So, I've been bodyboarding for the past 7 years or so, and l think l wanna switch to surfing. The only problem is l do not have a longboard, all l have are 2 shortboards & I've heard that when people learn to surf they use a longboard. Would l be able to learn how to surf on a shortboard? Will it be extremely hard? What size surfboard should l ride (I am about 5'7 or 5'8)

well since u have been body boarding for the past 7 years u should have a general feel for the ocean & reading waves, knowing how to use ur rails & HOPEFULLY DROP KNEE so were not really starting from scratch, theres plenty of people who transitioned from body boarding to surfing.

You dont really need a long board (unless u want to long board instead of short board) l mean why would u want to buy one when u have 2 short boards already usually we tell beginners to learn on long boards because generally it would be the easiest for them to start on which is a nice big stable platform to learn the pop up, but any size board will do l never learned on a long board l learned on a board that was an inch smaller than me. It didnt take me long to pop up but got some pretty hard beating from it, but the main thing is l learned on what others would not consider a practical learning board.

So l suggest using what u have now instead of buying a long board which cost more, But if all else fails & u cant ride a short board if ur life depended on it. Sell the 2 shortboards & get a longboard

uh.riding and catching waves is fun..have fun when you ride and just stand up. its all about body position when surfing and where you are on the wave. Youll have some difficultie when starting but dont worry about it, just do it. HAVE FUN!!

It will be slightly harder, but it will not be that hard. l would not worry about it. However, as far as size is concerned, l would get a thicker, wider board, with a round tip and tail.

at your local surf shop they will probly let you rent a soft long board for a few hours see if you like it and if you feel a big change

depending on what size your shortboards are you should be fine. the learning curve might be a little steeper if you opt to start out on a shortboard but it wo not be impossible. it might just take a little longer before you're able to pop up, drop in, turn, etc. but then you wo not have to worry about transitioning later which would be nice.