This is hands down the best video on how to choose the right surfboard. Trust me I live on the internet. lol

+Jordie Sutherland thanks for your question. If you're just learning to do turns, a thruster (tri-fin) board is probably the way to go. Thrusters are known for being user-friendly and, to over-simplify things, they tend to go where you point them. At 59kg = 130lbs, early intermediate level, you should probably be looking at boards in the 26-28L range. Check out a 5'9" or 5'10" Mini-driver, this is a versatile shape that you can keep riding as you get better. Most mini-drivers come with the option to ride 3 or 4 fins so you can experiment with both. www.realwatersports.com/surfing/surfboards/lost/mini-driver Hope this helps! -Chris REAL Watersports

+Riley Sebby - Thanks for your question. Ideally, you're looking for 2 or 3 surfboards to have that 1ft - 8ft range of surf covered, with a flat&wide board for the small days and something a little more "performance" tuned for the better days.... however there are a few boards that we've been loving for "One-board quivers". Check out the ...Lost E-Z Up, it's shaped to handle the big days but still has good float and paddle power to use it in smaller, mushier waves. For your weight and skill level you'd be looking at something in the 34-36 liter range, so check out a 5'11" E-Z Up: www.realwatersports.com/surfing/surfboards/lost/ezup Hope this helps! -Chris Stellato REAL Watersports

Excellent description! It's the best formula I've heard. Cheers! God only know how many times I've chosen the wrong board..

Awesome video! This really helps a lot! The U shape graph for foam volume to wave size that you mentioned made perfect sense

Matt T - For small mushy waves you want a groveller style board. These boards can resemble fish shapes, they can be more rounded like little egg shapes, or some even resemble fat and stubby standard shortboards. For your body weight, the smallest board I would suggest for these conditions is 34 liters of volume. To make the most out of the junky days, you probably want to go closer to 36-38 liters of volume. Some of our more popular grovellers are the Lost RV, the Lost Bottom Feeder, and the Channel Islands Average Joe: Lost RV - I recommend 5'10" for you: www.realwatersports.com/surfing/surfboards/lost/rv Lost Bottom Feeder - I recommend 5'8": www.realwatersports.com/surfing/surfboards/lost/bottom-feeder CI Average Joe - I recommend 5'9": www.realwatersports.com/surfing/surfboards/channel-islands/average-joe Hope this helps! Contact us with any more questions! REALwatersports.com/contact -Chris REAL

+Lupe Loza - Thanks for your question. The best thing you can do is contact one of our REAL Pros and they can give you some advice on how to choose your board. www.realwatersports.com/contact! They will ask you lots of questions and help you narrow down the board thats right for you. Thanks.

I'm looking to start surfing this summer and I just started trying to learn about surf related things so thank you for this detailed video! I have a lot to learn.

+Emi Lightning you're looking in the right direction with a beefier hybrid shape. Check out the following shapes and be sure you choose a size that has ample volume to help you catch waves and have stability when you pop up! All these boards are very user friendly and have big sweet spots to work no matter where you put your feet: ...Lost LayZtoy (LayZboy) : www.realwatersports.com/surfing/surfboards/lost/layzboy ...Lost RV : www.realwatersports.com/surfing/surfboards/lost/rv Roberts Dream Machine: www.realwatersports.com/surfing/surfboards/roberts/dream-machine Hope this helps! Contact us for more expert advice! www.realwatersports.com/contact/

awesomely helpful video! i am brand new to surfing in about 5'10 - 5'11 about 170 and i am in northern japan. The waves here aren't huge and a little choppy at times, and thanks again!

Lucas - thanks for your question. Let us know how much you weigh, your age, where you are surfing and how often you get a chance to surf. We'll recommend the perfect board. Thanks! -Chris REAL Watersports

Wish I had this information when I was sold a surfboard in Portugal. I never really got going...thanks for the brilliant level of details.

Thanks guys! The ...lost rv seems perfect for me!! You guys are the best!

I'm normally surfing in California at Venice and Santa Monica but also go up to pismo and sanfran to surf as well

I know that's the board for me because I love yellow and blue and fish!!! Great video, thank you for sharing 😀

Thank you Trip Forman. Very informative vid from someone who knows the game.

I was having serious board crisis but this just helps so much. ! Thanks that was a no bull good explanation

Trip looks like an older version of Caeleb Dressel.

Thanks @magicalifornia - glad we were able to help. Hopefully you will be picking winners for years to come!

I watched this video when it first came out and I'm still watching it years later

Who makes that unicorn tee, love it!

My $0.02 There’s really only three boards you’ll need: 1. A longboard with AT LEAST your weight in kilos in volume. 2. A fun board around half your weight in kilos in volume. 3. Performance shortboard: just go nuts with this. You’ll know what wave to ride with it and you’ll know the volume by the time you’re ready for it. There’s are very rough estimates. But for example, I’m 150lbs and been surfing a year. I use a 65L 9’2” Aipa Apex MLB for catching nearly anything. I use a 43L 6’8” Aipa Sting for small waves to overhead. But it will need some power to get on. I use a 29L 6’1” Aipa Sting when the wave has some power and I just want to dig in my rail and toss it around easily. I love that Duke Aipa can REEEEEEALLY make a shorter board that’s not too wide, with plenty of volume hidden in all the right places. If I could only choose ONE board, it would be my Fusion Sting to ride nearly any wave as long as it’s breaking.

GREAT video! If you are still answering these I'd love to jump in. 6'1" 190lbs 35 Been surfing on and off all my life mostly on either thrusters with huge rails or epoxy 8'0. Currently own a Freebilly 8' funshape/spoon Ready for some kind of step up to give me a chance to point where I want to go more easily and remove the temptation to move my feet up and down the board longboard style. Thanks in advance and Aloha

Hi, I am 5’ 7”, and 130 lb, I have lived on the beach in Maine my whole life, but never learned how to surf, what type of board would be the best for relatively small waves, and shallow water (around 5 1/2 feet of water), it’s also a little choppy most of the time, Anything would help, thanks👍👍

I'm 17, weigh 46kg and 5ft tall. At the moment i'm riding a 6'1 Mark Richards Super twin fin, with a small rear stabiliser, and single to double concave. I don't live near the coast so i only get to surf every few weeks when i'm down there. I surf 2-4ft waves on Torquay main beach. I would say i'm closer to beginner and its hard to progress since i don't get to practise much but when i finish school this year i plan on moving closer and surfing a lot more! I want to progress easily in the smaller waves and i also want to start doing carves and actually moving around on the wave. Thank you :)

That best video explanation I've ever seen. Thanks for sharing.

Well presented amigo 👍

@rsimpson79 - sounds like you are going to have plenty of paddle power with your new board. Whoever your shaper is will most likely have asked you lots of questions about your ability, location & preferences to make the right choice for you. Hopefully that means you've got a board that's the right fit for you! As you continue to build out your quiver, "the big 3" will be invaluable for you to help you make great board choices! Hope that helps. Let me know if you need more info! - Pete

Hi im 5.1 and i am 94 lbs i live near hossegor and i want a surfboard for 1ft to 15ft. Do you know wich board dim is good for me

@toreropalido - great question! Finding the right volume for comes from riding lots of different size boards. You'll get on some and know that they don't float you properly and you'll get on other boards that just feel way too big. @strangedays604 is spot on with how to calculate the volume of the board by the way and if you're still wondering what the best volume is for you. Let us know your size, weight, experience and regular surf spot and we'll get back to you. - Trip

VERY helpful! Thanks! xoxo The Clarences (robert, erin & leslie)

I live relatively close to the beach and would love a 6 foot board for all round waves as live a couple of hours from small waves as well as bells beach in Australia.

2019 anyone

Great vid good knowledge & simple to understand

Great information! Thanks for the solid video.

Thanks for the video. Cool!

Id just figured out today that theres a specific amount of litres the board should hav for your weight, and this confirms it. I always thought i needed a 6'4 minimum but now i know it has nothing to do with it...im gonna buy a fsh hybrid with a least 35l volume to carry my 230lb of muscle :)

Awesome video, but i still have no clue what volume to look for. Went from Bodyboarding to a all round mid length board. But want to start looking for a second hand short board. 5.74 feet tall/175cm tall

I'm about 5'7 140-145lbs and I went surfing for the first time on my friends 8 foot foam board and I was able to catch a lot of waves and it was pretty easy on I have a history with snowboarding and skate boarding so I think that helped but I am looking to get my own surfboard now and was thinking of getting the same foam board but I'm worried I will get bored of it

Hey I’m a 6 foot 14 year old ripper and wondering what board size, literate and width I should ride? I weigh 65kg and surf roughly 2-6 foot in my area with a medium choppiness wave that steep and powerful but I AM looking for a board to be able to flick around quite a bit and do some tricks on. Thanks heaps Edit: also I’ve been surfing since I was 3 and am a indermediate surfer and getting better.

heyaa first of all i want to say that i really appreciate your answer rate in this comment section. i was looking for a comment which fits my exact experience but unfortunately a gave up after reading like 50 comments, thats why i give it a go and ask youuu what kind of board i should buy next:) I'm 145 lbs, 5'9'' tall and i started surfing like 6 years ago when i was 16... im pretty fit but as i am from switzerland i can't jump in the water after work or on every weekends... but as i really love surfing, i've tried to go as much as possible wherever and whenever i can (France, Portugal, Marocco, South Africa, costa rica and Indonesia)...i've spent pretty much time in the water during these trips and i can say that i'm not to bad at surfing... (no problems at catching a wave and finish the wave...the biggest wave i've surfed was about 10.5 feet in indonesia where i am right now which i am really stoked about haha ...and now i really want a surfboard that fits me...i tried a lot of different surboards but as i am a little kook i never really spent to much time at studying the numbers on the boards and always went by my eyes and sense of touch... i usually surfed about a 5'8''- 6'2'' round tailed and fish tailed, concaved surfboard...but im asking myself what volume i should have, what length, thickness, and width??? sorry for this long text :) cheers ozai6

I'm 230 pounds and I live in Florida. The waves here tend to be pretty small any recommendations.

I've done a beginner week course on surfing and can roughly do turns but don't have my own surfboard. I really want to progress onto a fiber glass board instead of investing my money on a foam board. I am 45 kg and 5'5, what do you recommend? I'm also going to be looking for second hand boards as well.

16 5"11 about 60kg = 132 pounds - New to surfing, although I have a lot of experience in skateboarding so I know my balance will be pretty good on the board. I'm not afraid to get thrashed a bit if I have to since I want a short board (or something similar) as a beginner. I'm pretty competitive and my ambitious nature won't get me discouraged if I have it a bit hard. I got a lot of friends who all surf too and are more experience than me and they'll be happy to teach me. - I'm from Australia, east coast so I don't want to surf small 1 foot waves, but I don't want to surf some giant 10 foot wave either. I guess your typical "whoa that's a pretty big wave I gotta duck under" at the beach when swimming (so around 3-6 foot waves) - My goals are honestly to just carve the waves, possibly when I am more advanced, do a bunch of tricks too. I can see myself surfing as a hobby for a long time.

Great explanation

Trip, your video was very instructional. Thx for that. I'm an beginner/intermediate surfer, 5.10 and weighing 90 kilo's. I have been riding a mini-malibu with these dimensions: 7,4” x 20 3/8” x 2 5/8”. I'm looking for a new board that will give me a little more speed en make it easier to get through the dead sections. I surf mainly beachbreaks so the design is going to be a groveler or a fish right? I need at least 50 liters of volume right? Can you give me some advice on the dimensions please? Thx!

Thanks Real Watersports for your wisdom, but I am still stumped. I weigh 186 lbs 5'11'' tall plus a full winter suit year round cause I surf in canada. I ride a 5'8'' ozzie wrong 32.7 cl and a 5'11'' quiver killer 31.5 cl. I want the RNF in Libtech and I think the 5'10'' 35 cl will be too big; most of our waves aren't that strong and there is a lot of chop in our breaks. Would that 5'10'' big too big and how wide is the tail on that board. Thanks

Great video, thanks for posting

Good advise

I’m 6’1 and 190 lbs. all I care about is having fun and I want to duck dive, turtle roll. I’m only going to be surfing in smallish waves also. I have a smallish car so I don’t think a long board would fit on my roof either. Any size suggestions?

Hi can you help me? Im 184cm for 80kg medium level and i surf 2 Times a week WAVE from knee to head. Im looking for a shortboard thanks

Make a new video of this in 2020 ! Very good video

That was really eye opening for a guy like me who's just starting to gain surfboard-knowledge. Thank you, really appreciate that!

Also I snowboard and like to cut in and out hard. I'm not sure if surfing is similar If so I want to be able to cut back and forth up and down etc. the waves here are small unless conditions change things. I know I went through about 4 snowboards before finding the one that I could control good. Thanks and hope this was enough info. See my comment below for my specs.

Hi, I learned a lot with the video. I am 15, 160 lbs, and 5 ft. 6 in. I am a semi-experienced longboarder (Just learning to nose ride) and I go surfing in about 1-3 ft waves with it. I am looking for a short board for somewhat mushy 3-4 ft. (malibu) waves. Thanks a bunch

Dear Real Watersports I have been surfing for as long as i can remember and was looking for a new style of board. I've all ways surfed longer boards around 8' and have a lot of fun with them and i am looking for a board where i can ride for waves a little faster and be able to drop in deeper. I would primary use it in surf about chest high to a little over head. I am about 6' and 160lbs. Also the shortest board i have is 7' and i live in san diego but also travel to Orange County. Thanks for the help

Hello I just went to Mexico and learned a lil bit of surfing on a longboard it was amazing so now I'm hooked . I want to know that board is the best for me and my husband Im 5'1 and weight about 125-130lbs he is about 180 lbs and about 5'7 we just want it surf small waves . Thank you

Well explained 👍

Hey! I weigh about 100 pounds I am 14 and I have been surfing for fun for about year and a half now. I live in Miami and the waves I have surfed have usually been about 2-4 feet. Mostly I have surfed with a foamy 8 foot and a 6 foot 8 foamy and recently have practicing with my friends 7 foot 6 inch modern black bird polyurephane core board. I love surfing and I am planning on getting more into it. Do you have any recommendations for me as to what board I should get?

Good video on some of the things to look out for, but I was waiting to hear a bit more about how individual weight and height determine what short board is right ... an example would have been helpful .... like: “assume you are 6 ft and 175 pounds, what short board is right for you?”

I’m 5’6 and got down the basics and have the pop up and everything else down a 6’1 short board isn’t too big right?

great video as always.

im 5ft9 and 95kg what board should i get i want a smaller board as i want to do more on waves i started on a 9ft soft top and yeah it broke 🤦‍♂️🤷‍♂️ now i want something stronger and dont care how long it takes to ride waves just want something i dont have to keep replacing i would probably say i progressed really quick but im still a beginner

I wanna board that is in between that’s kind of for everything so I don’t have to have five different boards for five different waves

Thank you so much

In 6 foot 4 195 lbs just started surfing I'm ready to get off the longboard I'm thinking about picking up a fish some where around 45l and some where between a 6'8 and like 7ft

Hi I'm 13 years old and learned a few things in the video! Thanks! I was wondering what size board would be good for me. I'm intermediate-advanced surfing for 5 years now. I'm 5ft 6 1/2 and weigh 115lbs. I'm looking for a short board model to surf 2-5 foot waves

Hi I am 4 foot 6 and I am 91 pounds the beach is shallow and many waves also a lot of people who are surfing surf there what surf board do I need?

Really helpful video, @realwatersports . If I'm 5'9" and usually sit between 190-200lbs, what would be the ideal length, volume, and design for me? I live in Jacksonville Beach, Florida. Smaller waves mostly. Thanks in advance!

Good explanations. What I would like to know more about is how you know your volume is in the 35-40 range?

I enjoyed this video, it was really helpful. Could you help me contemplate which board to pick? Im currently about a level 2 surfer, i can catch unbroken waves en need to focus on cutting back and starting to turn. I think I need about a 50 liter surfboard and maybe about a 7 footer. Im a pretty short guy and live in Holland so the waves wont always be too big. Do you think this is about right?

Thats all very nicely explained, but how am i suppose to know what works for me if i never owned a board and want to buy the first? Its not like i can get 10 different boards to try. Lets say a skinny dude 1.75m tall on small-ish waves that dont have much power, maybe they go up to slightly above the waist and dont have a lot of momentum, what would your recommendation be? In my area there are only 6.1 and 6.0, and long boards.. dont want long board.

I’m 5’6 125, I surf pipe and off the wall a lot, should I get a 5’8 board??

Hey great video i'm 5'5 @ 115 pounds and looking to buy my first board. I'm mostly gonna be surfing smaller waves around at new smyrna and cocoa beach. I was thinking about a "funboard" style board like in the 7 foot range. I've been skating for years. Thanks!

Hey Guys, awesome video! Im looking for my 2nd board, stepping down from a 7'6 Mini Mal, been surfing 6 months and want to progress into a short board eventually. What would be be a good board to get next? We dont get a lot of big days here on the Sunshine Coast, Australia. Im 5"10 175lbs. Thanks!

That was really helpful

Great video so helpful....I'm 5'9 and 160 pounds and i have a CI Rocket 9 in 5'9 29.9 liters roughly....consider that i live in Italy where the surf is weaker and i'm 44 years old,do you think i chose a board too big?? My level is intermediate.... thanks in advance 🤙🏼

hey im 5'7 and 187lbs, already rented and getting too comfortable with the long board and want to buy the intermediate board, anysize reference or board reference I can use? thanks man

Hello, I am 5’5”120, I live on the East Coast , I have been snowboarding for 7 years. I am an intermediate surfer, I am new to the sport and I have been searching the Internet for what kind of board I should get (preferably fiberglass.) Waves get around 7ft max. And looking for a board that I could possibly use to preform tricks and have a good time. If you could give me a recommendation that would be greatly appreciated. Thank you

Hey man love the video. I just have a question and it would be great if you can answer it. I'm 5'10/178cm and 136lbs/62kg so i'm pretty skinny. I'm gonna go on a trip next month and will go surf for the first time. I Skate but wanna switch to Surf and was planning on buying a 2nd hand 6'0 -6'2 shortboard to start learning on. I really wanna get a shortboard to finally have a board to bring back home. Would it be okay to buy a shortboard as my first board even though it is hard or would you suggest not buying a board yet and just rent a longboard for the learning process? It would be nice though to start on a shortboard just for the fun of it. Thanks!

I am 13 years old and looking for my first fiberglass board. I would consider myself fit and athletic I’m 5’7 and 140 pounds and I learned how to pop up on a bodyboard / beater boared. I can go down the line and sometimes pull off a bottom hand turn. The waves here in Maine are pretty crappy, I’d say usually like 1-3 feet. Any Recommendations?

Im surfing for over a year now, usually on 7/8'0 softtops. These were good boards, i can surf down the line and my pop up is great (local told me). Now i want to move on to a hardboard and shorter. I saw a 7'0 shortboard online. It doesnt have a very sharp nose and has enough volume (45L). But the thing is, im 5'4 (56 kg), i dont know if this board is too big for me. If i was a bit taller, it wouldnt be a thing, but doesnt it look weird if someone who's 5'4 has a 7'0 shortboard shaped surfboard?

Great instructional video, really learnt a lot and am taking your advise about volume. I learnt to surf here in the Maldives, I'm 5'10" and 83 kgs and have mostly surfed 6'4" drivers with low volume and so I'm good at driving and paddling but little else. Recently I was impressed with the look of SuperBrand Fling in 5'10" at 37 litres volume. Do you think this profile would allow me more range of waves and still provide a good platform to develop more skills? Thank you in advance REAL Watersports, your feedback is most appreciated!

Great video... I wish I would've seen this before I ordered my first board... The shaper I went to didn't seem too concerned with volume. And as a result, I'm not sure I will even know the volume of my board. I am 6' 3" 177 lbs. 34 yrs old, very fit. I ordered a 7' 10" x 22 x 3 in. swallow tail funshape. Did I make the right choice, or should I say, did the shaper steer me in the right direction? Thanks

I'm about 5' 2" and a half. What would be a good board for South Padre Island? The waze get a decent size if you go out.

I am new to surfing in Maryland and was wondering if you had any suggestions on what board to buy. I am 5’3 and weigh about 100 pounds. The waves I surf range from about 3 to 7 feet and are sometimes choppy. I have already tried a 8 foot longboard but it was tough to handle and not what I want to ride. I would prefer a shorter board because I want to go fast and get barreled. I would also prefer for it to be a soft top. If you have any suggestions that would be great! Thanks :)

hey REAL Watersports I'm 5'11 tall and weigh about 145 (though I plan on increasing my weight when I get back on the gym soon, probably not more than 160) and im intermediate to advanced surfer, surfed mostly longboards 9" and went down to a 6'3 but didn't like it so I started to surf an old board which was also 6'3 but extremely fat and heavy so I liked it quite a bit, I recently decided to upgrade to a new 6'7 X 19.50 X 2.50 (volume doesn't say) and I like it and surf well in it but it has a round pin tail and from the looks of it it's a 3 meter wave board (Overhead+) and though it works on smaller waves it isn't manuverable so might as well just longboard, I do every now and then surf those big waves but for my day to day waist high to slightly overhead waves I thought a Al Merrick wierdo Ripper would be quite perfect as an all rounder which works on many conditions, I am being told by computers to buy it 5"8 or 5'9 but since i've never been smaller than 6'3 I think 5'10 or 5'11 would be better (all other specs stock) Do you think it's a good choice? or should I go for another design or another size?

Good info

Man, thanks for the videos, amazing work mate keep it up the good work;;; I have 4 surfboards now but my surf I am struggling to find the right board, I had this magical board that I broke in half 3 years ago the board was good my surf was on another level I was pulling airs with ease, was 6,0 very thin with a nice round tail. Now I have Lost f1 stub;6,0 18.25 2.12 lost bottom feeder; 5.5 lost whiplash 5,10 hs18.25 2.25...all good boards but for specific conditions My volume is around 23-24lliters I am 1,80 69kg ... I have the dimensions of my magical board but the desgin and outline was unique,... can you help me and tell me what board i need on my quiver to surf more in the base of the wave and not so much in the pocket or in the barrel.........

Hi x I’m a beginner and I’m not sure what to get . I’m 12 and about 5’4 and quite light for my age . What kind of surfboard shall I start of with? and what surfboard is best for small waves?

Hey were is your guys store located and I am looking for a board I am 5’4 and 95IB and a beginner

Hi, I'm a beginner surfer (literally just started) and I want to know which type of surfboard is right for me. I plan on surfing smoothly for now, since as a beginner I don't plan on riding any big or fast waves. I'm slowly starting to learn more and more about boards and surfing techniques each day. To help me pick a suitable board for me, here is my info: I'm 5'6" 1/2 and weigh 128lbs. Thanks so much! -Baylie K.

Hey looking to get back into surfing. I live on the Gold Coast now. Learn in Coco beach area. I am 30, 6'3" / 193cm, and about 95kg/210lbs fit. Looking for an all-around board. Something fun in most conditions. 2-5ft.

Nice video! What board type and volumen for mediterranean sea? Im beginner to intermedite, 184 cm and 75 kg. Now I surf with a 7.7 foam. Thanks in advance!

Hey I am 15 years old, 5'7 and weight around 55 kg. I currently surf a 6'6 but am trying to get a shorter board for better turns. I surf waves of around 2-4ft. Any recommendations in regards to what volume board i should get?

Compleatly new.As a begginer what size should i get and what brand. Im 6'1 weight 180. Thanks for any info.

Hey Real! Awesome video! I like it a lot but I still dont quite know what to look for! Was wondering if you could give me a good suggestion! I am a big guy and have been surfing for about like 2 years but have never gotten to shortboard because all my friends are way smaller. I am 6'2 and about 235 pounds. I would be riding waves in NJ so most are at most chest or head high. Like i said, i have been surfing for a while, but only every long boards, foams, and fun board (which still didnt hold too well because they were on the small side). Any thoughts?

Finally a good video on choosing a board thanks so much guys!

I’ve been surfing for almost year using a 8’0 foam board in surf up to 6 feet. I’m 5’7 130 pounds and want to get into a more performance board that’s better for turning. Any recommendations?

So if I’m 170 lbs what volume would be best recommended… I’m just starting so I’m looking for a good starter board.