Surfing Waves

I'm currently having a problem with loss of speed after a bottom turn. I'm currently on an 6'4 NSP Fish (great slug of a thing) and I always get so close to being able to make a snap or cutback but end up wiping as I run out of speed. I think possible this may be to do with the type of board I have as it's very slow and heavy and so I have been looking at some other boards to help me get to the next level. I have so far tried a 6'0 Chilli STEPdown which I loved and I think that if the waves had have been bigger the day I hired it I would have been able to make the snap. I think I will definitely get a new board soon but I would like some advice on how to gain more speed or do better bottom turns to help me get back up the wave. Thanks

Hello SnowyWoofnix,
Sometimes a bottom turn is not needed, it really depends on the wave. Getting out into the flats can cause you to lose speed quickly when the waves do not have much substance. I try to work the top third of the wave to get speed. You will also need to learn to pump your board on the open face of the wave and then you should have no problem getting enough speed to do a cutback, or hard snap off the lip.
Remember also to not out run the wave, as that may cause you to lose speed. You have to learn to time your cut back, or snap to happen before you slow down. start your turn high on the wave so you will be accelerating through the turn. I also try to keep some rail in the wave for round house cutbacks to keep your speed flowing. Try not to stomp on the tail to hard, or you will be applying the breaks. Good luck and practice hard! A higher performance board may also help depending on your surfing ability.

Thanks Tony g, I'll try pumping next sesh. I also think I need to angle a bit more.

SnowyWoofnix wrote: I would like some advice on how to gain more speed or do better bottom turns to help me get back up the wave. Thanks

You are asking two totally diffent questions.

Speed: Specific to your fish, to gain more speed try a small center fin or replace all three fins with the next smaller size. Most fishes come with size 7 fins, which drag, but on purpose to allow more hold. You will get a little more slide but unless you are a begginer you should be able to adjust.

Bottom Turns: Do you have a stomp pad? If so, is your back foot on it? If not get one. Fishes have boxier rails so it's harder to pivot a turn, unlike a shortboard when you can turn it on a dime, so having your foot over the center fin is crucial, which having a stomp pad usually corrects for most begginers.

Hope that helps

Snowy I had the same problem a while back . For me I found that looking ahead to what I was going to do rather then concentrating on what I was doing fixed the problem eg. When doing the bottom turn looking up at the wave face and thinking about where and how I was going to cutback while I am in my bottom turn , rather than going into the cutback and thinking of what I am going to do then , hope that makes sense . It tends to make the whole thing flow so preventing loss of speed , for me anyway .

As for the board when I 1st surfed my WMD fish I was really frustrated and thought the board would not turn . The maths teacher is right if you get your foot back over the stomp pad they go pretty well . Fish boards are pretty common here due to the surf being pretty lumpy have seen kids doing 360 s on NSP fish boards so it can be done .

Need speed coming off the bottom? Use a twinzer. Twinzers are meant to be surfed top to bottom. 6'4" is slightly big for a fish. You cant go wrong with a al merrick squash thruster. Most of the time I am bottom turning to hit the lip as hard as I flipping can. Use your legs unwait accordingly use hand across the face of the wave and get down low adjust accoardingly to flow of the water. I don't know what wave you are surfing. sometimes I need to unweight fast and hard off the bottom and sometimes my bottom turns have more flow and soul. When I bottom turn slow with soul it is because I'm looking for a long barrel or to pass a large section that is shutting down. But ya twinzers. A twinzer dosnt need to be on a fish. 6'1-6'10" rounded pin twinzer will provide more speed off the bottom than almost any board out there.
I'm not a twinzer freak. Its just a fact.