6 Best Small Wave Surfboards for 2024
Daniel Lofaso
If you’re surfing the small stuff you want a board that will allow you to have fun without sacrificing too much performance. That’s why everyone needs a small wave surfboard in their quiver so that when they pull up to the beach on the 1-2’ days, they can still have a bit of a wiggle.
Coming from Florida, I more or less live on my small wave boards. While I could opt for a foam-friendly retro fish, mid-length, or longboard, I generally like to practice test my reflexes and ability to create speed because its good training for bigger waves. I find this holds true for surfers around the world, albeit with slightly better waves than what we have in Florida.
That said, the boards on this list are catered to top to bottom surfing rather than just the ability to get into small waves easily and cruise down the line. Check out these five small wave surfboards next time you’re in the market for a new stick.
Hypto Krypto by Hayden Shapes
There is a reason why the Hypto Krypto by HS is the best-selling surfboard of all time. We've featured it as a "one-board quiver" because it works in the daily mush, the head-high stuff, and the really heavy stuff as demonstrated famously by Craig Anderson out at Cloudbreak.
It's hard to call a surfboard good for all conditions, but the Hypto Krypto is one of those rare shapes that literally works in all sorts of conditions and the amount of surfers, and sales, fully represent its versatility.
Inferno 72 by Sharpeye
While typically seen in more high-performance small wave surf, this board does lend itself to small waves nonetheless. It's touted as one of the fastest surfboards on the market with proven performance in small to medium-sized conditions. For many, it is their quintessential go-to surfboard for everyday conditions. While we would not recommend it as a groveler due its concave and rocker, it is a surprisingly versatile board that has proven to be one of the most popular shortboard surfboards in the last few years.
See our full review of the Inferno 72.
Bobby Quad by Channel Islands
The Bobby Quad by CI is a small wave machine that provides loads of fun in the mushy stuff. It has sort of a hybrid nose, a fat tail, and fairly relaxed entry and exit rocker, making it something of a step up in progression for beginner surfers and an inviting option for cruisy surfing for intermediate to advanced surfers.
The quad makes it super-fast down the line and the shape- designed to be ridden 3 to 6 inches shorter than your shortboard - makes it fit into the pocket nicely.
Seaside by Firewire
A quad only design, the Seaside is a Rob Machado creation based in part on the popular Go Fish model. Where the Go Fish was skatey and loose, the Seaside is a bit more of a high performance small wave tool. Named after his hometown break Seaside, it’s the sort of an everyday board for everyday waves that can hold its own in more high performance small waves as well.
White Tiger by Pyzel
The White Tiger by Pyzel fits under the categorization of "funformance" according to the shaper.
This has been my go-to board as of late, and I went for a stock design with a touch more volume than I normally ride for our less-than-stellar east coast waves. The board is super fast, paddles nicely due to the upward hip, and still performs like a normal shortboard.
I've heard you can even ride this board as a 2+1 but that is something I've yet to try. Either way, it's my daily driver that I can't really seem to get off of.
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