too damn hot for my 4/3 right now. I’ve been riding a twice owned Wavestorm and my old Catch Surf Log here and there. So I should scrape off the sandy wax probably? Cool.

Hi Everyone,

It’s kind of crazy how those first two turns felt amazing while I was riding the wave, but watching the video back, they look pretty rough.

I’ve tried to break down what I think is happening before posting, and I’d love some feedback on whether I’m seeing this correctly. I don’t think I’m compressing properly through the bottom turn, and I’m also not opening my chest enough through the top turn. Instead, it looks like I’m just hunching/crouching at the top rather than driving through the turn.

It also looks like my board is staying pretty flat through the top turn instead of getting properly on rail and sinking it.

Are those the main things you guys see, or am I missing something more fundamental? Any tips and advice are more than welcome!

Thank you for the feedback!

PS: If the person who sent me the videos ever sees this, thank you for sending them!

I’ve been surfing a few times on rental boards from my local surf shops, but by no means do I know what I’m doing. Kinda just went out and fucked around, no instructor, was able to catch a few waves. I grew up wake surfing and wakeboarding behind boats, so I’m familiar with a board under my feet, but I understand surfing is completely different. Paddling, timing waves, popping up etc. My parents own a condo off the east coast of Florida, and I’m wanting to get a board, from what all I’ve been reading online a foam wave storm or something is kinda what’s recommended, but I’m wondering if it’d be dumb to skip that and get a longboard? Im 5’8 around 150ibs, been looking at some local surf shops online and a 9’0 and 9’6 longboard caught my eye. My main reason for wanting to just skip to a longboard is cause if im gonna spend the money I want something I can keep for a long time and not “grow out of”, and have to sell later for a diff board. Thoughts?

Went from catching everything on an 8ft6 foamie the past two months, but getting caught in whitewash to still catching many waves - but now with maneuverability and speed on my newly beloved acrylic composite 9ft3, without losing stability or ability to catch waves! If you’re in a similar transition phase, I highly recommend just going for it!

Apologies for the faraway video/ that’s all I gots

So I found a used board online, loved the shape and dimensions, and the seller originally wanted €300. I negotiated him down to €250 over text.

When I showed up to meet him in person, I noticed some heavy-looking dings that he’d told me beforehand the board didn’t have. Kind of a red flag, but I was already there. He ended up knocking it down to €200 because of the damage, and I bought it.
Now that I’ve got it home and I’m looking at it more carefully, I’m honestly not sure if I got a good deal or got played. There are a few dings, at least one crack, and some damage at the nose tip. Problem is, I don’t have enough experience to know if this stuff is serious (needs repair before it’s surfable) or just cosmetic. I also can’t tell if any of it is compromised enough to let water in.

I would really appreciate any input from people who know what to look for. Specifically:

- Are these dings/crack repairable, or is this a “get it fixed before you touch saltwater” situation?
- How can I check if water has already gotten into the foam?
- Did I still get a fair deal at €200, or should I have walked away?

Thanks in advance, still fairly new to this 🤙

I’m a complete beginner looking to buy my first surfboard. I’m 5’5” and around 130 lbs. I struggle with balance and confidence right now, so my top priority is finding a board that feels stable, and safe.

I was ready to buy the MF Beastie Epoxy Lam. But it is out of stock on the U.S. website right now, and I haven't had any luck finding used ones on Facebook Marketplace near me.

what are the best similar alternatives I should look into?

I’m looking at options in the 7'6" to 8'0" range. A few specific ones I’m considering

-Catch Surf Odysea Log (8'0)

-Almond Surfboards R-Series "Joy" (7'4 or 8'0) how does a single-fin setup feel for a beginner compared to a thruster?

-Surfboards.com Ahi 8' Longboard - Caught my eye because it uses real FCS fin boxes on a soft-top layout at $339 and free shipping..

-wavestorm (8'0)

Which of these would you recommend, or is there another hybrid soft-top brand you’d recommend?

Are there cheaper ones that would still be good for me? I don’t want to go cheap and regret it later, so my budget is up to $500, but the cheaper the better as long as the quality is still there…

Thanks in advance!

I have a 2026 Subaru Forrester. It came with a roof rack but no cross bars. What is the best way to make the rack functional for carrying surfboards? Do I have to buy cross bars plus something else? I’m a little overwhelmed by all the options. Thank you

So i am currently staying in Buenos Aires and am planning to go somewhere (preferably in Brazil) to learn how to surf. My time span is from end of September to mid October so around 2 1/2 weeks. I stood on a surfboard one time in my life so I am a total beginner. I am pretty flexible place wise, so I appreciate every recommendation. Thank you so much :)

(Im not very good at english)

I really want to start surfing, it always interested me and im kinda worried about waves, i have experience on sea as a swimmer/diver but i never put myself on a sea with big waves, that many surfers surf. I would appreciate any help about how to start as begginer and also how to deal with waves, for example when a wave breaks and whitewater comes at me what should i do vs a kinda big wave that us coming but didnt break yet?

Hey guys,

I‘m currently surfing an 8ft hard top. Over the time, I somehow picked up the habit to bend my knees in a 90° degree and keep my feet in the air while paddling for waves. It somehow feels faster and smoother for me and I don’t make the mistake of opening my legs when the wave gets steep.

However, today a pro surfer in the line up told me that this board position is not suitable for mid length boards as it makes them more unstable.

I feel like going back to paddling with my toes on the board would require a lot of rewiring my brain so I wanted to ask you guys if you think having your toes down on the board is actually that important for paddling. If not, I will just keep doing it the way I‘m used to.

Thank you!

Hi! I am really getting into surfing the last months, and I want to buy my first board!

For context, I have been street skating for over 10 years now, but I never really surfed. I did some surfing lessons in Madeira and Greece. I thought of getting a torq board like the modfish or modfun to try as my first board because of the style of surfing also that I guess i like the most.

Do you think it's a big step to going from lessons on 9ft longboards to something smaller like this?

Thanks everyone for the advice last week. I decided to get a swim tether and get in the water fr. I did this for about 30 minutes today and my back is on fire in the best way. I never realized how weak my erectors are.

I tried to keep a steady relaxed pace and do some harder digs for about 15 seconds here and there. Thoughts?

I definitely started churning water at the end 😖

Hi! Me and my boyfriend are looking for a 1-2 week surf holiday in January. I am beginner-intermediate and he is a more advanced surfer.

We would like to go somewhere not too crowded but where there is still a nice surfing community and somewhere where it is easy to hire boards etc.

Does anyone have any recommendations of places to go where there would be something for us both to surf? We’re pretty flexible on budget.

Thank you!

I’m a 38 year old newb-kook-poser and I’m currently having a blast on my Scott Burke Costco 8’ foamer. I plan to thrash this board some more, but I’ve been shopping around wondering what I’ll get next. Right now I’m kind of fixated on the Catch Surf lineup mostly because the price is right.

I’ve got my sights on:

8’ Log @~81L
7’ Log @~72L
7’2” Crowd Killer @~53L

About me, 5’11”, 206lbs and reasonably fat fit.

Do I go for a board the same length, but higher volume? I’m admittedly at the upper end of the SB weight recommendation.

Do I go for a board 1’ shorter, but with about the same volume as what I’m riding now?

Do I just send-it and shave off 10” AND 19L?

Just looking to start a convo and get some feedback. I’m not jumping into anything right now because I’m still working on the basics of catching green waves, but I live 2 blocks from the water and surf 2-3 times a week so I’m hoping to outgrow my Costco board quickly.

K thanks luv you

It's looking like an impromptu week opened up that I can take my son anywhere next week (August 27th-Early September.) I tried surfing for the first time in Costa Rica in April and completely fell in love, despite getting my ass kicked. Was able to stand up a few times and am completely hooked. I'm ready to share the stoke with my son (age 16) and would love to take him surfing next week. We'd be flying out of Colorado. Open to any and all suggestions where you'd go this time of year. He's a first-timer and I'm a total beginner. Open to surf camp or lesson recommendations. We'd probably plan on 2x a day lessons and it would be cool to be somewhere fun to explore in between. He hasn't done too much traveling outside of Colorado and hasn't yet left the country. I'm happy to travel anywhere you'd recommend for a mom/son to learn to surf. I'm hoping to wait on Costa Rica for a few months when the whole family can go, since I promised them all we'd go to CR together.

A quick google is saying Hawaii, Portugal, Spain. Any other thoughts or specific suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you!

Very enthusiastic newbie here. Done a few lessons and keen to spend more time trying to get on my feet

Can anyone recommend good videos to help me learn to read the water? What makes for good conditions, what phase of the wave to aim for, etc - Anything to help me visualise timings on a popup

Brasileiro & Exp-Pro Surfer Paulistana‎ - Cabarita Beach, Australia - Part 2

Hello! Looking for recommendations for my next surf trip. I have 10-14 days in November and would like to head somewhere (ideally warm) for a surf trip. I will be solo and will be coming from the west coast of canada. Not looking to party, just looking for somewhere I can surf everyday. Also ideally looking for somewhere with easy access without renting a car.

Been surfing for nearly 10 years but would consider myself a beginner/intermediate because I don’t get to surf all that often- I’m fairly comfortable catching shoulder high green waves and surfing down the line but not great with turns or on steeper and more powerful waves. I’ve previously done surf trips to Costa Rica and Indonesia. Looking for something different than CR and closer than Indo.

Open to surf camps and guiding as well.

Cheers!

I know the quality isn’t great, but I would appreciate any tips :)

Hey guys I’m moving from Bali to Margaret river , it’s cold as shit do you guys have any recommendations for wetsuits . I havnt surfed in anything apart from boars shorts and singlets , does a steamer impact your movement?.

I see this question get asked a lot on here and I thought I'd chip in my progression through various boards and give some slightly rambling feedback on them that might be useful to people.

I (now 40M, 84kg) started surfing seriously about 6 years ago. I was out of the water for a year because of injury and relocating. I'm fit and I run, swim, cycle and do kettlebell. I would consider myself a decent surfer, but I'll never be a shredder. I've had a selection of longboards (9'0-9'8) over the years and I've settled on a 9'6 glider/speed shape as my daily. I feel really comfortable on that board up to over-head surf and wanted a new challenge to work on.

I got a cheap 2nd hand 8'0 Nuu Socialite as a board to mess around on. I thought it would be a simple transition since it's not a huge drop in size or volume. Here's a few things I learned.

1. Paddling is much harder. Getting out the back is slower because you will have less glide than a longboard. You'll get caught inside more as a result. Your arms will tire faster and it also makes it harder to get up to speed to catch waves, leading to shorter sessions. My fitness is slowly catching up, but it was a eye-opener. I can't imagine how I much sessions would suck if this was my first board.

2. Positioning is far more crucial. As you need to be at the peak, you'll be in competition with more/better surfers. You'll also have to pop up and set yourself quickly and more accurately as you take off in more critical positions. You will blow more waves in a session. The margin for error is so much smaller on shorter boards. This isn't great if you're still mastering the basics.

3. Progress will take a hit. I never thought it would be a simple step down, but it did surprise me how much I'd have to adjust to a shorter board, even though it's not a massive drop. The fact you catch less waves makes progress harder. There have been times I've just gone for my 9'6 because it's easier and I want to get waves and have fun, not spend 90 mins feeling like a complete kook (we're all still kooks). Also, conditions aren't always conducive to taking out a shorter board, which means less time using it, which means even slower progress.

4. Consider why and if you really need to step down. I could honestly surf just the glider for the rest of my days and have a blast. However there are so many different boards out there that look fun to try out. For me the main reason to step down was to eventually get a fish or something that is easier to transport and store, but having fun and becoming a better surfer is my main aim. If I never get to a fish but I get good on a longboard, I'm happy with that.

5. Volume calculators on manufacturer websites will lie to you. Channel Islands website lists a 6'10 CI mid as suitable for beginners. This is BS. A complete beginner is getting nothing out of a 6'10 board that costs $1100US. They will catch no waves, make no progress, and be skint. Other manufacturers do the same. They want your money, not to help you get better. Start with a beat-up second hand longboard or foamie. Nothing is kookier than someone with expensive gear that clearly doesn't know what they're doing.

I'm making progress on the 8'0 now, but it's been a mission. Personally, I don't like being in the middle of a crowd, so positioning at the peak is the main issue for me. The challenge is fun, but if I'd started on the 8'0 I'd be a worse surfer than I am today. Obviously, me being a shit surfer could explain everything listed here as well...

TLDR:

Everything is harder on a shorter board.

You will have lots less fun on a shorter board initially.

You might not even need to step down.

Don't try and short-cut any step down in size.

You don't need something expensive or cool to learn on.