Surfing Waves

So I have a swell coming this weekend. I am used to surf 2 foot waves. I know this isn't big to most of you guys but is going to be like 4-5ft. I have a fear of going out in these conditions. Any tips for helping me overcome this?


Also any tips for paddling out on a longboard. I live on the east coast in New Jersey. There are no channels or anything and it's byr hard to be out with short period swells. I need tips, it gets frustrating.

Thanks

If you're used to 2ft, then you're probably not ready for 5ft

Don't make big jumps in the size swell you go out in - it'll come as an unpleasant shock, and the ocean always wins. So either sit this one out, or find a spot that's very sheltered and only 2-3ft. Pretty much everyone gets scared in big surf at first, and everyone works there way up slowly.

I'm no big-wave hero, and it's been big here this week... and I was happy to sit it out (well, sort of). Know your limits in the ocean!
A little bit of trepidation is okay before you head out, but actually being scared means you're not ready yet.


So find a smaller spot (behind a headland, inside a rivermouth, or at a beach facing in the "wrong" direction) and push it a little bit at a time. Go out there with friends. Make sure you've got plenty of energy left to paddle back in again. And finally...
When that big set comes through and you're in the right spot for it... commit. Really commit. Surfing bigger waves always goes much better when you really, really go for it.
No limp paddling and "hoping the waves takes you" now!

I am trying to imagine a break where it closes out all along the entire wave and then you are going to surf that? Perhaps it isn't a good wave to surf? Any time you are going out spend some time on the beach just looking at the ocean. The swells peak and break in spots and not in other spots. watch the movement of the water look for currents that could help or hinder you and formulate a map in your mind how you are going to avoid getting in the way of the waves on your way out. I will walk 50 yards down the beach from a break to find a quicker entry into the surf rather than paddle out through the breaking waves if they are big enough. I try to find the shortest distance through the surf and usually what that means is going through shorebreak. I try to walk my board out since my legs hold me in position better till I get closer to the breaking waves. I have several methods I use to hold my board depending on what the wave is doing but I wait till there taking waves on the head until there is a break in the surf and then paddle out quickly before the next set comes in. If there are multiple peaks I try to go between them so I don't get hit by the strongest part of the wave. Really where all that comes in most handy is after I catch a wave and have to paddle back out. Fortunately for me when the waves are big there is a strong side current that takes me to the smaller surf to go out through. Besides learning the break and the skills to go under and around and through surf your level of fitness is important. The more fit you are the more you will be able to surf.
There are a number of methods of going through waves with a long board, for the 1 to 2 foot size I either sink the tail prior to hitting the white water so the board just goes over it or I do a push up on the board and let the whitewater go between me and the board. I also duck dip the board and do a turtle roll depending on the surf. You should practice all that on smaller surf. If you are scared then don't go out. But if you have fins you might just get out and swim around to learn the area better and to gain confidence but if that scares you then you need to get more used to the smaller surf still. It's much easier to get around in the surf without a board.
however make sure you can handle the surf and not need rescuing

Sometimes big waves can be nice and fat rather than steep like normal beach waves, so can be sort of easier in a way. But remember that the volume of water increases exponentially - a 5ft wave will have much more water/power than a 3ft by orders of magnitude (4x? any one know physics?)

In any case, the real issue with big waves is that the swell causing the big waves will create a lot of other water moving around. So currents will be stronger, the water around the beach may be moving around in ways it doesnt usually, etc. It can get you into a lot of trouble - you could end up swept down the beach or not even be able to make the waves. For me, I'm not paddle fit enough to deal with that water when there are big waves and so I dont go out.

So dont think about just the waves and whether you are able to cope with them. If you do paddle out and then they are too big, you can just paddle back in (although paddling in with big waves looming up behind you is pretty scary in itself!). But before you even think about the waves, have a really good look at the 'flat water' and the currents and consider how safe you will be in even trying to paddle out.

Often about 2 days after a big swell is easier - the swell is still there (bigger waves) but the water movement has calmed down a bit.

By the way, there is always an issue about wave height. If you are talking 5ft faces (ie when you stand up in front of the wave, the face is just below head high) then that isnt really a big wave and you can just do what you normally do. These are 2-3ft waves Aussie measurment (and Hawaiian) and are actually the most fun waves you can have - big enough for some power but not big enough to be scary. If you are talking 5ft 'aussie' (measured from the back of the wave) then thats 2X overhead face and then that is a big wave.

dtc wrote: If you are talking 5ft 'aussie' (measured from the back of the wave) then thats 2X overhead face and then that is a big wave.

Currently 8ft here... a proper aussie 8ft at that... which is why I'm on the internet talking about surfing big waves rather than actually out there surfing big waves

The first time I went out to a 5 feet wave. It took me 1.5 hours before I conquered the fear and committed to catching a wave. I was so scared that I went further out to try and catch it when it was still small. It just looks like a wall of death when the waves are so big. After I caught the initial wave, the adrenaline rush was so good that I wasn't as scared. It wasn't until I didn't kick out in time and was suffocating by the white wash. I didn't know there was so much energy and I was spinning around in circles. I couldn't tell which way was up or down.

The first time I went out in 5 foot waves (10 foot faces) I was body surfing. And then twice that size paipo boarding so by the time I got to surfing the 5 foot wave didn't scare me much but it thrilled me. You know it scared me but I wanted to go instead of scaring me and making me hold back. The vast majority of my wipeouts surfing were tame compared to what I went through bodysurfing a similar sized wave. I guess once you survive a few wipeouts then you will know it's all just water and you will survive.