What’s the best beginner surfboard?

If you are thinking about taking up surfing for the first time and are curious as to which is the best surfboard to get started on, I have a few helpful tips to narrow down the decision.

Start thinking less about name-brands or how “cool” the surfboard looks. Neither of those things will give you an advantage, and it’s impossible to look cool surfing if you haven’t yet learned what you are doing. Instead, you want to focus on the shape and size of the surfboard.

SIZE: If the surfboard is long, 8 or 9 feet, and wide, especially if it has a wide nose and tail, then it is going to be more buoyant and stable in the water. It will also be much easier to transition into waves. Smaller boards are going to feel very wobbly and impossible to control.

MATERIAL: Professional surfboards are made of fiberglass, very slick, and covered in wax for grip. This allows the board to move very fast on the wave. Good for pros but bad for beginners. What you want to look for is something called a foam-top board or a foamy. Instead of fiberglass, it’s covered in a spongy deck skin which not only makes the board move a little slower in the water and gives your feet a wax-free grip, but also won’t hurt as much if you fall and land on your board. If speed and wax-free convenience aren’t enough, always let safety lead your decision-making.

PRICE: Don’t spend too much on your first foam-top board. Or even better, buy a used board and help relieve some of the waste that the surfing industry is full of. You are a beginner. You are going to bash that thing around non-stop. You are also going to get so good that you want something smaller and faster. So get something that looks like its been through hell and ride it until you’ve earned that more advanced shape.