Many of our clients who stay with us in Costa Rica are beginners. After falling in love with surfing, they often ask for our advice on buying a new surfboard. Purchasing a board can be a bit overwhelming. There are so many options nowadays. We put together a short guide to buying a board in hopes that it will make your decision a breeze!
Experience
What is your experience level? This will be the biggest decision in buying a board.
More than once a week: Longboard, Shortboard, Fish
A few times a month: Longboard, Fun-board, Shortboard, Fish
Once a month: Foam-board, Fun-board, Longboard
A few times a year: Foam-board
Board Size
Your board size will be dependent upon your experience level.
We typically advise a complete beginner to get a foam-board. They are a great introduction to surfing and are easy to catch waves on. Foam-boards contain a lot of volume so they float well and are easy to paddle. They are also very wide. This means more stability.
If you’re an intermediate surfer, chances are you’re going to be riding a longboard or a fun-board. Longboards range from 8-10 feet+. Longboarding is the most traditional style of surfing. Beginner surfers and advices surfers alike will have a good time on a long board. Fun-boards are basically a mix between a longboard and a shortboard. They range from 6-9 feet and come in many different shapes and sizes.
If your an advanced surfer, you can ride any board. Longboard, fun board, short board, fish – the choose is yours!
Where To Buy
The surf shop is the best place to buy a new surfboard. Usually there will be someone there who is knowledgeable about boards who can provide some guidance. You can also get a good idea of what your looking at and be hands on with the board.
If you don’t have a local surf shop nearby you’re next best bet is the internet. When purchasing a board on the internet, make sure you know all of the dimension of the board you wish to buy. Also, make sure you do your research thoroughly so you don’t get ripped off.
We hope these tips will help aid you in purchasing your first board! Thanks for reading.