JONG surfer question

[vinzclortho]

As I'm moving to Cali, I figure a good new hobby/possible addiction would be surfing. I'm a complete JONG and won't pretend otherwise though I DID play a bunch of Kelly Slater's pro surfer on playstation last winter.

How much does it cost to get a basic set up? Like a super noob surfboard and a wet suit?

Is it completely stupid to ask a local for some lessons? Should I just flap on my own? Pay someone to take lessons?

What should I know before-hand going into this???

The sport just looks fuggin sick, great exercise, fun and all that good stuff....I want to get involved.

[Barnballs]

moving to So. Cal? If so, get a used long-board ($200-400, and you'll need a 2-3 wet suit ($125) come late fall...otherwise it's in the upper 60's now till October (water temp).

Some locals teach in Manhattan/Redondo..plenty-0-ads for surf instruction around. Get a mag or buddy who knows how and just wing-it. It'll be great till November. Then you get killed, and it sucks for awhile.

Couple of terms to listen for:

OUTSIDE! This could save you quite a beating if heard w/plenty of warning. Means get the fuck back (ocean side), big wave coming that's going to break early...and typically cleans up the line-up.

OVERHEAD. 8 foot waves. These kinda suck for me so far.

DOUBLE OVERHEAD. Do the math.

Good Luck

[tuffy109]

Originally posted by Barnballs
It'll be great till November. Then you get killed, and it sucks for awhile.

hahahahaha

58 degree water, runoff, booties, ice cream headaches, a significant drop in longboarders, consistent swells...what's not to like?

[vinzclortho]

I'll be in Ventura, just south of Santa Barbara..no idea how far it is to Redondo/Manhattan area at this point but I fully plan on doing alot of adventuring when I get there. having already experienced some LA freeway time I think I'll do most of my travelling at like....4:00 am on a sunday.

That's the shit I'm talkin about Barnballs, lingo, etiquitte....whatnot. I don't expect to be any good at all, but not pissing off other people/locals would be a bonus.

the prices seem completely reasonable as far as equipment goes.

58 degree water!?!? that's friggin warm! christ it's august and the water off the north shore of mass is like 60 degrees!

[Barnballs]

Ventura is great...less crowded..good breaks.

Let us know when you're in town and we'll get bombed, piss-off cops and convicts.....errr, wait that's your neck of the woods...

anyways, pm.

[Agent 00X]

Consider spending some time body surfing and body boarding if you are not familiar with ocean surf, currents and all that.

Surfline Surfology Bill of Rights and Lefts has some good stuff.
http://www.surfline.com/surfology/surfology_index.cfm

Also check out the Surfline Surf School and the rest too because there is some more ettiquite and info that will be useful.

Have a blast.

[vinzclortho]

Tuffy and Barn: I'll definitely let you know when I'm around no doubt about that. Especially since my friend I'll be living with is a complete JONG as far as skiing. But to have some peeps to kinda show me the ropes and crush a few beers with as far as surfing goes would be really cool.

Agent, great link thanks man. I started reading a bunch of stuff on the site and it's damn helpful!

[tuffy109]

Originally posted by vinzclortho
Tuffy and Barn: I'll definitely let you know when I'm around no doubt about that. Especially since my friend I'll be living with is a complete JONG as far as skiing. But to have some peeps to kinda show me the ropes and crush a few beers with as far as surfing goes would be really cool.

Agent, great link thanks man. I started reading a bunch of stuff on the site and it's damn helpful!

when do you get out here?

did you get a mammoth pass?

[vinzclortho]

ahhhh hopefully be IN Ventura around September 15th or so....something like that.

I didn't get a Mammoth pass, haven't even looked into it or thought about it. As I don't have a job in Cali yet and really nothing is solidified other than the fact that I'll be there I figure I should hold off on any money spending plans. I fully plan on making some missions to Mammoth and as Tahoe is about my favorite place around I'd like to do a long weekend at Kirkwood or something....

anyways, yeah.

[tuffy109]

figured as much.

anyways, just give us a shout when you're around. i'm on the beach, so you're more than welcome to come down to get things started.

[TheDingleberry]

Originally posted by tuffy109
figured as much.

anyways, just give us a shout when you're around. i'm on the beach, so you're more than welcome to come down to get things started.

Me too, I'll be happy to show you what not to surf like.

[DJSapp]

Keep me in the loop, I'm willing to go beat myself up on the board I'm currently borrowing.

[AntiSoCalSkier]

If you do buy a board, go for something BIG. Maybe I just suck (OK, there's no maybe about it), but I could never get up on the shorter boards. When I switched to a monster 10 ft longboard, I was suddenly able to surf (now I'm back on a 9-4 and starting to get the hang of it, at this rate I'll be on a shortboard sometime in 2021. Used boards hold their value really well (assuming you don't damage the board), so don't hesitate to buy something really big, and trade it for something smaller once you get better.

[tuffy109]

Originally posted by AntiSoCalSkier
If you do buy a board, go for something BIG. Maybe I just suck (OK, there's no maybe about it), but I could never get up on the shorter boards.

so since you couldn't get up on a shorter board, everyone should start on a longboard?

[vinzclortho]

I'm thinking of getting a fisher-price style "my first surfboard", 15 feet long but 4 feet wide, so bouyant that it floats above the water suspended in it's own furious styles mist. If I can't stand up on that thing, there is no hope.

[AntiSoCalSkier]

Originally posted by tuffy109
so since you couldn't get up on a shorter board, everyone should start on a longboard?

Yeah, something like that.

If someone who isn't a natural surfer starts on a shortboard and can't get up, they will likely get frustrated and quit the sport. If they start on a longboard, they'll probably be able to get up (I'm sure there are exceptions). On the other hand, if someone is a born surfer, and they start on a longboard, they'll find it really easy, and may decide to move quickly to a short boart. There's no real loss for them. In other words, starting on a longboard gives you a higher chance for success in the sport, without any real drawbacks.

Of course if you're of the mindset that thinks that there are already too many surfers on the beach and no one else should ever learn to surf, then this discussion is entirely pointless and you should probably go slash some tires while wearing your favorite trucker hat or something.

[tuffy109]

have you ridden a shortboard? i mean, apart from not being able to get up on one?

[AntiSoCalSkier]

A couple of years ago, I spent most of the summer (probably went to the beach 20-25 times) trying to learn on a 7'6" board. I was completely unable to get up on it. Last summer I signed up for surf school where I learned on a 10 foot monster. I had no problems catching waves (on something that size, you could probably ride the wake from a jetski) or getting up on the board. Once I was comfortable on the 10', I tried going back to my 7' 6" and couldn't get up on it (I only went out once or twice though, and couldn't really catch any waves with it). I got rid of that board and bought a basic 9'4" longboard (it's relatively thin as longboards go). On the new board I had a little trouble catching waves at first, but after a few days, I got the hang of it.

So, I guess I haven't really been on a true shortboard yet, but I'm kind of thinking about working my way down to one. On the other hand, I like the fact that I can go out and have fun on even the flattest days, and noseriding looks kind of cool, so I may stick with the longboard.

[tuffy109]

Originally posted by vinzclortho
I'm thinking of getting a fisher-price style "my first surfboard", 15 feet long but 4 feet wide, so bouyant that it floats above the water suspended in it's own furious styles mist. If I can't stand up on that thing, there is no hope.

there was a guy, we'll call him "merman" as he wears some goggles and, well, reminds me of a merman, standing on his board (sans wave) the other day as if to be on "wave lookout". he was probably on a 9-10 ft board. i'm sure you'll be ok with something along those lines.

you ever ride a longboard skateboard?

[vinzclortho]

oh sure I've ridden a long board skateboard before. I can go from A to B on a skateboard, can't do any tricks at all...but long boards are fun for cruising fer damn sure. I've also thought about getting one of those, Massachusetts roads aren't very good for skating, too many pot holes and rough pavement....but I imagine socal is an ideal spot for longboarding.

[tuffy109]

you'll do fine then.

[Agent 00X]

AntiSoCalSkier- I'm intrigued by your experience with the 7'6". I guess you were having a combo fitness/skill-technique problem. Nothing wrong about surfing a longboard. Here are some thoughts about the shorter board. Were you able to catch whitewater and stand up on the 7'6"? The better your technique/skill the less fitness you need. You need to analyze everything you do in the water. If you can't surf every couple of days (when starting out, just on weekends probably is going to be challenging) you can train out of the water a couple of times a week every couple of days to develop the fitness you need. It doesn't take much.

[AntiSoCalSkier]

Agent 00X - Your analysis is spot-on. I'm not exactly what you would describe as being "in-shape" and I've never been much of a swimmer, so I didn't even have those skills to fall back on. When I was on the 7-6, I couldn't catch just whitewater, which obviously made it very difficult to catch waves, since I had to be in just the right spot (with a little more experience, I'm getting better at finding that spot, but it's still hit and miss). Since I couldn't catch the whitewater, I didn't have a lot of opportunities to work on popping up, so on the rare occasion that I did catch a wave, I was never able to get up.

Now that I have a little bit more experience (and a lot more floatation), I'm starting to see how technique can make up for a poor level of fitness (and visa versa). It's amazing how much faster you can paddle when you don't have your feet dragging in the water behind you. Waves that were too small before are now ridable if I'm in the right spot on the wave, and balanced correctly on the board.

As far as learning to surf goes, I'm currently a weekend only guy. I've been heading down to Bolsa Chica for a couple of hours most Saturdays and Sundays. In theory, I could probably go surfing before work, since my office is in Manhattan Beach, but there are some logistical issues (I'm not too comfortable leaving my board outside on a roof rack all day), and I don't really feel comfortable at El Porto (I try to stay out of everyone's way, but I'm still learning how to read other surfers, so I can tell which way they're going).The weekend only thing seems to be working OK. I've gotten to the point where I can catch a wave and make a bottom turn on about 1/4 of the waves I paddle for. I still have the occasional wipe-out when trying to pop up, but I'm gradually getting better.

Oh yeah, and DJ, if you want to go out with someone who really does suck, I'm always up for carpooling. I usually head down to "The OC" but I wouldn't mind exploring the area around Malibu.

[tuffy109]

i love arguing about surfing.

with that in mind, why is anti giving out surf advice?

[AntiSoCalSkier]

I wouldn't exactly consider this surf advice, but rather the perspective of a surf jong. As I'm learning, I've spent a lot of time talking to different people about surfing. My experience has been that everyone who knows how to surf thinks that it's fairly easy to learn ("just get a board and have someone take you out, you'll figure most of it out for yourself"). I found it anything but easy to learn, so I'm trying to share what my experience was, so that others can learn with my experience.

Anyway, I've never claimed that I'm any good.