Surf Guide • Famara since 2010 Only days when you are on the wrong board. The same waist-high wave at Famara is a great session on one board and a frustrating hour of missed take-offs on another, and the difference is almost never the brand painted on the deck. There are thousands of shapes on the market and every one of them promises to make you better. This page cuts that down to the three numbers that actually matter — volume, length and outline — and tells you what each of them does in the water. Lessons every day of the year in Famara since 2010 · usually up to 5 students per instructor · video analysis on 4-hour courses · lessons in English and Spanish · 4.8 Google · 4.9 Tripadvisor Surf lesson 2 h from €50 · 4 h from €70 · Surf Camp with accommodation from €229 / 3 nights Length is what beginners ask about and volume is what actually decides whether you catch waves. Volume, measured in litres, is the total float of the board: how much of your body weight it carries and therefore how early it starts moving when a wave lifts it. Two boards can both be 7 feet long and behave completely differently because one holds 45 litres and the other 32. The rule of thumb our instructors use is simple. A complete beginner wants roughly one litre per kilo of body weight. As paddling strength and wave reading improve, that ratio drops. An advanced surfer on a shortboard is riding something close to 0.4 litres per kilo, which is why a board that looks effortless under a good surfer is unridable for everyone else. Read the row for your weight, then pick the column that honestly describes you — not the one you would like to describe you. If you are between two columns, take the bigger number. Nobody ever regretted an extra three litres on a small day; plenty of people have spent a week paddling behind waves because they bought a board two columns to the right. Most people who ask us what board to buy belong in the first three rows of that table, not the last two. A complete beginner of normal build wants a full soft board; someone already standing up, or simply heavy enough to need the extra float, is better off on a soft-top with an epoxy core; and the funboard is what you graduate onto. The jump from foam straight to a shortboard is the most common mistake we see on this beach, and it usually costs a year of progress. A full soft board and a soft-top are not the same thing. The full soft board is soft all the way through and stays the standard school board for an adult of normal size and weight. The soft-top has an epoxy core under a soft skin: quicker, stiffer, and the sensible choice when a beginner needs a very large board or is heavy enough that a pure foamie goes spongy under them. For a first hard board on a beach with sand bottom and a lot of travel in the boot of a rental car, epoxy is the sensible answer: it takes knocks, it floats well and it survives the flight home. Polyester feels better in powerful, clean waves, which is why most surfers end up owning both. Not ready to commit to a shape? Rent a board in Famara for a couple of days and ride two or three of them back to back — it teaches you more than any chart. Our shop Famara Power carries softboards, epoxy funboards, Ocean & Earth and boards shaped here on the island by JFB. Playa de Famara is a six-kilometre sand beach. The waves break far out, roll for a long way and are usually waist to head high, with wind picking up through the afternoon. That combination rewards float and length and punishes thin, narrow boards. In practice: if you are in your first season, a soft-top or a 7'6" funboard will give you five times more waves than anything shorter. If you can already trim along the face, a 6'8" to 7'2" mid-length is the board you will use most days of the year here. Keep the shortboard for the clean mornings and the reefs — the Lanzarote spot guide says which spots those are and when they work. Two more pages worth reading before you buy: surfboard design explains what the rocker, tail and fins do once the volume is right, and fitness for surfing covers the paddling strength that lets you drop a few litres in the first place. Still not sure which column you belong in? Book a surf lesson and ask the coach in the water — after two hours next to you, an instructor can size your board better than any calculator. Complete beginners start with the beginner course, board included. I spent about a week taking surf lessons! I have nothing but positive things to say about this experience! The instructors are very patient and knowledgeable, they're right there with you in the water, they give you real-time feedback, and they support you every step of the way to give you the best advice! The instructors are very kind and always have a smile on their faces. I highly recommend them; you'll leave with a smile! 3rd visit here, this time for the kids. Great lessons again from people who teach well. Sent my son on the intermediate lessons, had him taking off in some big swell, huge boost to confidence Excellent service from the lady who works there! We rented boards and the experience was fantastic!! Definitely recommend to anyone who is visiting! What an amazing and unforgettable experience\! 🌊🏄♂️ My 9\-year\-old son took just two surfing lessons, and we were absolutely thrilled with the results\! The instructor was incredibly friendly, patient, encouraging, and supportive\. He really helped my son build his confidence, and after only two lessons, he managed to surf on his own\! Absolutely amazing\! I highly recommend booking a lesson here, especially for children\. Thank you so much for this wonderful experience and the beautiful memories\. We will definitely be back\! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Absolutely perfect experience for my 10 year old son and 14 year old nephew. They learned a lot and had a wonderful time. Everyone at Red Star is great to interact with, and the instructors are great with kids. We will definitely be back for more lessons in the future. Highly recommend! The guys at RSS gave us a great week of surfing and fun in Famara. We were a group of 8 people, staying in their accomodation and taking the half day and full day surf lessons in their school. They divide everyone into groups based on their level and give so much attention to everyone. The progression can really be felt each day. Amazing team !!!! Thank you so much for the amazing surf lesson! It was my very first time surfing, and I had such a great experience. You made us feel welcome and helped us enjoy every moment. We’ll definitely remember it! 🌊🏄 We had such a great experience today! My sister and I took a surf lesson and absolutely loved it. The instructors were super friendly, patient and really good at explaining everything. We felt very comfortable and had so much fun during the lesson. We would definitely recommend this surf school to anyone looking for a fun and enjoyable surf experience! "The teachers are very nice, there is good teaching methodology that respects everyone's pace and there's no pressure. Thank you very much to Mariano for his good mood and for allowing me to finish the courses on a success. I can't wait to come back." We booked on to a two day course and could not fault the quality of the instructors across the days we were there. You cannot fault the scenary when out surfing with Famara cliffs in the background! We really appreciated the community vibes this surf school had created which made our trip highly memorable. We had a 2-hour lesson with the Red Star Surf guys on Friday and it was fantastic! We were surfing for the first time and the guys did a great job of getting us up on the boards and going on our first day. They were also very safety conscious. Would definitely go to them again. Take your body weight in kilos and look for roughly the same number in litres of volume. For most adults that means a soft-top or funboard between 7 feet and 8 feet 6, wide and thick rather than long and thin. Length matters far less than the litres. Soft-top, without question. It floats more, it forgives bad technique and it will not open your head when the wave throws it back at you. Every school on this beach teaches on foam for exactly those reasons. When you are consistently catching unbroken waves on your own, taking off on the shoulder and turning along the face. Not when you can stand up — standing up is the beginning, not the end. Epoxy. It is lighter, it floats better at the same dimensions and it survives travel and beach knocks far better. Polyester feels smoother in clean, powerful waves, which matters later, not now. A mid-length between 6 feet 8 and 7 feet 2 comes closest. It works in the small summer waves, it still holds on a solid autumn day, and it is the board most of our staff reach for when conditions are average. Rent for your first trips. Boards are expensive, awkward to fly with and easy to outgrow in one season. Once you know which shape you keep reaching for, buy that one. Surfboard Design · Fitness for Surfing · Surfing Etiquette · Surfing Lanzarote
Choosing Your SurfboardVolume · Length · Shape
The one piece of equipment that decides your session
There are no bad days in the ocean
Ready to try it in the water?
Start with volume, not length
Surfboard volume by body weight
Your weight
First waves (soft-top)
Improver (funboard)
Intermediate (mid-length)
Advanced (shortboard)
50 kg
48–55 L
36–42 L
26–31 L
19–22 L
60 kg
58–66 L
43–50 L
31–37 L
23–27 L
70 kg
68–77 L
50–58 L
36–43 L
27–31 L
80 kg
78–88 L
58–66 L
41–49 L
31–36 L
90 kg
88–99 L
65–74 L
46–55 L
35–40 L
100 kg
98–110 L
73–82 L
51–61 L
38–44 L
Board types, and who each one is for
Type
Typical length
Volume feel
Best for
At Famara
Full soft board
6'0" – 9'0"
Very high
Your first waves and anyone still learning to stand up; the 6' and 6'6" sizes are the kids' boards
Soft through and through — this is what every school here teaches on, ours included
Soft-top (epoxy core, soft deck)
6'0" – 9'0"
High to very high
Beginners who already get to their feet, and heavier surfers who need real float
Stiffer and faster than a full foamie, and the right answer when a complete beginner needs a genuinely big board
Funboard / mini-malibu
6'8" – 7'6"
High
The all-rounder — improvers through to intermediate and advanced surfers
The board most of our staff pick up when the swell is ordinary
Longboard
8'6" – 9'6"
Very high
Small, soft, slow waves and a smooth style
Perfect on summer mornings when the swell is knee to waist high
Fish / groveler
5'4" – 6'2"
Medium
Intermediates who want speed in weak waves
Great for the small, mushy days that make up half the year
Shortboard
5'8" – 6'4"
Low
Surfers already making late drops and turning on the face
Only worth it on clean, punchy days — the reefs, not the beach on a windy afternoon
Construction: what the board is made of
Construction
Weight
Durability
Feel
Price
Full soft board (soft blank and deck)
Heavy
Very high
Slow, safe, extremely floaty
Low
Soft-top (epoxy core, soft skin)
Medium
High
Livelier and quicker than full foam, still forgiving underfoot
Medium
PU / polyester
Medium
Medium — dents and snaps
Classic, smooth, absorbs chop
Medium
Epoxy / EPS
Light
High
Lively and fast, skips on chop
Medium to high
Carbon or composite
Very light
High
Stiff and responsive, unforgiving
High
What to ride at Famara
Relaxed atmosphere, good waves and a really good time. Thanks to the entire team, we'll be coming back soon!🤙☀️🌊
Unbelievable spot !!!
Wonderful housing in the beach house !
A treasure !
Want to come back asap to learn more from Gerry, Umberto et Mariano !
Best classes ever !
Will never forget : Stance ! Balance!
Positioning ! Timing ! Looking where I wanna go !
Gerry, I swear I won’t lie to myself
Thanks mates
See you soonFrequently asked questions
What size surfboard should a beginner get?
Is it better to learn on a soft-top or a hard board?
When should I move to a shorter board?
Epoxy or polyester for a first board?
Can I use one board for everything on Lanzarote?
Should I buy a board or rent one?
Continue the guide
Written by local instructorsUpdated September 2026
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