What’s the best beginner-friendly surfboard?

Hey, seasters! Ready to catch some waves? Let’s talk about the best beginner-friendly surfboard to kick off your surfing journey! 

This is the most frequently asked question on retreat: what should I be riding?

Our answer? Start with a soft-top! Foam boards are super safe—soft all the way through, which means fewer chances of hurting yourself or others out there. Feeling safe in the ocean will definitely give you that extra boost of confidence and allow you to truly enjoy yourself as you begin the humble process of learning how to catch your very first waves. 

Many guests on retreat hesitate about riding soft tops and can’t wait to “upgrade” to a hard top, but really, remember you don’t need that extra performance just yet. Your goal right now is to catch a bunch of waves and go straight or down the line. 

The best you can do for yourself is to get a board that you can easily stand up on, so you can boost your wave count and build muscle memory with tons of repetitions. More waves = More Practice and that is what will truly take your surfing to the next level! 

Look for boards that are long—around 7 to 9 feet—wide (I’d say 22 inches and up), and have plenty of volume, ideally at least 60 liters. Trust me, it makes a huge difference to have that stability and buoyancy under your feet!

And guess what? They’re pretty affordable and much harder to ding, so you won’t be too precious about it which means you can push yourself even more, and you’ll need that so that’s fantastic!

Down here we leave you the links to some of our favorite best beginner-friendly surfboards that are in the market right now.

Grab yours, get out there and have the most fun!

GRLSWIRL Flower Surfboard
Catch Surf Odysea
Wavestorm Classic Longboard
Wave Bandit Surfboard

Ready to ride some waves? Join our beginner-friendly retreats in Costa Rica and kickstart your surfing journey in the most supportive possible way. Sea you soon!