I find that a greenland paddle works well for surfing. I do use a wider blade, 3 7/8", for surfing and narrower blades for cruising. I can get a better acceleration and stronger braces with the wider blade. I catch any wave that a paddler using a euro paddle catches. Extending the paddle for rudder braces is very effective and it can also gives you a very strong sweep stroke for fast turning. It's more about which paddle your comfortable and skilled with than which will work better.