Hi all,

Im an absolute beginner to SUP (have had 1 lesson) and really love it ... I'm looking to buy a board and one for my partner as well.Some info on us:
47 yrs old
170cm
78kgs
no water sports background thats worth mentioning.

my partner:
36 yrs old
168cm
61kgs
no waters sports background apart from swimming (pool)

We both would start off by spending a lot of time in the flat water / lakes in and around the Wollongong area to gain confidence and then slowly start to get into some more choppy stuff, eventually into the ocean and attempt to surf some small waves ... hopefully.

As someone who is brand new to the sport there is really loads of different boards available and its really tough to make an informed decision so I am hoping that some of you would be willing to pass on some of your knowledge, experience and advice. Its a jungle out there.

We would both like a board (a board each) that can be used in flat water but also out in the ocean and some small swell / waves .. we don't want a board that we will grow out of in 6 months but also we understand if its too advanced then it will make it very hard to actually learn the basics .. and if too advanced then we may not enjoy it and usually when that happens, you stop doing that activity.

Ive been looking at the following and maybe some of you have some 1st hand experience or at least a mate who has owned one and can give some feedback on.

ECS EVO 10' x 31 x 4.5 (162L) - ecsboards-australia.com.au/collections/sup-boards/products/evo-blue
ECS Wideboy 9.5 x 32 x 4-7/16 (156L) - ecsboards-australia.com.au/collections/sup-boards/products/wideboy-bamboo-construction
SUNS Cruise 9.8 x 32 (168L) - standupsurfshop.com.au/boards/suns-sup/suns-cruise-9-8-x-32-package-adjustable-paddle.html
Sunova One Eco Tec 9.5 x 32 (160L) - https://standupsurfshop.com.au/boards/sunova-sup/sunova-one-eco-tec-9-5-x-32.html

Any comments or other suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Budget is stretched out to about $1500 (each board / package)

Cheers
Grant