Which surfboard is best for beginners?

We use 8’ and 9’ foam longboards for our beginner lessons as they are the easiest and safest boards to learn on. They provide excellent buoyancy and stability, and won’t hurt you if you have an accidental run in with your board. You may think that surfing on a hard short board looks cooler, but it’s a totally different style and technique, and unless you’re a masochist, it’s definitely not the place to begin. Shortboarding is a much more physically demanding and aggressive style with drastically less margin for error than longboarding. Once you are able to master the longboard, then should you desire, you can tackle learning how to shortboard. Though learning on a longboard (or a funboard) is undoubtedly the best way to start your surfing career, longboarding is definitely not just for beginners. It is its own beast, unique from shortboarding, and it’s pretty much undisputed that longboarders have the most laid back style – just head down to San Onofre anytime and you’ll see!

Regarding the quality of the surfboards we teach on, some of the best surfers in the world have tackled some of the most intense waves in the world such as Backdoor, Pipeline and Jaws on them. They definitely won’t slow you down, no matter your skill level. Check out some pictures of our boards in our photo gallery!