As the title says. Advice, links, videos, etc. I just bought my first directional and I want your advice. It's got straps and I'll leave them on for now since I don't have a surfing background and have no clue what I'm doing.

I've wanted to try it for a while, looks like a last and I got a good deal on a second hand board. I'm lucky enough to be heading to PNG in about 3 weeks so I may take it as well as my twin tip.

Why not try something new i guess. I admit my complete ignorance and would appreciate some help so fire away.

Thanks
Josh

hey apathetic ,, i posted a post here on getting up and going on surf board somewhere i will see if i can find it . i got some good help here . "big note" these boards are only good in surf or flat water . i took mine out in very chopped up water not long back and my knees were shot too pieces in about a hour ride . no tricks gust get out there and give it some when it is time to go back just stop swap feet around on board and go back in . Not the correct way but gets ya going till you can power turn and ride toe side or learn to switch (jibe) on the run .

Yeah, surf boards are hard when you first get into them. Practice is the only way.

The main issue is learning to go toeside well and/or jybing. As Surface2air says, chop will kill your legs quickly on a surfboard - and heavy bar pressure will kill your arms.

My recommendation is to find situations such as long downwinders/reefruns where you don't need to hold ground toeside. You can work on your transitions and toeside technique without worrying about where you are then.

Try removing the rear foot strap too. It can make it easier to trim moving your back foot around. it is an individual thing though so might be better on, but give it a go.

Definately take your TT to PNG as well. If you are onlyl just learning on a surfboard you will likely spend a max of 20% on it and choose the TT the rest.

You will only be playing in smaller wind swell anyway and TT's are a lot of fun. I have spent a lot of time in PNG with both surfboards and TT's and I spend most of time on a TT there - admittedly I have a 144 hammer which is just brilliant in the surf....and I still suck pretty badly on a board.

Where are you going? on a boat I assume? If so there should be a few good downwinder opportunities. Take some sturdy booties, some of the sea urchins on the reef there are nasty.

Wow - untouched paradise down that way.

Hopefully the trade winds push through that far. You may be the first person to kite those islands...

Once you go a surfboard, it's hard to go back to the twinnie, at least that was my experience!

Some great Ben Wilson articles on waveriding here..

www.seabreeze.com.au/Articles/Kitesurfing/Summary.aspx

..and an article specifically on gybing your surfboard here:

www.seabreeze.com.au/Articles/Kitesurfing/How-to-gybe-a-surfboard_2165971.aspx

If you take time to find flat water to learn gybing, and invest 2 or 3 sessions you'll have it nailed and progress rapidly. I'd guess that learning to gybe in choppy water takes 5x the skill!

But ... some folks never gybe, and spend 50% of the day riding twisted!

Different strokes for different folks ...

koma said...

I bought myself a surfboard (5'4" Stonker quad) half way through last season and found it one of the most difficult things to come to terms with. I started off with straps but decided that i wasn't getting the most out of learning so have since gone strapless.

After 4-5 sessions in mostly choppy water i still can't jibe/gybe (can't even spell it!), but i manage fine riding upwind toeside. I feel sorry for the other riders around me as i'm constantly falling off and making the same simple silly mistakes i did whilst learning on a twin-tip.

Once and only once i left the TT at home and only took the surfboard - never ever again. It's quite a learning curve and a really frustrating way to ruin a good session by forcing yourself to just ride the surfboard. Definitely take the TT as well so once you've had a decent run on it and start making stupid mistakes you can switch over to the TT and enjoy what your used to.

haha def always take the TT!!! it is so fustrating (hav only had 2 fairly sh1tty sessions on my surfboard)... learning to ride a surfboard makes you feel like a beginner all over again and will be a huge, but oh so worth while learning curve i think... i love the feel of my naish fish! just cruising up n down in flattish water is so much fun ha