Whether surfing for your first time, just coming off a surf lesson or you've been surfing since the grom days, these tips and advice are sure to help when renting a surfboard:
1) Bigger is Easier. If you're coming off a surf lesson or teaching yourself for the first time, we highly recommend going with a surfboard with a length of 9 ft. or more. For new surfers that are over 6 ft. tall and/or 200 lbs. we highly recommend going with a surfboard with a length of 10 ft. or more. Bigger surfboards, known as longboards, have much more buoyancy and stability than shorter surfboards which in return will give a new surfer a much easier and enjoyable time surfing for his/her first few times.
2) Waikiki Surfing. For intermediate and advance surfers, if you're planning on mainly surfing out at Waikiki, we recommend going with a surfboard size that you're very comfortable with or a size up from what you normally ride. The reasons behind these recommendations is for the most part the waves in Waikiki are long and lazy with a wave height of around 3 ft., and the average size surfboard in the line up is a 10ft. longboard. In most cases, the surfers with bigger boards will catch a whole lot more waves than the surfer with the smaller board just by sitting outside from the pack and getting dibs on every wave.
3) Hawaii Surf Hunting 101. During Hawaii's summer season (June - Sept.) the majority of waves are on the South and East shores. During Hawaii's winter season (Oct. - Feb.) the majority of waves are on the North, West and East shores. No matter what season, you can alway's find waves somewhere in Waikiki and guarantee at White Plains beach on Oahu's South-West shore near the city of Kapolei.
4) Surfboard Storage. Surfboard storage is provided by the bell hop at most hotels on Oahu. Hotels that do not have adequate storage space for surfboards will require their guest to store the surfboard(s) in the room. Most hotel elevators can fit up to 10 ft. of surfboard and may also have an oversized service elevator.
5) Surfboard Transportation. Transporting surfboards on a vehicle soft rack is safe and easy when correct measures are followed. Soft racks should be placed evenly apart to prevent any sort of "see-saw" effect. Alway's lay your surfboard(s) fin forward. Fin's forward will ensure that even in the worst case scenario of your straps coming loose due to strong winds, the fins will prevent your surfboard from slipping out. For transportation of multiple surfboards, remember to place a towel between each surfboard to prevent wax build up on the bottom of each surfboard being stacked. Last but not least, never exceed speeds of 55mph when driving with surfboards strapped to the car.