Prepare for the winter

[BoMan]

What are you doing to prepare for winter waves?

I'm working to improve my weaknesses from last year.
• Sitting further out back and catching the wave as its building.
• Paddling fitness to catch bigger and faster waves.
• Making angled drops .
• Popping up BEFORE the wave breaks.
• Riding as high as possible on waves without losing the wave by going over,
• Making bottom turns on the bottom of the face instead of the flat water below the face.

Here's Mark Healey's advice in an interview with Surfing Magazine...

1. Have a relationship with a shaper and having boards made specifically for you is the way to go.

2. Foam is your friend. The right amount of foam will make it easier to catch waves and isn’t going to hinder you in terms of maneuverability nearly as much as the benefits you gain from it.

3. If you want to catch bigger waves than last winter, and ride them better, a lot of that has to do with your mind. When I’m preparing to surf big waves, I try and create uncomfortable situations that give me that initial shock of nervousness, so my mind is warmed up.

4. Body is mostly about cardio, flexibility, range of motion and strength. I’ve been really into gymnastica …(a mixture of jiu jitzu warm ups and animal movements), I’ll also do yoga just for the breathing and stretching.

5. Find the people that can surf when you can surf, and who you can trade information with to maximize your chances of getting good waves when it’s firing.

http://www.surfingmagazine.com/news/5-ways-to-prepare-for-winter-with-mark-healey/#LhJcCe7vbHH303Hr.97

[oldmansurfer]

I am ready . BRING IT ON!

[oldmansurfer]

I maintain my conditioning for waves of any size so if they show up I am ready. I am always ready physically and mentally.

[BaNZ]

The way I prepare for the freezing winter is I shop around for a super expensive wetsuit. Get in the water once, freeze my brain and not get in the water again until Spring.

[dtc]

This is my third favourite time of the year - almost summer!

Next favourite is January (full summer) and then April (when the water is warmest, the summer winds have gone and the swell is a bit bigger). The biggest downside of April is that it's almost winter...

I don't think old man gets to say anything about winter. It's just a bigger waved time of year

I should move closer to the equator

[Big H]

I just sold a couple of lower volumed boards and bought a higher volumed board to get ready for our winter weak rainy season slop.

[Big H]

I should move closer to the equator

Reporting from here near the equator, waves originate and come from elsewhere.......

[dtc]

I should move closer to the equator

Reporting from here near the equator, waves originate and come from elsewhere.......

Swell today is 0.5 ft at 4.5 seconds with 30 knot offshore winds. The water is crystal clear and crystal flat. I wish for the equator!

[Big H]

My heart goes out to you.....

[RinkyDink]

I've been incredibly busy at work and haven't had the time to surf that I had over the summer. So I'm feeling a little flabby out there. I wish I had more time to get into better shape. I think if it gets big I'll try picking off the inside scraps other surfers miss or let go. The upside is that I'm surfing at a better spot. Hopefully I'll get some tube rides this winter.

[icetime]

Offshore happens like once a year and I'm missing it right now :/
Perfect 3ft surf with offshore winds going off right now, by the time I get there it will switch to onshore.

For winter I'm working on my late take off popup

[Big H]

Winter means backside rights for me (winds shift here, eastside becomes the mecca and that means rights)....already started dusting off the cobwebs and been looking for/riding backside as much as I can the last few weeks. Definitely my weaker side.....this winter season will work on that (not much choice ).

[jaffa1949]

Sumer in this part of the world, hot days warm nights busy beach breaks and blue bottles!

[billie_morini]

I have a special long board for Winter’s cold air and water temperatures. My ritual involves servicing it on 1 October. Its unique feature is the on-board 30,000 BTU ventless propane heater. The heater is fueled by a 15 pound propane tank. Here are some useful links if you want to customize your surf board, too.. Of course, you need a board having really high volume for maximum float.

Heater (not available in California. I drove to Texas to get mine)
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Dyna-Glo-30- ... lsrc=aw.ds

Propane tank
http://www.bbqguys.com/item_item_285386 ... aQodMxwIaQ

[oldmansurfer]

One of my usual boards an 8 foot fungun is probably fine for whatever surf I will be facing but I have a 9'6" fungun just in case it's too big for that board. The 9'6" board I haven't really figured out yet how to use it properly. I can make drawn out carving turns but it gets too bouncy on choppy big waves ( which is what most likely I will be surfing) when I get back on the tail so no jamming hard turns except for the bottom turn. Really though there haven't been waves big enough for me to pull out the 9'6" board in the last 3 years.

[pmcaero]

Winter....looking forward to the extra buoyancy of the 6mm wetsuit, though it's a pain to get in and out of in the backseat of my car. I might stick with the new 4mm I got for as long as possible.
Also looking forward to those near empty line-ups on clean 20F air temperature mornings.

[icetime]

One of my usual boards an 8 foot fungun is probably fine for whatever surf I will be facing but I have a 9'6" fungun just in case it's too big for that board. The 9'6" board I haven't really figured out yet how to use it properly. I can make drawn out carving turns but it gets too bouncy on choppy big waves ( which is what most likely I will be surfing) when I get back on the tail so no jamming hard turns except for the bottom turn. Really though there haven't been waves big enough for me to pull out the 9'6" board in the last 3 years.

How big is big for a hawaiian For me it's 8ft

[oldmansurfer]

Where I surf waves with 10 to 20 foot faces are possible, but I haven't seen 20 foot faces in a while probably because I don't have time to drive to the north shore where they have waves up to 40 feet faces regularly during the winter. It can also get 40 faces where I surf but that is really rare I think but I don't have time these days to go paddle 0.75 miles out to the break to check it . Very likely the biggest I will go out in is about 15 foot faces but you never know, a few years ago it was around 18 to 20 foot faces a few times (triple overhead) which I rode on a 9'6" longboard and a 9'6' gun and overall I liked the longboard better

[saltydog]

I just scored a like new xcel infiniti 4/3mm for cheap on eBay.(Hope mine won't develop a hole on the butt like the other forum member.) Plus now that this will be my second winter I have a whole lot better idea of what to expect... except it's not El Nino this winter so that means less large swells coming to SoCal? My to do list is a trimmed version of what BoMan has. After 3 months of flat summer days I'm more than ready for winter

[billie_morini]

I just scored a like new xcel infiniti 4/3mm for cheap on eBay.(Hope mine won't develop a hole on the butt like the other forum member.) Plus now that this will be my second winter I have a whole lot better idea of what to expect... except it's not El Nino this winter so that means less large swells coming to SoCal? My to do list is a trimmed version of what BoMan has. After 3 months of flat summer days I'm more than ready for winter

"My you catch many waves this Winter, Saltydog," saith Poseidon, Olympian (Greek) God of the Sea.
(Photo by Ricardo André Frantz)