Longboarding vs. Shortboarding

Longboarders tend to ride boards more than 8 feet long with rounded noses. Shortboarders ride lightweight, high-performance boards from 5 to 7 feet long with pointed noses. (Funboards are a little longer than shortboards, with broad, round noses and tails that make them good for beginners who want something more maneuverable than a longboard.) A great longboarder will have a smooth, fluid style and will shuffle up and down the board, maybe even riding on the nose with the toes of both feet on the very edge ("hanging 10"). Shortboarders tend to surf faster and more aggressively. The best shortboarders surf perpendicular to the wave face and may even break free of the wave—known as "aerials" or "catching air." Nonsurfers are often most impressed and amused by the mistakes. "Wipeouts," the sometimes spectacular falls, inevitably happen to all surfers.