Should I Surf or Paddle Board

Our family has an annual trip to San Diego where we spend most of our time hitting the beaches. If you’ve spent any amount of time at the ocean, you’ll see the swarms of surfers trying to catch the next big wave from sun up to sun down. One thing I’ve found interesting is that if you take a stroll across Mission Blvd over to Mission Bay, you’ll notice all the paddle boarder’s gliding along the bay. When I began my paddle boarding journey, I wondered which would be more enjoyable Surf or SUP.

Should I Surf or SUP? If you enjoy being on the water, either option will provide you with an enjoyable experience. If you are looking for something more extreme, specialized, and live near the ocean, then surfing is the way to go. For an activity that is more relaxing, versatile, and something you can do on any body of water then SUP is your best bet. Let’s examine further how each one can provide the experience you are looking for and to determine which is right for you.

Surf Board vs Paddle Board

From a distance, surfboards and paddle boards can look quite similar. As you take a closer look you will see some of the differences.

One of the general differences is the overall size of the boards. Surfboards are built for speed and waves, while a paddle board is bulkier for balance.

Take a look at some of the Average Specs:

                        Surfboard                                                     SUP

Length                7 ft                                                            10.5 ft

Width                20 inches                                                  32 inches

Thickness        3 inches                                                     6 inches

There are many factors that go into both choosing a surfboard or a paddle board. I just want to give a rough idea of how different the boards actually are.

When selecting a board body size often plays a major role in getting the right board. Paddle boards can also be inflatable, which is a major difference then hard surface surfboards.

I actually recommend an inflatable paddle board for several reasons that I discuss in my post, Start with an Inflatable Paddle Board.

Board Similarities

I’ve highlighted some of the differences with the board types, but there are also some similarities. Guess what, you stand up on both a surfboard and a paddleboard.

Alright, so that probably wasn’t earthshattering insight, but hey it’s a similarity non-the-less. If you look at the underside of a surfboard and paddle board you’ll notice a fin or fins.

Both types of boards can have the same number of fins which add to control, speed, and ability to cut through rough waters.

My article, SUP fins for Paddle Board Newbies, goes in-depth on how fins work for paddle boards, and what you should look for to meet your needs.

What Makes Surfing Fun

Surfing offers many of the same benefits of paddle boarding. For example, a lot of the physical and mental health benefits that come from surfing can also be achieved through paddle boarding.

Things like enjoying the water, relaxing, connecting with others can happen for both surfers and SUP riders alike.

I wanted to highlight a few things that I believe are more unique to Surfer’s here:

Excitement– Surfer’s literally become addicted to the thrill of riding a wave. It’s always amazed me seeing surfers at the crack of dawn, out ready to go, spending hours on end surfing.

Surfing provides that adrenaline rush that thrill seekers are looking to find. It causes a cocktail of those natural feel good chemicals in our brain.

Being in the Water– Surfers tend to spend a lot more time in the water, then their paddle board counterparts. It takes a strong swimmer to handle being tossed around in a big wave.

While you are going out to catch waves, you are often lying on your board, using a swim like motion with your body to paddle out to deeper waters.

Doing Tricks– Surfing has more of a sport like feel. Surfing allows riders to do more tricks that make it more exciting to watch.

I know you can do some different things on a paddle board, but I’d much rather watch things that a surfer is doing with a wave, then a SUP race.

What Makes SUP Fun

We’ve explored a few of the things that help to create a special experience that only surfing can provide, so now let’s check out what paddle boarding has to offer.

Here are a few things that are more unique to paddle boarder’s:

Multipurpose– There are so many things that you can do with a paddle board. From Yoga to fishing, just relaxing, or racing, it just allows for so many different possibilities that keep it fresh.

Heck, I even wrote a post here that talks about creating romance with your SUP. I should also mention that some paddle boards are designed more for surf.

I doubt it’s going to be as good as using a natural surfboard, but it could give you a little taste of both worlds.

High or Low Intensity– Paddle boarding allows you to change gears a little more than surfing. It can easily be a low-intensity activity when just gliding around the water or turned into something more depending on what you need, which makes it great for both older and younger riders.

The View– Paddle Boarding becomes more about enjoying the surroundings. It’s a great opportunity to just soak in the breeze or beautiful scenery around you.

Surfing tends to be more about being immersed in the wave, than watching the wildlife.

Do it Anywhere– Paddle boarding can take place anywhere there is water whether that’s the ocean, lake, or river. Unless you live on a coast or island, it can be a challenge to be able to surf on a regular basis.

A lot of people have some sort of body of water nearby that they can frequent with their SUP.

Why I went with a Paddle Board

There are several factors that went into my decision to purchase a paddle board, instead of a surfboard. Although we go on vacation to San Diego once a year, that wouldn’t provide me with much of an opportunity to use a Surfboard.

I live near a few lakes which offer me the opportunity to use my paddle board more frequently. I liked the versatility that paddle boarding has presented me to do many different recreational activities on the water.

To summarize, my intent is to provide something that is informative for beginner’s looking to get involved in a water activity like SUP or Surf. I don’t intend to discourage anyone from participating in either activity and think that either one is a blast.

Knowing that each activity can provide a totally unique experience can help you to find what works for you or if you just can’t decide then do both.

Please comment below on anything that you enjoyed from this post or your experiences with SUP or Surf.