Surfing Waves

Hi there, looking for a bit of advice from you all. I'm 31 years young and just got started on surfing about 4 months ago. I weigh around 185 lbs and stand about 6' tall. I currently own and use a 9'2" fiber glass longboard from a local shaper that seems to be a bit "performancey" in it's shape because it doesn't seem too thick, but I'm too newbish to relaly know.

I've been surfing about 2-3x each week for the past 2 months and have noticed a really big improvement. The biggest challenges I face are getting out to the break (with my big log and nonstop fear of getting mashed) and catching unbroken waves. I have no problem whatsoever catching waves and standing up every time after a wave breaks. In fact, I've been practicing some basic turns in front of the whitewash recently -- but whenever I try to catch unbroken waves, no matter how far back I lean, I pearl like crazy. Generally, I try to put myself right near where the wave is going to break (perhaps 5 feet in front of it) -- and paddle like crazy from there such that I always get sucked up and over the falls.

I was in Waikiki about 3 weeks ago and this was NOT a problem at all, so I'm starting to think it's the waveform in Santa Monica ("SM") . I note on Surfline.com that SM always has pretty poor conditions which probably means it's closed out such that you can't really ride the unbroken waves unless you really know where to be and when!

So anyway, am I going nuts? Should I switch places now that I know what I'm doing? Is there something different I should be trying -- get a new board? try a new technique of getting further out, etc?

Any thoughts would be appreciated!

twizzly wrote: ...but whenever I try to catch unbroken waves, no matter how far back I lean, I pearl like crazy. Generally, I try to put myself right near where the wave is going to break (perhaps 5 feet in front of it) -- and paddle like crazy from there such that I always get sucked up and over the falls.

Twizzly, I had the same problems for months until I was told that I need to angle my self and the board on the last paddle just right after the wave picked up the board.

Hopefully you can understand my explanation. When catching waves, you and the board need to face straight while paddling. But as soon as you feel the waves lift the board you then need to angel yourself and the board either to right or to the left (approx 45 degree angle) and then give another power paddle and then stand up. But you do need to stand as soon as possible.

When I tried this method, the result was amazing. Hopefully it'll work for you too.

if you look down the line of the wave when you about to pop up, then stay looking down the line and do 2 more quick paddels, then pop up but still looking down the line of the wave, hopefuly you should go down the line, and this will stop you for pearling, and most other things that are going wrong.
With your problem of getting out into the line up, i would advise using an eskimo role, or a turtel role ( their the same thing). if a wave is about to or has broken infront of you, if you paddel like crazy, the when its about 3 ft infront of you quikly grab the rails and turn your board over, when you do this, pull the board down when your under water. If you practice this you should get the hang of it. only use this in big waves, if its small white wash just do a press up position when it gets to you.

Some waves are steeper that others also.

You have your nice gentle spilling wave, and then those other fun dumpers that fall on your head. You can judge when you're sitting watching on your board, the waves that form more quickly tend to be a bit steeper.

So for shortboards these steep waves let you have a nice late take off and you can drop in really nicely. The steepness probably helps.. on a longboard, you can catch the gentler spilling waves a lot easier because you can pick up speed easier when you paddle.

hmm. just thinking..

Yea no worries Twizzly!

I've been surfing about 4mth too. It's great a!

I found I was pearling all the time and it was a huge handicap to my progress. I wasn't able to feel like I could tackle those bigger better waves that i wanted so bad.

And then that ...move back further on the board...thing got me. I actually over exaggerated once and found that I wasn't kaning off! I was so stoked!! It actually did make a difference. I was also placing myself in a dump zone rather than finding the shoulder where I could angle myself nicely. Reading waves is for sure the hardest thing that I'm still forever trying to work out.

You'll probably find it's a combination of various things. You'll suss one and then, next wave, it'll be something else and overall you feel frustrated because it's not as smooth as you know it should be.

Keep us posted on your progress once you figure what it is that's causing you to chuck on over.

Have fun a!

Sweet is on track.

Sounds like your taking off too late and that your probably trying to catch the wave between 6 and 8ft to far into shore from where you should be.

A Mal will catch waves far earlier that a short board because of the trim speed and bouyancy, also Mals generally dont have a lot of rocker so if you can eliminate taking a drop, (i.e - by catching the wave further out before it jacks up steeply to break) you should be able to solve your pearling dramas.

Also, taking off late on a mal will also effect your ability to get that down the line ride on the green face because as you simply cant throw a 9'2 Mal into a tight snappy bottom turn like a 6'1 thruster to make the section before the wave closes out around you.

You will find by catching the wave eariler you will sooner or later end up dropping in on a few of the shortboard junkies, you will be up and going while they are still trying to paddle in late on their bags of gravel.....remember priority and play nice.

Ive never been to SM but Mals and beachies can be a hit and miss affair, If theres one handy, look for a point break where the waves tend to peel down the line more than jack up and close out with speed.

Keep trying...when it all clicks you will be sooooooo glad you did.

thanks for all the feedback guys. i think you may be right on the "trying to catch the wave too late" part. i've generally been trying to catch the wave right as or right before it breaks and perhaps i need to suck it up and paddle out a bit further. perhaps if i'm standing up and in frnt of the wave on a nice sideways line, i'll be a little less vulnerable than when i'm laying on the log like a dead fish while i get sucked up and over!

i'll let you guys know how it goes! thanks!

Sweet and farside are on the money...

But I do practice late takeoffs on my mal to ;P It just takes more practice/experience. Weight has to be farther back, gotta be angling the right way when the wave picks you up, gotta pivot turn on the way down the face. It's another timing and positioning thing. And not suitable for every wave. Oh yeah, and a progressive longboard helps too ;)

-doug

hey twizzly, try sunset point, it's a little further north of sta monica beach, the waves there are really gentle and meant for longboards/funboards, have fun!!

thanks for the tip! is that the parking lot just south of gladstones? paddle out straight from there?

thanks!

Hopefully you can understand my explanation. When catching waves, you and the board need to face straight while paddling. But as soon as you feel the waves lift the board you then need to angel yourself and the board either to right or to the left (approx 45 degree angle) and then give another power paddle and then stand up. But you do need to stand as soon as possible.

I don't catch your idea of "angeling the board". how to achieve that ? By turning the body ?
Some people suggest to paddle at an angle. but I find the board hardly advance any further if the direction of not perpendicular to the wave.

Longboarder from Hong Kong

I agree that certain wave are for longboarder, such as those more gentle. If the waves are really steep, you are bind to nose-diving.
To summarise
find a gentle waves
paddle REALLY HARD
put weight FORWARD

and
I can't turn.
OHH

To take the wave at an angle you first need to feel that push under your board and then paddle at an angle.

A mate suggested this 'cheating' way to easily catch the wave when I started out. It works well, especially when I'm feeling too lazy to paddle much

Leaning back does help and will solve the problem you're experiencing right now - just keep at it!

cwyuen wrote:I don't catch your idea of "angeling the board". how to achieve that ? By turning the body ?
Some people suggest to paddle at an angle. but I find the board hardly advance any further if the direction of not perpendicular to the wave.

Longboarder from Hong Kong

What I tried to expalined above were in fact what DayWalker* said. It's paddle at an angle (I didn't know what it was called at the time I try to explain). To best way to achieve this is do what bluesnowcone2000 said above;

bluesnowcone2000 wrote:if you look down the line of the wave when you about to pop up, then stay looking down the line and do 2 more quick paddels, then pop up but still looking down the line of the wave, hopefuly you should go down the line,...

Where you look is where your surfboard is going.

I hope that make sense.

cwyuen wrote:...and
I can't turn.
OHH

Look at where you want to go and that's where the surfboard is going to go. In a way you're steering with your vision. You also need to put the weight of your body on your back foot. When the desired angle of the turning is reached then you need put your body weight on your front foot to bring back the speed. But don't let this too long as you need your body weight evenly spread between your front and back foot to maintain balance; or at least in my case.

My suggestion could be wrong and is probably going to be corrected. I am still classified as beginner as well. But I hope to be able to share what I have learned and help as it has helped me. And I sure hope I make sense at all.

Yeah, I had a similar problem this weekend. The swells were 3-4 feet, and were begining to break and closed-out within a 10 foot window. The second I took off, I had to turn or else my board would be carried up to the lip and then dumped nose first into the water, just as the wave broke over my flailing-falling body. I actually had to move my fin forward a bit and stand up a bit earlier because the poor conditions were making the wave curl and break so quickly I couldn't turn in time to avoid the pearling. It was also only my second time out on a longboard, though. I learned to surf on a funboard and I'm not that great, I just ride it in at a bit of an angle and even that gives me some trouble sometimes. But, I'
m bit with the longboard bug, we have some sick soul riders around here.

I have a shortboard and a mal and tend to surf them very differently.
On a mal I sit quite a long way out and wait patiently for the right sort of waves rather than trying to sit in the lineup with all the groms.
I look for a wave that is starting to peak but still a long way off breaking and angle very slightly as I start a deep strong paddle.
Once the wave catches you feel the glide for a second or two, this lets you pick up speed and is a really cool feeling.Then pop up looking down the line and you'll be shooting along the green face.It should be a very mellow experience rather than the frantic drop you get with a shortboard.

David s

Wow I LOVE how you said that... aaahhhh... soooo ssoooo nice!!! That's an awesome feeling right there aye.