The tortoise and the hare

“The surf magazines were all going, `if you haven’t got one of these you’re outdated, you are not cool` So, all of a sudden, recreational surfers are walking down the beach with 18” wide 2” thick surfboards trying to ride their favourite 2ft sloppy beachbreak, not being able to figure out why they couldn`t ride them `cos the pros ride `em and the magazines say that’s what you should be riding.”

One of our aims through Real Surfing Magazine is to steer beginner, intermediate and indeed some seasoned surfers towards making an educated decision in surfboard choice. We understand that you want to look cool and look like an expert surfer with an expert surfboard under your arm but to waste years of surfing and even surf trips that you have saved hard for all year on an inappropriate board, that is mismatched to your skill set is bordering on the ridiculous. Ultimately, nobody really cares how good or bad you are at surfing except yourself and very good surfers are not going to be fooled by your attempts at flickery wobbles and failed take-offs despite your expert fashion board. If you are finding yourself stuck in a rut or deep down in your heart you know your board is too small, then there are three words to remember Don`t-  fear - foam. The more length, width and thickness that you have in a board then the more waves you are going to catch, the more waves you are going to catch then the more time you are riding a wave and learning. It`s pretty obvious isn’t it. You fool nobody, you cheat nobody but yourself. Running before you can walk, egotism, trying to take short cuts is ultimately the long, long way around to learning to become a good standard of surfer which is what you are trying to achieve, is it not? You can stay on your little shortboard for 10 years and waste all those sessions compared to what you could have learned in half that time had you been on a more suitable board.

Duckdiving is not surfing. There are other reasons that you ditched the big board and chose a shortboard and we understand that. New or intermediate surfers like to have the comfort of being able to duckdive when a set comes through while the surfer on a bigger board gets a beating and must earn their way out to the back. Duck diving is a great tool isn’t it but what about when you manage to get out the back and you can`t catch the waves or stumble out of control when you do, for years on end. Duckdiving is not surfing.

That guy on the bigger board sat next you doesn’t look very cool, does he? However, he is going to out paddle, out catch and ultimately out do you in the same amount of time. He is getting stronger with all the beatings and harder paddle outs and because of all the waves he is catching he is getting fitter and more confident. Eventually that rider (the tortoise) may want to swap up his board for something shorter and looser but when they get to their feet they will have the culmination of untold experience in riding waves over the same amount of years, whilst you will have very little.

There is simply no excuse today to be on the wrong board. Every shop, every shaper will have at their disposal a board that will be perfect for you. Are you serious about wanting to surf well? Or is it about looking the part? If it is ultimately about looking the part and of course you would like to surf like a pro but your heart and commitment are not in it, then that’s fine. You get out of surfing what you are prepared to put into it. No-one said it was going to be easy and surfing is not easy. Good surfers may make it look simple but we all know how damn hard it is, so why make it harder for yourself?

It isn’t that we are trying to preach to you, you are an adult and can make your own mistakes and honestly, if you are having so much fun in the line-up and catching the little number of waves you do and doing it the hard way then that’s your journey, your way, and good luck with it. Almost anyone can become a good surfer if you really want it bad enough. Some surfers are definitely more naturally suited to surfing but that`s just the same in anything in life.

So maybe go to your local shaper or surf shop and speak with them about the correct board choice for yourself. Shapers and sales staff don`t know how you surf, so don`t lie to them as you are lying to yourself. If you walk into a shapers workshop or into a reputable surfshop, be humble. Don`t cast your eye through the racks of boards and go straight to the super cool board, they are beautiful things but they are for expert, time served surfers, know your place, lose the ego and help yourself. The shaper and sales staff don`t think any less of you for buying the mini-mal board or a board over 7ft, they couldn`t care less. They want your money but they want you to be happy with your purchase and hope for your return custom. Build up a rapport with the shaper or shop and it will serve you well. However, when you have lied to them and walked out with that 5`8” pointy thin killing machine you are going to feel really cool for 5 minutes but you have made a serious error and that for some surfers can spell the end of surfing. They just can`t do it on that board, becoming disheartened and give up.

We have no hidden agenda here at Real Surfing Magazine for you to make the right board choice and if you ask any real surfer worth their salt what board you should be on I hope they would tell you `something bigger` if you are struggling or been surfing for 5 minutes. Be the Tortoise and not the Hare. The tortoise almost always wins in the end….