Hi,

please find enclosed some of my experiences from buying a surf board to ride some nice waves as a beginner:

What to concider in the beginning:

- Do I want to start with a long board or Mini Malibu? Yes
- Which length should I look for? 8 to 9 feed
- The more you weigh the longer it should be in the beginning, since the volume keeps you up and floating and it is easier to paddle into a wave. If you are very small and young you can also start with a 7.5 to 7.9 feed Mini Malibu
- you should concider taking a couple of surf lessons in order to learn: how to warm up, how to read the waves, how to duck dive or do an eskimo role in order to dive through the waves, how to get up on the board, safety tipps... However I personally think that 2-3 days of surf lessons are enough and from then on it is learning by doing.

What to look for in a board:

- Board with fins&leash, be aware that you need a longer leash for long boards
- Buy a cheap and used board in the beginning; it is ok if it has some dents as long as they have been fixed by a professional who knows ding repair
- The board should not have been broken
- The board should not have been soaked with water
- often you can sell it after your first season for the same money and get a better one

Where to travel:

- Buy a storm rider guide on eBay and check out the best spots
- In Europe the Algarve (Portugal), France (Biarritz), Denmark (Klitmöller) and England (south/west) work very well from my experiences

Which waves and conditions to look for:

- For begginners it is best with no winds and a light swell from 1-1,5 meters
- also check out the beach and the waves for at least 15 minutes before you go into the water. Find out where the waves break, where the water flows back to the ocean (channel to paddle out more easily), watch out for currence, rocks
- warm up apropriately
- if the conditions are not so good or the waves are too big, start practicing in the white water. This will pay off when you get the perfect conditions.

Hang loose

Bjoern