Volume = Floatation

Why is your surfboard’s volume so important? Because it determines how buoyant the board is. How much you float on your surfboard changes everything: how fast you paddle, how the board turns, how many waves you catch, how the board keeps its speed in weaker waves, etc.

Add volume = You float more

Floating more means you will paddle faster, catch waves faster with less effort, and surf faster down the line.

Too much Volume = You float too much

Once you have enough experience to start doing turns and manoeuvers, you realize that bigger boards are harder to move around. Advanced surfers will find it harder to go from edge to edge on a board that floats too much for their skill level. It makes it difficult to dig a rail in the water when carving.

Not enough volume = Doesn’t float enough

Less foam means slower paddling and surfing. This makes it harder to catch waves. To ride small surfboards, you need the experience to catch waves later, at a steeper stage. Less experienced surfers will lose speed as soon as they surf outside the “sweet spot” (steep area on the waves face that provides more power). Riding a board that doesn’t have enough volume for your weight and skill level will make you look like you surf worse than you do.

Surfboard Volume according to your Weight 

The first factor that is commonly thought of when finding the proper volume for a surfer is the surfers weight. Because volume directly affects your floatation, you need the right volume to provide a proper buoyancy in the water.

Heavier Surfer: More Volume

Lighter Surfer: Less Volume

You can’t only focus on the surfer’s weight when looking for the proper volume. Factors like the skill level and typical conditions surfed in need to be considered.

Surfboard Volume according to your Surfing Level 

Extra volume almost never hurts beginner & intermediate surfers

Without generalizing, it is safe to say that there is a lot more beginner-intermediate surfers that ride boards that do not have enough volume for their experience level, than surfers that ride boards with too much volume. For the first few years of your surfing progression, extra volume practically only has benefits: you catch more waves, paddle faster, surf faster, enjoy more stability and make it through sections to surf waves for longer amounts of time.

Learning on a bigger board forces you to have proper technique when you want to turn your surfboard. Because it is bigger, you really need to think about how you use your upper body and how you transfer your weight around. These are basics that will be useful for the rest of your surfing progression, even when you start riding shortboards.

Small, low volume surfboards are progression’s worst enemy

Smaller surfboards can fool beginner and intermediate surfers, making them feel like they are “easier to turn on”. Small surfboards are easier to trim on. Because they are so small, you can indeed easily switch from rail to rail with your surfboard just by shifting weight to your toes and heels.

There is a world of difference between trimming (going from rail to rail) and carving (doing stylish and often accentuated turns on the face of the wave). It can take 2 minutes to learn how to trim, but it could take more than a few years to learn how to carve with decent technique. To carve, you need speed, experience, timing, proper positioning on the wave, proper upper body movement, etc. These are all things beginners and intermediates need to practise on a bigger surfboard that helps them generate speed with control. Riding a surfboard that doesn’t have enough volume for you can slow your progression down probably more than any other factor.