Don’t
do like I did and buy a short board thinking you are going to tear up
the waves. I bought a sweet little 6-3 fish. 6-3 means its six feet
three inches and fish refers to cut of the back of the board. My short
board has a triangular shape cut out of the back that resembles a fish
tail. This thing is so light and is curled like a pringle. I
affectionately call it the “potato chip.” The problem with the potato
chip is that I’m not light. It takes a big wave to push that light
board with my heavy body on it.
Foot
placement is less forgiving on a short board. A surfboard planes
across the water. To do this it has to be perfectly parallel to the
water. This allows the board to become a part of the water in the wave.
If it doesn’t the wave will either pass under the board or pass over
the board. If it passes under the board you miss the wave. If it
passes over the board its not fun.
To
get your board to become part of the wave takes balance. You have to
find the center of the board. That point where you and the board can
balance one another. Too far forward and your nose will go under and
you’ll pearl - picture pole vaulting. Too far back and you put on the
brakes and go no where. That’s the perfect analogy. Perfectly balanced
is putting the board in drive. Moving forward gives it gas and moving
back applies brake. That’s the finesse.
A
long board on the other hand is said to be just as hard to learn as a
short board. The bigger the board the smaller the wave you can catch.
But just like a short board, forward is gas and back is the brake. The
only problem now comes from pesky physics. With a short board too far
forward pearls you and too far back stops you. Its not hard to get
frustrated on a short board and not catch a wave. The reason for this
is, because the board is short, any small change in your weight has large
consequences. Unfortunately the same thing is true on a long board. A
long board creates a large movement arm. Every board has a center of
balance. This balance point can be thought of as the fulcrum of a
seesaw. Try standing over the center of the seesaw and balance it
level. Pretty hard to do. So even slight movements forward or backward
has large consequences when translated over the large movement arm. I
will say that transitioning from a fun board to a long board is easier
than fun to short.
Now
comes the fun boards. Their name is very apt. They are built for
buoyancy. So it is not uncommon to find these boards two to three
inches thick. Their buoyancy compensates for their center of balance.
Effectively making the balance point very large and therefore more
forgiving to new surfers trying to learn how to stand up. The same rules
apply as far as forward and backwards go but these guys allow you to at
least get up once.
And
getting up once is all it takes to hook you. What an incredible
feeling to be a part of the ocean. To feel the wave building behind
you. You paddle and paddle and there’s a slight moment where you feel
the wave start to accept you. If you stand up in one fluid motion, if
you have your balance you’ve done it. You’ve become part of the wave.
The crest behind you is building and your nose begins to drop. This is
the drop in. You slide down the face of the wave. Shifting your
balance to stay on. Shifting your balance to steer. The wave is
crashing behind you. The whitewater of the foam races across the top of
your board. You’re ankle deep and you lean back and your nose rises
out of the water. You lean forward and your board settles out on top of
the water again. You lean a little more forward and you speed up.
You’re out in front of the whitewater now. You just rode a wave. Its
addicting.
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