Take a couple more paddles before you try getting up. Start paddling a bit earlier but not so early they overtake you and land on you.

Thanks gents,appreciate it.

I thought this was going to be a bamboo (or similar) board thread

Two things that might help.

Remember your using gravity to surf its not just the wave pushing you, the wave lifts you and you slide back down the face due to gravity.
With that in mind you need to make sure that the wave is actually steep enough that you will actually slide down the face.

So.. sit a bit further in, you will cop a few on the head but you will probably catch more.

And as others have said paddle for them early and HARD, you will show other surfers that the wave is yours and you will be far more likely to make the take off. if its a steep take off your far better off being in the middle of the wave than caught at the top.

<shrug/>

It's the truth.

Don't need to always be a yes man.

If OP wants to make an improvement (at anything), do it more often. If (s)he wants to be really good, start as a kid. Others have said on other forums (and it's true) that kids get smashed all the time and don't care, they go out in packs and peer pressure each other into waves they shouldn't, they have raging testosterone, they have no fear, they go every day even when it sucks, etc. Adults don't like these things, there's ego and things at play and time constraints and they're more conservative.

Here's a tip OP - go bodysurfing. Can you catch "green waves" bodysurfing? I mean proper treading water/swimming bodysurfing, not standing on a sandbank and pushing off. Think about what you need to do to do so.

Thanks for the advice everyone. I'm not looking to be a gun surfer and perhaps I should've posted on the longboarders page. Im just looking to be able to ride small waves.
Just a couple basic turns to keep me in right part of the waves on my chunky 8' board.
Im not interested in surfing breaks where you need to have started as a young surfer.

Great advice here....you are not too old, I learned at 56. Sure it took me a year before I even got up. Surfing is the most difficult sport to learn before you get your first ride....but the buzz is immense. It's all about effort mate.