Anyone willing to give advice?
I'm not sure how well it will be received to admit I'm trying to learn to surf, but trial and error is part of life so after a while watching the surf reports on surf guru I just thought I'd try and get some tips maybe. To put it simply, I'm very strapped for cash so I picked up the cheapest surfboard I could get. I payed $80 for a 6' by 1' Dan Taylor surfboard with who knows signature on the bottom of it (some fancy signature I can't read), it was the cheapest I could find, only to be told what an idiot I am to try and learn on something that small when I'm 5'8" tall and 135lb. I live a little north of orlando in the lake mary/sanford area so I'm sadly not too close to many beaches, but from my skateboarding years I used to go to the merit island skatepark so I did know of cocoa beach pretty well, so thats where I go to try and surf, I rented a 7' board with a very rounded nose and could get up from my third try and on, that was my first day and I thoroughly enjoyed it, I felt like a kid all over again learning to skateboard. Second day was quite a bit later because the surf was down for a while sadly, I tried today but now with the short board and while it was very hard to get past the breaker last time, I could do it, but today the waves did nothing but beat the light from my eyes. I got past the breaker once and almost got up but quickly the wave died down lost power and I just sunk. Other than that I couldn't get out and all it did was beat me around and push me sideways leaving me very frustrated and soar now. Sadly cocoa is about as far as I can drive due to gas prices because I'm trying to live off my college scholarship instead of having to work right now to give me some time to find myself so to speak. So to end the details, what was I possibly doing wrong? Is it really to much to dream of riding on that short board? Is duck diving on that short board supposed to be so different than on that 7'? I can't seem to hold my position well on the board when paddling or duck diving so I could be lying on it wrong, if so where should I? Should I not be trying to learn behind the ron jons surf shop but instead is there a better location? Lastly, if it really should be impossible for me to ride on this short board, am I hopeless because of my empty pockets (the absolute most I can afford is max about $250)? I know people typically aren't for giving out advice but I figured if I really want to do it, and I do, I should ask the east coast people who have been there and done it themselves for advice. While I may have ridden only once, it was after years of bowl ridding that people told me to try it and that one experience was just freaking awesome to me so I simply can't give up, so seriously Thank You! to anyone who can give me some advice :)
Im trying but the waves keep pushing me back out.