Hey surf enthusiasts! I'm in the market for a new board and could use some advice. I've been riding a SUP board for a while now, but I'm looking to transition into more traditional surfing. Has anyone here made a similar switch from stand-up paddleboarding to surfing?
I'm curious about how the skills from paddleboarding transfer to surfing. What type of surfboard would you recommend for someone coming from a SUP background? I'm thinking about a longboard to start, but I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Also, for those who enjoy both sports, do you have any favorite hybrid boards that work well for both SUP and surfing? How do they compare to dedicated surfboards in terms of performance?

SUP’s are alot wider than surfboards. I bet my daughter could stand and paddle my big log but because narrow for a SUP it would be more unstable when paddling.

Outside of standing on the board and paddling I would say probably not much translates from flat water paddle boarding to SUP surfing. Surfing to SUP surfing would be alot easier. All the skills you need to surf like reading waves, controlling speed, timing, turning the board all are learned when surfing but not paddling on flat water.

I would recommend taking a standard surf lesson or three or ren then translate those skills to SUP surfing. Even better, take SUP surfing lessons.

The most difficult part of surfing to learn is reading the waves and conditions. Knowing when and where to go out (the how to go out part also but that is somewhat easier to learn). What is the wave going to do? If you were riding waves on your SUP that would be real good practice for surfing (nonSUP). Made for paddle boards are like boats on a wave but they are a starting point. I guess it depends on what style of surfing you intend to do. I have seen people surf on an SUP without the paddle and one person use a longboard as an SUP. If you want to surf on an SUP with the paddle and also use it for non surfing paddling then a beginner SUP should be fine but for those who do both at higher levels have different boards. A better surfing SUP is often too small for comfortable cruising but those made for beginners have enough stability for both. There are boards that might be a compromise for both where they aren't the best for surfing or cruising. I would think you need to be above beginner skill level on each disciplines for those to be useful. When I first tried to surf on my SUP I called it my FDP (fall down paddle) as I fell constantly. Just the waves were a challenge to navigate without even trying to catch one but I found it much easier to go out than to come in. You can always go to your knees and paddle if you find yourself falling too much which I did on occasions going out through the surf. Then once in a safer area stand up. In fact I would sometimes lay down prone with the blade of the paddle under my chest to get out in critical places while paddling out. You do need to learn about currents and hazards in the area you intend to surf. And be mindful of others as an SUP is a dangerous thing in the lineup, much heavier than your typical surfboard