Surfing is great fun, and quite dangerous as well. It is a lot harder than it looks from the dry comfort of the shore. But it is in fact very demanding physically. It is not so bad if you are 18 and weigh very little. Then a short board is easier to use. But for the older guy, like myself the long board is the prefered option. There are many benefits to a long board.
- Easier to paddle and faster
- if waves are not too big, quicker to get past the white water
- Catch small messy waves
- board walking looks cool
- greater stability
- float better
- Nose riding
Long Boards have their down side as well.
- Heavy
- big for storage & transport
- Dangerous in wind
- Bad in big waves
- Hard to punch through big waves
