For joy and fun.
Rule 1 : If it isn't fun anymore, get out of the water (everyone will appreciate it).
Is surfing fun?
Yes. There's nothing more improbable than standing up on a stiff board and trying to steer it with your feet through a collapsing gyre of water. And it's amazing that we've evolved so far that we can actually learn to do it. And when you do it right, you feel like one heck of a monkey.
I'm a little nervous, what should I expect?
If you aren't living in the tropics, the water will be cold. You'll want to wear a wet suit. Today's wet suits are excellent and aside from an initial damp seepy feeling as you wade into the water, within a minute you'll be comfortable and warm. Unless you've decided to lurn to surf in the dead of winter.
What about... falling?
You are going to fall in the water. Your head will go under. Depending on how big a wave you fall on, it'll be like falling into a cross between a cement mixer and fast flowing river. Waves are pretty powerful, even the small ones. Medium size ones can act like Sumo Wrestler stomping his feet, picking you up, and slamming you down. However, you're going to learn to surf on those little 1 to 2 feet waves, right? Not in those big Sumo Wrestler waves, right? Generally, surfing is a shallow water sport. So after you fall, wait a few seconds for the bubbling and pushy water to stop, and stand up when you need some air.
Is surfing hard?
Ah, there's no way around this. Surfing takes practises, in big doses. It takes months and years to get good. It takes weeks to master fundamentals. The ocean is a weird, sometimes chaotic environment to the newcomer. You have to learn how waves behave. You have to learn what your surfboard can do. You have to learn the skills of catching a wave, standing up, riding and judging bulging tumbling water. The answer : No, learning to surf isn't hard, it's fun. It just takes time.
Helpful, But Lame Advice #1 : Watch other surfers who know how to surf, figure out what they're doing. Do it yourself.
Helpful, Non-Lame Advice #1 : Taking a couple of lessons with an expereinced surfing instructor can save you a year of pain.
What kind of surfboard?
A long one. Beginners need a long board. A longboard is between 8 to 10 feet long. of course, you tempted by those pointed, streamline arrow-shaped boards that all the great surfers are slicing and carving up the ocean with like men swinging chain saws. They're all on 6 to 7 feet, three-finned shortboards, called thrusters, so why not you? Yeah, why not you?
Because you're a beginner. Those short little boards are shaped for manoeuverability, which fits into the highly technical nomenclature of being "squirrely". That means it's tippy, turns fast, accelerates, and requires great skill to control. Does that sound like your kind of board? (Before you answer that, remember, you're a beginner. You're what all those champion surfers will be laughing at if you chose a shortboard).
A longboard is easy to paddle, catches waves easier, catching waves ealier giving you more time to stand up, is a long smooth-riding wing that gives you a stable platform to stand on, rides well on small or big waves, turns slow, is forgiving of a moderate mis-step, and you'll be getting up and surfing it within an hour.
With a shortboard, you'll be getting up and surfing it within a year.