[New] Board

by Ellen Zoe Golden

Fish

Here’s your best bet for buoyancy — the option of a shortboard style but with easier access to rides in smaller waves. It’s all about the volume on these surfboards, which are generally around 6 feet and under. They have fin setups of double or even quads, and a tail that, well, looks like a fish: wide with a deep cut in the middle.

Gun

Guns are made for the bravest souls who take on the biggest, most hollow waves. They are longer, with less width, a pointy nose and a pointy tail. For those huge, sometimes vertical drops, take out the gun for double overhead and higher.

Hydrofoil

Over the last decade, hydrofoil boards are gradually making their way into the lineups. In the paddle out, they look the same as any other shortboard, but below the surface is the hydrofoil — a mounted ski that acts as a keel — causing the board to rise above the water with speed. How does that work? Since waves are energy moving through water, the hydrofoil taps into this energy attaining speed.

Click icon for more: With further individual specifications, a board can do even more than what’s noted.