The Evoke has a good reputation.

Just be sure to be realistic when it comes to the size you choose as IMHO you will need a stable board to begin with and later on you can progress to a more advanced (smaller) board.

Good luck and welcome to the Breeze!

with out knowing to much about you the evoke would be a pretty good board at a good price, which is what you want for a first board as it will take a bit of a beating, unless you are a super light weigh i would head more for the bigger size (10foot i believe), you will spend more time on the board and be able to pick up the basics more quickly, if you venture into the surf it is still a manageable size but also good for flatwater paddling,

probably some of the best advice is to buy a good quality paddle

Jarryd