It might be tempting, especially in a beachside location or if you have friends that surf, to just grab a surfboard and go for it. Maybe you are just visiting the golden state's coast and want to give those renowned waves a ride.
Longboards are more stable than shortboards, and catch waves with less effort on the part of the beginner surfer. The trick to piercing an already broken wave is depth. You can learn the rules, so that you don't steal or snake someone else's wave, or do anything else that's a big surfing no no.
Everyone wants to ride a cool looking short board, but for learning to surf you should try and find yourself a longer board. If you re a little more serious about your surfing, or want the complete surfing experience in the hands of a true professional, there are many professional, ex-professional surfers who can guide your development as a surfer and help you to get the most out of your surfing experience. It is pretty cool if you know how to surf because you just want to keep surfing over and over because of the little rush you get when you are dropping down the face of the wave.
This makes the board easy to paddle, and you can get more speed, making it easier to catch waves. Of course, anyone who wants to master more than the basics can sign up for a few more surfing lessons.