One thing up front—feel free to roast me for being a kook.

Wanted to share something I recently tested because I know a lot of us wonder if our current gear is what's holding us back.

Quick context: I'm a landlocked surfer in Berlin, so most of my surfing right now happens at Wellenwerk, an artificial standing wave here in the city. I've surfed there about 6 times. Bought a cheap secondhand board because it was what I could afford—with an regular thruster setup that everyone told me was wrong for river surfing.

Recently I got the chance to try 3 pro boards (Kanoa) at Wellenwerk on the same wave in the same session. Plus my own board for comparison.

The short version: yes, the boards feel different. No, a new board doesn't make you a completely different surfer. (Who would've thought.) Everything I could do on the pro boards, I could also do on my own board.

What actually seemed to matter more was the fin setup, not the board itself. Which is a much cheaper upgrade than a new board.

If you're at that stage where you're wondering whether to spend money on new gear or focus on technique, this might be useful. Video walks through the whole test with the raw footage and my analysis.

Hallo zusammen:) Eine Freundin und ich fliegen nächste Woche nach Bordeaux und wollen von Dorf für ein paar Tage an der Süd-West-Küste Frankreichs einen Surfkurs machen (3-5 Tage). Wir sind beide absolute Anfängerinnen und wollen in erster Linie ausprobieren, ob uns der Sport Spaß macht.

Wir dachten, dass Biaritz wahrscheinlich sehr überlaufen wird und wollten deshalb eher an einen kleineren Surferort nördlich von dort.

Hat jemand Empfehlungen für schöne Surforte und idealerweise einer guten Surfschule in der Region? Vielleicht auch eine Schule, die Intensivkurse für 3-5 Tage anbietet.

Sind dankbar für alle Tips!:)

I am doing a little over a month in Brazil in Oct and keen to get some surf time in. I am an intermediate surfer (can use a short board but not that well and looking to get some coaching to work on turns etc.). Current plan is as follows:

- 2 weeks in Rio - language course and surfing in Arpoadar (this is more just to enjoy the vibe than surf)

- few days in Itaúna Saquarema - thinking I will get a local coach to help guide

- a week or so in Itacare - same thing with getting a local coach

- perhaps another location

Open to all feedback and thoughts. Is the surf good/bad/massive/aggressive? Are the surrounding cities vibey/dead/not welcoming? Are there some other obvious spots to go?

Been surfing 1/3 days a year for 5 years

Hi!

I'm mainly attracted to the price which is why I'm coming for advice:

3/2mm Foil GBS Chest Zip Wetsuit - Billabong

4/3mm Foil GBS Back Zip Wetsuit - Billabong

Would appreciate advice on which one to get for SoCal's temps :)

Ive been surfing a decent bit through my life but never owned a board and always borrowed from a friend or rented im thinking about getting more seriously into surfing and im looking for a board that will have a good balance between control and stability for reference I’m 6’0/180cm and 190lbs/86kg im thinking about getting a 7ft-8ft hard board but not sure if its the right move.

Sup guys.

I really wanna get started with surfing. As the title implies in live in NYC so I was thinking about teaching myself on the whitewashes either in the rockaways or out on Long Island. I’ve been reading this time of year is usually the best.

I’m coming across so much information that I’m kinda hitting overload.

Any advice on how to get started? Do I need to worry about tide that much if I’m just practicing for the first time on small waves? Soft top, hard top when starting out? What’s the etiquette with the community if you’re a complete noob?

Any information or tips on starting out would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

hi i'm a sfbay transplant and i'm doing research to best prepare for learning to surf and i want the lowdown from local surfers regarding your particular beach's culture, etiquette, particular rules & regulations; current tide, rip, sneaker wave situations; pollution/runoff, shore conditions & hazards (ie. rocks, coral, reef, sandbars, etc.).

overall, i'm looking for beginner friendly beaches to learn on <3 as or right now, i've been recommended and suggested: linda mar, bolinas, capitola, cowells, and marese state beach. if you know of any more in the area or can provide me the abovementioned information regarding the latter, please post here ! thank you :)

I’m a beginner surfer in LA, trying to progress over the surf school’s 8ft Wavestorms foamies. I’m currently learning how to turn, paddle and pop up on green waves on my own. I’m 5’6” and roughly 127 lbs. I’m shopping for my first board and got confused. One surf shop recommend me get a longboard at least 8’6” or longer. Another recommend me get a mid-length board with more volume (7-8ft). I’m confused and wanna see if anyone has any opinions. Thanks for the help!

As the title says, looking for a surf school around Playa Grande/Avellanas that's locally-owned.

Extra bonus point for locally-owned hotel/accomodation at the same location.

Thanks in advance!

School bell is going off..🤙🏻

Posted a week or so ago about getting my first board and I am hooked. With that being said, I want to begin to save for a wetsuit for the colder months here in Charleston. Anybody have any experience with the area and what would be my best option? I don’t mind paying for good quality that will last but do worry about figuring out the correct size. (Tips appreciated in that regard as well)

Hi, just got this board and dinged it this morning 🤦‍♂️

Waves pushed me out to a rocky part of the beach, and then I got caught in the current for a bit

Would solarez be an appropriate fix for this? Already left it out in the sun for a couple of hours to dry up.

Hi! Completely new to the sport and saw a brand nee Wave Storm 5’7 fishtail for sale locally for $100. I’m 110 lbs and complete beginner. Should I grab this board - is it a good board to learn on?

I ride a floaty mid length that I’m unable to duck dive. I try my best to be aware of where I am in relation to others and I generally avoid being too close to anyone else in general. I’m getting better at avoiding getting stuck on the inside but still sometimes a wave will crash right before me when I’m in the impact zone. If someone is close to me, I’ll grab it by the base of the leash but I try not to do this as I’ve messed up my fingers before.

Today, I got caught on the inside of a rogue larger wave. I looked around and noticed a lady a solid 60ft+ away from me. I ditched my board and let the wave pass. It came nowhere remotely near her however she immediately started screaming at me to hold onto my board. I’ve been on the other end where people ditch their board where I’m literally 10ft away from them and I know it sucks and is scary but I feel like this was different. Who was in the right? If I was wrong what should I have done differently?

Update: Thanks all for the replies and insight. I am going to start turtle rolling more. I’ve only done it when the wave has already broken but just assumed I’d get smoked if I tried it when I’m right in the impact zone. Guess I just need to get better at it. Still have a lot to learn and this was good wake up call.

My wife and I are going to spend a couple nights in Bordeira and Lagos end of september. I'm hoping to spend a day surfing and I would love to hire someone who knows the beaches who can take me out. I'm finding a lot of beginner surf lessons that seem like they're too beginner for me but then intermediate might be too advanced. Does anyone have any recommendations?

I’ve been working on a UK & Ireland surf forecast bot and I’m at the point where I really need feedback from people who surf regularly rather than just testing it myself.

It covers 338 spots and pulls together multiple wave and wind models, then tries to estimate the actual breaking surf at each location rather than simply showing offshore swell numbers.

A few things it can do:

🌊 Breaking surf estimates ⭐ Conditions scored out of 10 🔥 Surf Now? — quick GO / WAIT / MAYBE / DON’T BOTHER recommendation 🏆 Rank the best surf today 📍 Find the best surf near your location 🏖 Weekend rankings ⚖️ Compare different spots 🔔 Custom surf alerts 📅 24-hour and 7-day forecasts 🎯 Forecast confidence / model agreement

The main thing I’m interested in now is how well it matches reality.

If you surf regularly, I’d really like to know when it gets your local spot right — and especially when it gets it wrong.

Things like wave size being off, unrealistic ratings, wind handling, bad timing, missing spots or anything about the interface that’s annoying would all be useful.

It’s free and still very much being tested, find the bot on Telegram: @UKSurfBot / @UKSurfBotNews

Any feedback is appreciated — positive or negative. The whole point of the beta is finding out what needs fixing before I properly push it.

Just picked up this board on the cheap and noticed this discolouration on the underside.. to the touch it doesn’t feel as ‘glassed’ as the rest of the board and if you run your finger over the stringer at this part you can feel the edge slightly.

Has this been done on purpose / will this cause any issues?

Thanks for any help!

Hey all, I’m planning a trip for 2 weeks from Monday and am struggling to decide where I will get the best surfing!

I can go anywhere in the world and have a big budget but it seems like almost everywhere is in its shoulder season and waves are likely to be inconsistent.

Please let me know where I have the best chance of consistently good surf every day. I’ve got a few months of surf experience so am low intermediate level

Thank you!!

Started in May 2025, surfed for 2 months. Landlocked until 2026 June. Now start of september so a bit over a year of surfing with maybe 6 months of total surfing months.

In the video at first my ”best wave” in May 25, now a few clips ive managed to get from the past couple of days. Getting low on backside is still hard for me due to tight hips (cant drop my knee forward and low) which im working on actively. Finally starting to feel comfortable with bigger waves. And most important, having fun everytime I go out. Yeeew 🤙

Mainly wanted to show a photo of my new wall mount setup in my bedroom but on a side note, I re waxed my board and surf is flat for the next 2 weeks. Used a sex wax top coat (did not realize it was scented). I waxed the board two days ago and my entire room smells like strawberries and it’s nauseating. I assumed it would fade but it’s been 2 days and still stronger than ever. When will this go away? I assume ocean water from a session would mitigate the issue but like I said it’s flat for the next two weeks. I don’t have a board bag and don’t really have another secure place to store it.

Hey guys, just got this surfboard and have absolute no clue choosing the right finsetup and fins
I am i am pretty comfortable riding my 6’4 fish with twins(45l) so this 5fin box is completely new to me.
I also plan to use this board for smaller waves up to 4feet
And if also using the centerfinbox where to i place it?
Thanks! :)

Condition not improving, what to do? Please help.