Beginner-friendly Surfboards
Hint: It's not your boyfriend’s surfboard, the pink one you liked from the surf shop, or the one that easily fits in your car!
Catching your first wave is one of those unforgettable moments—you’re up, gliding, and suddenly it hits you: “Whoa… I’m surfing!” We all want to experience that feeling, but where do you even start? Choosing the right board makes all the difference.
Let’s talk about the best beginner-friendly surfboard to kick off your surfing journey as you keep chasing that first wave feeling.
The most frequently asked question we receive on our surf retreats is 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.
Mona helping a seaster stand on a soft top :)
Many guests on our retreats hesitate about riding soft tops and can’t wait to “upgrade” to a hard top, but remember you don’t need that extra performance just yet. Your goal right now is to catch 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 equals more practice!
A good beginner surfboard is easy to paddle, floats you well (high buoyancy), and is very stable. The basic rule of thumb here is: the bigger the better.
Look for boards that are long—around 7 to 9 feet—wide (we’d say 22 inches and up), and have plenty of volume, ideally at least 60 liters. Trust us, 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.
Here are some of our favorite best beginner-friendly surfboards that are in the market right now.
GRLSWRL Soft-Top Surfboard FLOWERSURF
This handcrafted soft-top board is designed to be user-friendly and offer stability for surfers of all skill levels, especially beginners.
Catch Surf Odysea 8'0" Log Surfboard
The LOG has a classic look and feel and is designed with mega-float performance for easy wave catching.
Wavestorm Classic Soft Top Foam 8ft Surfboard
Light-weight, soft & easy to handle, the 8ft Classic Longboard is one of the best-selling learn-to-surf models in the market.
