I am buying a board next week in daytona & am not sure on the length 2 get. l have snowboarded (can do the double black diamonds) for 6 years & wakeboarded (can clear the wake) for the same. Should l go as high as 6'5 or stay 6'3/6'2 range..thanks

You did not answer the magic question; How long have u been surfing? It does not matter how cool u r snowboarding, that has nothing to do with surfing.

If u have surfed a few times, & r relatively competent, u might be looking for a somewhat shorter board. If u r a noobie, u r generally better off with a long board (or a fun-shape/mini-mal - a truncated long board).

Also, the ocean is not like a lake. You need to be at home with with its undertows, rips & sometimes big waves (Okay, u r going to Daytona in the summer, so big waves may not be on the menu, but.). And, unlike a snowboard or wakeboard, u have to paddle to take off & catch the wave. Once u get that far, ur expertise & refined balance skills form other board sports kicks in. But not until then.

A decent surfboard can cost in excess of $500.00. So, unless u r rich, do not buy a surfboard until u r sure u want to surf, & surf often enough & well enough to make it worth the investment.

Now, supposing u have no experience at all surfing, go to a good Daytona surf shop, & ask about lessons. Take a lesson or two on a rental board, & then talk to the folks at the shop about buying one. Same thing thing goes if u have been surfing a few times. Go to a surf shop, where the industry professionals can help u pick the right board for ur weight, skill level, Daytona waves & ur budget.

l have been surfing since 1966, & l get my advice from the surfers at good local surf shops, who surf at the same breaks that l do. There may be lots of nice folks here on line, but the folks in the shop have the 'best Answer'.

Good luck, & have fun surfing!
http://mckevlins.com/nopopstory.htm
http://360guide.info/surfing/surfboard-types.html?Itemid=51

If you are just starting buy a longboard. If you are already pretty good you could get like a 6'4-6'6 fish. If you are really good buy a short-board. However l would suggest a fish or longboard because in florida the waves are usually pretty small unless a hurricane or tropical storm comes. Good Luck and have fun!!

The Surfboard Man
http://thesurfboardman.com/