Surfing Waves

Greetings all,

I'm looking at a forecast of waist-to-chest high waves at a 6 to 7 second period, in a couple of days. If there was anything farther apart on the horizon, I would probably wait and spend my adventure permission credits more wisely , but there isn't, and I am dying to try out a new FCS 'fatboy' as a single fin on my favorite hand-shaped 9'2" Walden Magic.

So, what general advice comes to mind regarding shorter-period swell? I've braved it before, and expect to expend extra effort on the paddle out, but other than 'eat your Wheaties,' what advice comes to mind? I'm curious to hear any rules of thumb or other sagacity regarding wave selection and angle of attack on these over-eager little windies.

Thanks,
Leinosaur (like dinosaur, with an 'L')

The main problem with short period is that by the time you see the wave, decide to catch it, turn...it's almost on you. So you may be too slow and prone to perling (nose dive).

If you need to, position yourself facing the beach for a quicker getaway (rather than pointing out to sea like normal) and pick your waves as early as possible. Paddle hard from the start rather than easing into it.

Otherwise once you have caught the wave it's much the same. The wave might not be very powerful but it should be fine with that board.

Sounds like quite a few of the pictures I've seen of Jenness Beach.

Look for rips or breaks in the wave line to paddle out , The average period over a year in east Coast surf Australia is 9 seconds. Shorter than that = very messy and not a lot of power.

Also potentially crappy weather because whatever is making the waves is not far off shore.

Enjoy every day in the water is a day fitter and more aware of how surf works

I surf wind swell all the time. If it is a reef break then things are much simpler because the wave will still break predictably but if it is sandbar break then it's more difficult. In that case my only suggestion is to spend some time observing the break and make a note of any interesting peaks that you might want to try and figure out approximate land based lineups for them. Then figure out how to paddle out to those spots and what the currents are doing all around the lineup.

What advice would I give ? Keep the Walden Magic model as a 2+1 fin setup. The Magics have hard rails, forward chines, and unique bottom concaves to keep it high performance. The FCS Fatboy is more like a Lazy Boy reclining chair. It's more for cruise and glide, not pump and shred. Softer rai 50/50 wide tail boards is where it'll shine.

Thoughtful stuff, ladies and gents. Unfortunately the swell height and period are now both smaller than predicted, with unhelpful wind at best, so, blah. Not worth the drive. A trail run and a swim instead.

Waikikichan, yes. I am not throwing away the side bites, just messing about with the system a bit, partly to see if I can tell the difference. There's a whole lot of loggin' going on up in here, on a typical day, and I would love to add one to the quiver, but domestic diplomacy counsels against it at the moment: so, funnin' around with what I got. Just not today.

leinosaur wrote:domestic diplomacy counsels against it