What board were you on? I think you'd find the Naish 10' Mana would keep you dry in the surf more than most boards.

You just need to pick your days (weather/waves) and pick your breaks (point/beachies).. Pick it right and it's easy-peasy.. Pick it wrong and it's utter frustration not matter how good you are or what board you're on.. The 10' Mana should be a perfect starter board.

DJ

FYI.. the 10' Mana is even more stable than the big 11'6" Nalu.. and surfs sooooo much better.. .. The huge 10'5" Mana might also be worth trying.

DJ

Hi DY,Mick here.I'm 47 and doin pretty much the same as you.My first day in the surf I ended up with half the pacific up my nose.After that I went to a sheltered bay afew times(no surf but still ocean motion)and did a few 2-3 hr paddle sesions around the bay.It only took a few weeks and the chops stopped bothering me as much.Now I'm trying to learn how to use the wind to my advantage.I just happen to have a 10'6"Naish Nalu and a few weeks ago I would have sworn it was the most unstable wobbly creature in the sea,but now I'm enjoying it more and more every surf....One word of warning though.When climbing back on board grab hold of the rail and not the deckgrip otherwise it peel off like mine did.Contact adhesive from any hardware shop will stick it back down.
Anyway good luck.

Here's some simple tips that helped me loads when I started that I have passed on to friends that have surfed for a long time and added SUP to the fun bank.

- Keep your head up and look at the horizon when you are in the ocean. Try to keep your shoulders horizontal also. Your board will wobble around on all of the different bumps and swells but if you keep your head is up you will stay on. I guarantee when you fall off if you think of this you will know you looked down. It's like the opposite to golf. This also helps when you are learning to catch waves. Line up the wave from further out, look at the beach and fang it. Once you're on the wave the 45 years of surfing will take over.

- Practice kick turns, left, right and sprinting off the mark from completing them in the flat and even just waiting out the back in the surf. They are your key to catching waves and getting back out.

- When you turn on the wave treat the paddle like you would your hand in the wave, when you bottom turn lean on the paddle not your hand, the other trick is pull your board around in turns after you have set the rail into the turn with the paddle by pulling it through the turn.

Once you have these basics sorted the rest is just surfing. Have fun.