Duck diving on a rounded nose

[spabo]

Sorry if this is in the wrong sub-forum, wasnt sure where my question would classify under.

Anyways, i recently picked up a 5"8' quad-fin fish with a rounded nose. Pretty much longboard nose on a fish. I figured this would be the perfect board to transition into a shortboard. Anyways, i took it out today and i immediately realized that my board was ridiculously buoyant. A set rolls in and im on the inside, and i begin to get pounded. I cant really push my nose under water and even then, im having trouble kicking the tail down. It doesnt help that i still am not great at duck diving on a regular shortboard.

Really, how do i deal with this? I got one good ride on it today, but a majority of my time was spent trying to navigate the blown out conditions.

[tony g]

Hello spabo,
If you use good technique duck diving, it is surprising how buyout a surfboard you can still get under the waves with. I would try to watch some how to videos and also practice a lot. If you can get one of your bros to video tape you while duck diving this can help a lot. Have them use a water camera like a gopro, or similar. It is easy to find your mistakes when you watch it. If not upload your video and someone from this forum will be able to tell what you are doing wrong. Good luck!

[drowningbitbybit]

A rounded-nose fish will always be trickier than a shortboard, partly because of the volume and partly because of the shape.
Assuming you can actually sink it, you might find it helps to keep it flatter (while underwater) for longer, before you shunt it back to the surface. The round nose will catch all the current behind the wave and get pulled backward that a sharp nose would just cut through.

So, perhaps counter-intuitively, do a slower duckdive and keep it under the water for longer.

[dtc]

As a longboarder I have no idea, but

- angle the board as push it under ie push one edge under the water first, then straighten the board when under the water, rather than just push the nose straight down

- turtle roll...

[Bali Surf]

Years ago when I first started surfing I struggled quite a bit with duck diving. I remember what an ass I felt like getting pushed back while my friends paddled into the line up.

What helped? I got a ridiculously small surfboard. This thing was a potato chip. I couldn't surf on it at the time. It was so light, it was very easy to duck dive and it allowed me to get a good feel for the whole process. Really, it only took one session with this thing. When I went back to my bigger board, I knew the motion.

Here's where you come in. Soon, I was able to duck dive a 7'6" hybrid fun board. It's shaped like a long board with a really fat nose, just a little shorter. I think if you can just get the feel for it by borrowing a buddy's short board just for one session, it should be enough to do the trick. Give it a try.

[IB_Surfer]

I have a 3 inch thick epoxy fish, that one is hard to duckdive, but I can. It doesn't go down that far, almost none at all, but it does go under. What happens with the bigger thicker boards is that they don't as far under, so you have to just duck as far as possible. Do I get pushed back? Yeah, some, but I still get out. However, when I lend it to my begginer buddies they can't duck dive either, so they get pushed WAY back.

So, some tips, but that is all they are:

1) paddle your arse off!! No matter what, paddle as fast as you can towards the coming wave. After you duckdive, even if you end up getting pushed around, start paddling as soon as possible. Getting some momentum is key, since you are duckdiving just a few inches you need to end up as far behind the wae as possible

2) Push the tail down: Most begginers think it's about getting the nose down, but it's about getting the board down and horizontal so the wave rolls over you. So duck down the nose then push on the tail. On my shortie I use my foot, on my fish I use my knee on the stomp pad. Either way, get your board horizontal.

3) It's normal! Big board don't duck dive easily, but all surfers get it done somehow, so will you with practcie.

[hit_the_lip]

It's a give and take. Which would you rather have? A board that duckdives very easy and you can push it super far down, or a board with volume that is harder to duckdive, but catches waves easier? For me, I have thicker meatier fishes for smaller days that aren't easy to duckdive. Like mathteach, my fishes are 3" inches thick, and not super easy to duck. But I don't want them to be, they are for small waves, and they should have volume. My fishes are for wave catching and paddling. Conversely, my thrusters are easier to duckdive, but they are for good waves, and I only surf them in good waves. I want them to be easier to duckdive, they are for maneuvers and turns, and I want a board thats easier to duck on bigger days so I can get out the back easier.

So it's kind of a catch 22. Harder to duck (bigger board), easier to catch waves and easier to paddle. Easier to duck (smaller volume board) for good wave days.

[IB_Surfer]

My fishes are for wave catching and paddling. Conversely, my thrusters are easier to duckdive, but they are for good waves, and I only surf them in good waves. I want them to be easier to duckdive, they are for maneuvers and turns, and I want a board thats easier to duck on bigger days so I can get out the back easier.

Ditto!!