Surfing Waves

I've been surfing a 9'x22" longboard for not quite a year and a 9'x30" sup (starboard converse) for about 6 months. I took the sup just touring around for the first few months then had a friend who's a sup surfer show me how to catch waves on it and since then I take the sup out surfing on occasion, either when its really big (for me) or really small. Oddly I'm more comfortable on the sup in bigger surf because (A) I'm already standing when I catch the wave, so no worries about popup/drop and (B) I have a lot more mobility to catch/avoid waves. Additionally sup has given me literally a different view on waves and how they break, which has improved my regular surfing (which is my main thing). The one big drawback I find is that the transition from sup back to longboard is painful for at least one session, even if I was only sup surfing for an hour -- after suping I'm suddenly much more wobbly and prone to mistakes on my longboard.

Anyway, that's my experience, and I'm curious about yours!

How do you find getting the SUP out through bigger waves?

I'm sure you've seen that as long as the wave isn't breaking exactly where you are you can ride up and over some very steep faces. But in general getting out on a bigger day is not awesome, but tolerable with practice, some strategies, and good spot selection (eg, a spot with a nice channel). For me it was like the process of learning to fall when surfing on a shallow reef: at first I got cuts and it scared me but gradually with practice I don't even think about it any more. Strategy-wise I try to time things more carefully than I would with my longboard and I do a lot of things that are probably not elegant: paddle prone over a wave if I'm knocked off and can't get to my feel and if I'm trapped in the impact zone I frequently just ride the whitewater to a point inside where I can hang out. It's way more painful in the impact zone with a sup and for me not worth it.

Some people apparently use a tail handle in situations where you'd turtle a surf board, but that only works with waves so big (http://www.standupzone.com/forum/index. ... ic=25169.0).

I find SUP does not keep my arms in paddle shape but otherwise it is good balance practice but I ride a soft top 12 foot SUP not made for waves so it is a challenge to ride it in waves. I have finally quit SUP for small days and surf it with my regular boards

Due to incessant double under head surf at the Bar I purchased a SUP . After much practice I went for my first surf! Double vvv small surf. One other SUP and one deluded short boarder.

I paddle out away from the others......... The tactics for me involved falling off in every direction , front , back left rail, right rail, many splashdowns! I found I couldn't watch for oncoming waves by turning my upper body, ( a bit more torso yoga needed) my flat water turning statically around was slow and cumbersome.
Judging the paddle speed was challenging and the need for couple more paddle strokes was evident.
My rugby knees were screaming at me by the end of the session and when I took a bit of respite by sitting down I straddled the board like I would my mal. MISTAKE! Almost wish boned myself!

An hours session lots of learning and I caught one wave, EPIC?

Jaffa discovered the art of FDP (fall down paddle) I am the master of FDP. Don't worry jaffa the falling down will get less with time

Double underhead? I think you mean double underfoot!

Give the sup thing a few more tries. We started with flatwater to get balance and paddling, then moved onto waves. It only took me and my wife a few sessions to get the balance and a few more to get the paddle stroke (had an experienced friend showing us the ropes). We find it to be great fun for touring and sometimes bring snorkel masks along to hop in and check things out.

This is one of my T-shirt designs.

I intend to keep doing it!
May the farce be with me

phri said, "Oddly I'm more comfortable on the sup in bigger surf because (A) I'm already standing when I catch the wave, so no worries about popup/drop..."

My 16 year old nephew recounted a similar reason for liking SUP better than "real" surfing. There is also a related reason. He is a weakling and tired quickly when paddling with arms and hands. It annoyed me so much that I stopped taking him surfing with me.

I did SUP for some time in 2008 when I had a rib injury that needed rest. I liked it a lot, but went back to regular surfing the moment my rib let me.

I took some lessons in Bali, that was fun because the guy took us (3 students) to some completely uncrowded spots with good SUP-waves. It was a long paddle out, that was probably the reason there where almost no regular surfers at those spots, and it was a good introduction to get used to the wobbly first beginnings of standing up and paddling the board.

We positioned outside with the board parallel to the waves and learned to start paddling at the right moment on only one side of the board so you where making speed and turning the board 90 degrees from the wave. This took some getting used to off course, but soon I was catching nice waves of decent sizes, like shoulder to head high.

I remember from my very first session I was already working on trying to make the section of the wave. SUP let me get back outside so much easier than with regular surfing, I could catch the wave (a new wave to me at the time) so many times that I quickly learned what to expect during the ride and where the section was, until I nailed it and just made it through. It was a very nice experience.

Another session the guy took us to this spot with a very soft crumbly wave that was just so relaxed and fun to surf, that it also was a very nice surfing experience.

But like I said after my rib healed I went back to regular surfing because for me the more dynamic feeling of relatively smaller boards is what I like most.

Surfing bigger crafts be it SUP or longboards can sometimes deliver rides that may be long, but lack the thrills I'm after. But it's more about the wave I think, I recently started longboarding and enjoyed some great rides on bigger waves. But when the wave isn't powerful it doesn't work for me, it's like I can't get in touch with the wave then..