You did the right thing. It’s more of an awareness issue. It was also slightly onshore which makes it harder. You did well to get around that section

I simply let the board roll on its own and see how high it goes. Then that is the hight of the first line. Then if you add compression and extension you should easily pass that hight.

There is nothing official. Here in Australia we’re it’s busy if we rock up with 10 people there would be some unhappy people in the water. Small groups under the radar work better

Pools are fantastic fun so practice and play ie you get the same waves as the best surfer in the session. The ocean is a different story. You need to work on patterns to identify good vs bad and the skills to earn them.

What G said. You are over doing the compression and extension and it will make the board feel wobbly. You are also not really going any higher. Draw a chalk line and match your energy and technique to the line you need/want to take

Absolutely fine.

Stoked. So simple and it works

Take the time to take a breath before the pop up and see if it’s. Good luck wave. This is also probably a positioning issue

Great advice

Thanks G