Which board is right for me and my surf lessons?
Surfing is many things. Super addictive, insanely fun and rewarding. Surfing can also be very difficult and frustrating.
Choosing the correct surfboard for you lowers the difficulty, increases your wave count and speeds up your improvementconsiderably. Choosing the wrong surfboard will increase the difficulty, slow down your improvement and most importantly decrease the amount of fun you'll be having on your surf trip.
Struggling to catch waves? Not in control whilst on the wave? Not having much luck out there? You're probably on the incorrect board for the conditions or your ability.
So where do we start?
Lets imagine it's your first day at the surf camp. About to go out to a new beach to you, new waves and new conditions. My biggest advice to you would be to trust the instructors. Give them an overview of your surfing experience and they can take it from there. Our instructors do this every single morning for guests of all abilities. Maybe you had a different board on a different surf trip, don't panic we want you to improve, we want you to catch waves. On your first day we will also do an assessment to make sure the board is right for you.
If you choose to take a board not advised (which is totally up you, it's your holiday!) then your chances of progression will be limited. The instructors are amazing but teaching a beginner/intermediate on a very unsuitable is almost impossible in week or a on a day trip. We love you and want you to catch waves, have fun and improve.
When should I change boards?
The biggest factors which slow down improvement are changing boards too soon and also changing boards too often. As a young teen I did the classic mistake myself. Caught a few waves on foamies and mini mals developed a false sense of ability and confidence headed to the local surf shop and got myself a shiny brand new short board. My surfing stalled, I caught less waves, struggled more and got frustrated. So back to mini mal I went.
Once we are fully in control of a board it's time to think about changing boards - but only if you want to! Maybe you only get a few weeks to surf a year, having a similar board will help get back into it each time. Surfing is full of so many variables. Keeping your board the same at least gives you one constant factor to rely on.
If we can catch green waves frontside and backside, control our board up and down the wave and also kick out at the end of the wave then you are probably ready to try a different board. The common incorrect theory is that foamies and mini mals are not "surfable" the fact is we just haven't quite got the board under control yet.
But what about conditions?
For sure conditions can also be a factor when choosing boards. The classic example would be when the swell drops and we have smaller conditions, in this case we would take longer boards and boards with more volume to help catch the waves.
Also the days when we are lucky and receive perfect clean waves, these days are a good chance to change and try a new board. Perfect waves are easier to surf so we can try a shorter board if we want to!
Another thing to think about is the location of the surf camp. In different camps all around the world, depending on the local waves the board chosen for you may vary. This is again where the experience and local knowledge of the instructors needs to be trusted. Maybe you have surfed in a different surf camp on a different continent with very different waves.
How about Inconsistent surfers?
Almost all our surf camp or surf lessons guests are going to be inconsistent surfers. Your time is super valuable so don't waste that time floating around not catching waves on a incorrect board.
Improvement is completely tied to catching waves. If we don't catch waves we don't improve. Having the wrong board limits the waves we catch.
Take the advise, take the correct board, catch a bunch of waves and you'll leave happy and a better surfer!
What boards do The Surf Experience offer?
Great news we have over 70 boards to choose for you!
Foamies of all sizes, mini mals, longboards, short boards, fish and even surf skates for the evenings. All high quality boards from the best brands on the market.
Whatever your level or experience we have the correct board to help you improve your surfing!
ROLL ON MARCH and see you all there!
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