Surfing Waves

Hi everyone.. ive been surfing for 2 years now, im 21 , 6'0, 83 kg and ride a 6'8 shortboard, i m a fitness instructor and keep extremly fit....

When the waves arent crowded i am quiet a good and improving surfer.. However when there is big crowds i cannot get waves... Its become a massive pschychological problem now, and when its crowded you would think i have never surfed in my life.. i cant explain it i just literally go out for 2 hours and get next to no waves.. I can never get furthest in to the wave and feel im always giving way for someone else...

i try to get out back and on the inside but with the big crowds my poor paddling stamina becomes very obvious, and im constantly been swept by currents when the swell gets bigger.. that everyone else doesnt seem to have the same problems with.

So any advise on getting waves in bigger crowds?

And why could my paddling be so poor when i surf a lot and keep very fit in the gym and with cardio/
Any advise would be much appreciated as its sending me mad, as i know how well i can surf when theres only a few people in the water!!!

haha it happens to everybody. Just have to deal with the crowds, and I sometimes get angry myself. I would say, just get as close as you can to the peak, and wait. Or bust some psychological tricks, like acting like your gonna paddle for a wave with a bunch of people around you which makes them want it too, but you actually want the wave coming behind this one. Hahah, that will probably never work, but when it's crowded, it's fun to try.

Gotta admit, it's more stage fright than anything else. I don't wipe out much and preety much catch every wave I try for, but sometimes I am around even better surfers and feel a little stage fright, perfectly natural.

One trick to breaking your psychological block in crowds is to find buddies to surf with, most of the time when around friends I tend to ease up and charge.

Also, unless you are surfing somewhere that only has one peak, there will be different places at every beach that break. Don't go for the most popular, try to find a peak that is less crowded, thus better chance of catching.

Last, 2 years is nothing compared to some of the others in the lineup, they have an edge in placement, paddle speed and overall ability. Your time will come, just relax and try to have fun.

^^^^^^^^
Yup.

Nothing like having a few mates around to get you onto a wave - the determination of dropping in on one of your "best pals" is a great incentive
And if there's enough of you, you can dominate that peak en masse (...but I'd only do that at your local if I were you).

Or go to another peak - better to catch a crappy wave than miss a perfect one.

Paddling uses different muscle groups that just a standard workout won't get to. This is why you tire out so quickly while paddling.

found a strategy that works well... but you'll need at least 2 mates to do it. basically get one mate to take the wave too deep and call everyone else off it, clearing the way for you to take the wave where you are comfortable. meanwhile the next guy paddles in deep to do the same for the guy who just got dumped.

you might be surprised at how long it takes for the line-up to figure it out if you are a bit discreet about it. although like drowning says probably best to keep it to your local.

have done this a few times with more success than you might think. hardest part is staying organised... the more you alternate the longer it'll be before you are figured out.