There are times in your surfing life when you realise that a high performance surfboard isn’t what you want to be riding. What you really want is to have fun.
When you take a deep breath, relax your shoulders and stop thinking about shredding, you open yourself up to a new world of surf potential on ordinary waves.
There’s nothing worse than forcing your way along an average wave, trying to do high performance turns, and aggressively hacking a path toward the shore. It looks ugly, unless you’re a pro, and even then it looks forced. So when it gets small and windy, or even just a little less than perfect, why not reinvent your surfing experience by trying out a new surfboard or two?
Try something completely different to what you’re used to riding. You might just discover a whole new realm of surfing fun. A reason to paddle out on days when you’d otherwise be disappointed.
There’s you, the hunter, with your shortboard, and that’s cool. But there’s also you the slider, with, well… something else.
Here are 3 fun surfboards to give you an alternative surfing experience.
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Deus Bar Soap
At only 5 foot long this little twin fin is all about the glide. You’ll generate plenty of speed on this flat-faced beauty, designed by Tyler Warren, with summertime fun in mind.
Deus are a surf brand that have fused the errant motorcycle lifestyle with surfing culture. It works, and their boards, like their bikes, are objects of desire.
Ride the Deus Bar Soap surfboard short, and in conditions up to head high. Position your back foot far back for more controlled turns and, importantly, take your time. You’ll be scrubbing the faces of your favourite waves clean every time you shift your weight (it’s a bar of soap, right?). 
DMS Stilnox
DMS boast an eclectic range of surfboards, including some exceptionally high performance hybrids like the Gherkin. But on the chilled side of the spectrum you can enjoy a newfound lightness of being when surfing on this pointy little twin fin. They call the shape a Camel, because it fills a void left by the Egg. Confused? Don’t be, forget the labels and let your surfing do the talking.
With a little more rocker and more refined rails than the Bar Soap, you’ll race your way along a few fun walls on this little 5’1″ pocket rocket. Don’t be surprised if you start to fall in love with it’s playful nature.
Catch Surf Odysea Skipper
Surfing is not all about fibreglass, and soft top boards are not only for beginners. Yep cast aside your memories of those rash-inducing monstrous BIC learner boards and feast your eyes on the Odysea.
You may think the only valid purpose for a refined soft top board might be to legally surf between the flags in places like Australia, but you’d be wrong. Catch Surf have created a whole new category of board with their beautiful, crazy, high performance series of soft tops.
Having partnered with Jamie O’Brien they’ve demonstrated just how high performance these sleds can ride. Of course, JOB can get barrelled on kayaks and he surfs Pipe in a hamster wheels, so we’ll leave it to you to form an ordinary person’s perspective. What we can tell you is that the quad setup will give you a speed boost, plus stability that will keep your rails engaged even in critical conditions.
The massive bonus with a board like the Catch Surf Odysea is that it is unbelievably durable, light and small. It’ll travel well while not detracting from your surfing, especially if you adapt to how it rides.
Most of all this board will inject a bit of fun back into your surf life.
Buy one on Surfstitch for under $500.
Conclusion
Don’t get bogged down by using the wrong surfboard for the conditions. While you might mind-surf like Filipe Toledo on small waves, the reality can be shocking. Instead of what might feel like aggressive hacks you are really performing angry man pumps upon small walls of water. Don’t be that guy.
Give your normal shortboard a break and find a fun surfboard to see you through the doldrums. You’ll love what a fun surfboard can do for you and your surfing.
You might even find you like it a little too much, leaving your normal board to gather a layer of dust.