When choosing what kind of board you are going to buy a question you are going to want to ask yourself is, “What kind of tail do I want on my board?”
Surfboards come with all kinds of tails. Square, Squash, Diamond, Fish, Swallow, Bat, Pin, Thumb, Moon, and the list goes on. These are the main types of tails you will see in a lineup but with innovation you might see tails you never imagined popping up anytime. So to help you better understand what kind of tail you should have on your next board we will cover the top 5 most common tails and what purpose they server.
Square tail:
Square tails were the most common type of tail you would find on a surfboard years ago. Square tails allow you to have more area in the back of your board which provides better stability and drive in your surfing. A new trend in surfboards is to make them shorter, wider and thicker and a square tail allows you to put more foam in the back of your board. This also makes them great for smaller waves.
Squash tail:
Squash tails are what you will find on most boards. They look just like their name. If you were to take a pin tail and squash it, you would end up with a squash tail, (don’t try squashing your pin tail to get a squash, that isn’t how it works, just how it looks). Squash tails are very similar to square tails but allow you to have a little more release in your turns. Since the corners are rounded off you have less foam to push through the water as you turn. This is a very common shape for 3 fin shortboards and can be surfed in small – medium+ surf. If you are buying your first shortboard, a sqush tail is a great choice.
Round tail:
Round tails are the next step after squash. Pretty much if you took a square tail and sanded the corners you would get a squash tail. If you kept sanding you would get a round tail. With each step you get smoother, looser turns. Again the reason being you have less foam to push and throw around on the wave. Rounded tails are a lot looser and can be wobbly for a beginner. A big advantage for round pins is staying in the pocket on hollow waves. These tails are found on boards used in more advanced surf.
Pin tail:
Pin tails are used for big waves. These are the boards you see out at Waimea, Mavericks, Sunset and other big wave spots around the words. Traditionally they had a single fin but they now make pin tail boards with 3 fins and even quads. The narrow pin tail allows you to hold in the large waves.
Fish/swallow tail:
Fish tail surfboards were a thing of the past but have take off again as of late. Fish tails are usually found on shorter, wider boards with a lot of foam and are a large cut up the middle making the tail look like that of a fish. They are super fun in small waves. They have either a twin fin or quad fin setup. Swallow tails are similar but just don’t have as big of a cut up the middle of the board. The cut is usually only an inch and this is again just another way to get rid of some foam in the tail allowing you to push through water easier.
San Onofre, just south of the world famous Lower Trestles, could be the best place to learn to surf on the whole West Coast. It’s comparable to Waikiki in Hawaii. Each day of the year there are hundreds of longboarders out on the slow and crumbly waves offered at San Onofre State Beach. The bottom is made up of cobblestones just like its neighbor, Trestles, but the waves break much differently, making it a perfect place to learn. The crowd is usually friendly, and you will see multiple surfers dropping in on every wave, riding into shore together.
Bolinas offers several spots to surf, the two main ones being The Patch and The Jetty. The Patch breaks on Duxbury Reef creating slow moving longboard waves. It is a great spot to learn to surf, one of the best in the region. It’s usually crowded with other longboarders and beginners going out for the first time. It’s also one of the most popular spots to take surf lessons in Northern California.
Surfing is possibly more popular in Santa Cruz than anywhere else on the West Coast. If you are going to be in Santa Cruz then you have to take a shot at surfing, and Cowells it the place to do it. Cowells is a slow-rolling right point-break that breaks over a sand bottom. It can be very crowded with beginners, which is what you want when you are learning for the first time. The paddle out is easy, and of course, lessons are readily available from local surf shops in the area.
The beaches in Santa Monica are known for their slow moving beginner waves. The slightly sloping sandy bottoms create crumbly longboard waves that are great to learn to surf on. This also might be one of the easiest places around to find surf lessons. Then once you start getting the hang of it, Malibu is right up the road, a great spot to paddle out with your newly developed surfing skills.
Doheny is the only break left in an area that once was home to Killer Dana, a famous high performance right-hand point break. The Dana Point Harbor was built and the jetties and breakwaters destroyed the wave. Now it is a super mushy wave that is frequented by longboarders and people who are going to learn to surf for the first time. You wont get into any trouble here for dropping in on the same wave as others or looking like you have no idea what you are doing.
If Kelly Slater learned to surf here, then obviously something must be special about the place. Cocoa Beach can get pretty crowded, but it’s mostly with tourists, so its not like you have to deal with a crowd of wave-hungry locals. Most of the year the waves are great for beginners to get some rides in. The vibe in the water is friendly and welcoming, the bottom is soft and sandy, the water is warm, and the waves are usually gentle. This is one of your best bets for learning to surf on the east coast.
Everyone who knows anything about surfing on the East Coast knows that the Outer Banks are the place to be. Waves can become incredibly perfect here with the right conditions and a solid hurricane swell. Corolla Beach, located on the north end of the Outer Banks, gets as good as almost anywhere on the east coast, but most of the time it is just a great spot for surfers of all ability levels. The summer months are warm, both in the water and in the air, and the waves are great for beginners.
One of the coolest surf towns in New Jersey, Sea Isle City offers a great stretch of coastline with surf spots all over the place to help thin the crowds. The beach breaks here are plentiful and perfect for beginners, offering up small, crumbly waves most of the year. The water temperature can actually get pretty warm in the summertime, making learning a much more pleasant experience. It’s also easy to find private and group surf lessons and rentals here, often taught by local pros.
One of the best places to learn to surf in Florida, St. Augustine Beach takes in any swell that’s out there are breaks over a sand bottom. You can find people of all ability levels, riding every type of surfboard at St. Augustine. Although there can be a ton of people out, the crowds stays pretty spread out over the coastline and has a mellow vibe, which is a perfect situation for beginners and first timers.
We know there are a lot of New Yorkers out there who want to learn to surf, so we have to include a break in New York, and there is probably no better place than here for beginning surfers on Long Island. New York doesn’t usually come to mind as a major surf destination, but there have been some incredible surfer’s emerging out of the state in recent years. These guys learned not only how to surf here, but how to become major contenders in the surfing world, so there are definitely opportunities to get in the water and learn to surf. During summer this surf spot provides perfect conditions for beginners: small waves and sandy beaches.
Ronnie 
Some of my favorite fins to put on my boards back home in California are the Vector II FSG Fins by 
Because of this I have found these fins to be really good for places like Trestles, where the wave is slow, but really rippable. I find these fins are easier to break free while trying to throw some tail compared to the stock fins that come with most boards. They were a nice upgrade for me, making surfing in California a bit more fun. The only embarrassing thing is the 
Recently I was reminded of a surf film premier I attended last fall on the North Shore of Hawaii in Haleiwa. This particular surf film entitled, One Track Mind, was another amazing 16mm creation directed by Chris Malloy and produced by Woodshed Films. The title does a great job of explaining what the whole surf film is about because professional athletes in any sport have a one-track mind focused on their passion for the sport they represent. Surfing is not the exception; in fact I would even venture out to say that surfers are the epitome of one-track minded people seeing as surfing is somewhat a lifestyle.
Of course my favorite will always be pin, but I’m a lil biased.
Thanks for useful article!
Different tail shapes?! Yes, rightly elaborating the types and their specific uses are of immense help!! We crave for more. May be environmental friendly surfboards or anything about surfing is welcome!
-Wavetribe.com