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Comment by ErikRogneby | Hacker News Reader

I was thinking the same thing. People who get hooked on the sport using a $100 board may eventually learn more about the details of the sport and purchase a $1000 board and develop a relationship with their local surf shop.

Fly fishing has similar cheap gear at box stores, yet still has a healthy eco-system of specialty shops.

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Can confirm. I bought one of these for $99 in February. Used it for 6 months while I learned. Switched to a $900 pin tail two months ago.

Oh and I lost 32lbs (mostly fat) in the process. Best $99 I spent this year.

How did you get into surfing? Did you take lessons? Did you just go out there and do it? How many times a week did you go?

Just curious!

Congrats on the weight loss!

My dad taught me as soon as I could stand is how I learned. From there I spent every free moment in the water. No waves that day? Just paddle around. There is a joke in the cheesy North Shore movie where the character asks about working when the waves are good. The response was when the waves are good, no one works. No to sound all zen, but the ocean drives how many times/week you go.

I would definitely suggest taking a couple lessons to get started. There are some non-obvious things that someone explaining will help you not get frustrated. I promise you, the first time you ride of the face of a wave you will be hooked.

Thanks!

Best advice ironically is to buy one of these $99 boards and try it out. Watch other people. Check out beginner videos on YouTube (I know do exercise routines for surfers from there).

Ah, and super important, is to find a beach that fits your level of expertise. Go online and look surf reports of beaches around you. For a board like the Wavestorm (that floats a lot and is easy to paddle in) in a beginner setting, you should look at waves around 1 to 3 ft for the first months. It will just be fun to fall (and don't be discouraged if you don't catch anything the first three or four days you try).

I go at least once a week now (sometimes three, but I have reduced that a bit since shark season started).

Have fun!

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