I have been thinking of getting a fish style shortboard but am unsure of a good size. I used to surf a 6'4 surfboard in my younger days (25 years ago).I been back into surfing for about a year now and have a 9'6 longboard but want something smaller faster and can be duck dived but I'm unsure of a good size. I'm 5'8 and weigh 80kgs and mainly surf on the Sunshine Coast

Yes, MickPC is spot on with his recommendations. I'm the same height as you and 76Kg. Currently riding a Mark Richards Puffer 5. 5'10 at 34 L volume. I'm finding this a great board for everyday Gold Coast beachies. I could possibly even go a bit lower in volume but if you're coming off a 9'6 and being a bit heavier than me, you might want to go with the higher end of Mick's range or else you'll get frustrated missing waves. Also, unless you want to get up on the nose, don't get sucked into those round nose short hybrids. They'll just make duck diving harder. You want the width, thickness and volume under your chest and belly with a thinned out nose and tail. A bit of width in the tail will also help with catching waves. As you probably know, everything is a compromise. You gain a bit here and lose a bit there. It's trying to sort out the right set of compromises for you that counts and that changes over time. That's why most of us are on the never ending quest for the perfect board.
I'm not sure if MR has got a distributor on the Sunny coast but he has a wide range of "fish" style boards on his website.

markrichardssurfboards.com/

Was looking at eBay etc and was thinking of something like a Bushman Pancho Sullivan model, 6'3".Anyone tried one of these

Below dimensions seem to match secondhand boards on gumtree

SURFTECH Bushman Pancho Swallow Tail 6'3

6'3 PANCHO SULLIVAN - Pancho's small wave magic carpet. The 6'3 has a fuller outline and rails for better paddling power and single to double concave to generate speed in small surf. LENGTH: 6'3 190.50 cm NOSE: 13 33.02 cm MID: 20.25 51.43 cm TAIL: 16 40.64 cm THICK: 2.38 6.05 cm VOLUME: 36L FINS: FCS

I don't live there but have surfed there a bit, I would definitely be looking at one of those round nose mini mal shapes. The board I have left over there is from TheSurfboardWarehouse. Goes great and was a third of the price I pay for my local customs after I got it in a sale.

The one over there is a 7'6", but I also have a 6'10" I bought back to WA. I'm 94kgs though so all my boards are chunky.

The 7'6" is really very flickable and if I didn't have so many boards I would order one for here. A mate has the same board and loves it in SW waves.

mitchbat said..
I reckon you'll be struggling on the Bushman. It's definitely not aimed at beginners and bear in mind that small waves for pancho might still be overhead and super powerful. Look for something with some more width in the nose (perhaps like a fish which this thing is not) or even better go and have a chat with your local shaper. It's a massive step from a 9'6 to a 6'3 and the wrong board could ruin your comeback. If bucks are an issue maybe have a look around for a second hand Miller www.grantmillersurfboards.com.au/boards/waterskate

Second that- millers are great boards.