----====dbah's Surfing Journey d(>.<)=b====---

[naniekso]

Progress Checkpoint- current(8 months ish ish) +2
Girlfriends lost to surfing: 3

Back to the Drawing Board:


So as it has really bad weather for surfing, and timing couldn't be any worse, I have decided to spend the day researching extreamly technical things for surfing(very productive I would say). I decided to think about my footplacement seeing that I needed to take a closer look. After re-examing my board, i found that my observations lead me to no conclusion lol

I find that for the center of the board, the deck is more full and kinda fading. Re-examniation shows that when i stand up, i find my feet slightly infront of the center of the board, allowing more of a stiff turn. I want to fix this and I am going to practice moving my feet around the next time i get out, well see teh results eh>?

[Jellyfish]

I really like reading this, Was very interesting to hear your progression and those videos were nice to watch.
Keep us posted, I'm hooked on reading bout your adventures

[donhoe]

Good stuff. You make me feel lucky to have the wife I do

[Beachbum]

This thread is awesome! It's cooling watching your progression through photos and vids. I think we should all do this, so we'll remember how far we've progressed, and what we each need to work on in our surfing.

[naniekso]

Progress Checkpoint - 8 months
Girlfriends lost to surfing :3

Updates:*added video*

Cold feet?


OK so my toes are super cold, and I find that when my toes are really cold i can't stand up onto the board haha. So i decided to invest into some $5 wetsuit boots! GREAT DEAL! just when i checked craigslsit i saw some boots for sale. I went and talked to the guy, and it ended up being free only if we surfed together that day at salt creek. Well I got boots for free, made a great new line-up buddy, and found out nothing about my stance lol. More posts to keep you guys addicted, dbah over and out!

[naniekso]

Progress Checkpoint: 8 months
Girlfriends lost to surfing: 3

Kumbaya:


AFter many hours and hours of being without contact of water(other than showering you nastys!) I decided to head out today with 2ft waves. I am lovin this daylight savings time, and by far its great for surfing. One asks why? BECAUSE! I now can go to class and surf as if it was an hour earlier! WHo knew how sensitive the ocean was to tide changes. Its almost rediculous. I try to go before the tide reaches maximum hight, and all those 4 hours i'm there i end up being back to when the tide falls again. BUT i'm looking forward for tomorrow, as a swell is coming up from outa no where during the middle of the week on wednsday and i'm gona be surfn it haha!

I love my quad fish, I truly found a board that agrees with me. I"m still learnign how to use it properly, because i sometimes flow and I sometimes spray all over the place looking kinda flowish. Inbetween the two, i find myself always smiling. This has been your tuesday update and almost 5 mins of you time waisted, dbah out




Discussion?
I found Costco( yes i know teh evil chinese importer of stuff) just brought in rash guards. SO i bought one. Its black, but i started to argue with my dad that the purpose was to wear only the rash guard and nothing else, whereas he argues its to be worn under the wetsuit. I think we are both right but I've only seen people wear it only without a wetsuit, cause u get cold with it under.

[billie_morini]

naniekso,
you are beautiful, man. And your essay with photos is far more worthy for a Nobel peace prize than the guy pusing bunk science.
billie

[naniekso]

Progress Checkpoint: 8 months
Girlfriends lost to surfing: 3 (today only a potential lead was lost{I dunno how it happend but its no longer there} making it 3.1)

I feel Lucky!:

FIRS OF ALL HAPPY SAINT PATRICKS DAY!
!!!! I remember when I was little and i tried to follow the rainbow haha. Stood on my tip toes to see if i could spot the end of it, never found it of course lol. ANYWAY I went surfing a very nice day, unfourtuantely the waves were arond 4-6ft big which for me, means I catch less waves than normal. I only caught 6 big ones. I was happy for it though cause MY board is AMAZING! I outpaddled a guy further in toward the peak and all it took was a couple of stroaks(Ok maybe not OUT paddled).

HOWEVER! I do haev some problems with my board on bigger waves. Its a differnt thing than I'm use too, i often find myself alittle slower. As in slower like i turn alittle slower. I have found out kinda that I needed to put more effort in to the turns lol so taht solved the problem there. But still on a bigger waves the fish is a little speed demon. I forget to put alot of energy into my turns and such making me look fluid. I'm still having problems with my snaps as i find the right spot, but when i go up to hit it i kinda loose my balence and fall back. So i decided to re examine my snaps.

Heres what I do: I go down wait a bit, pump if nessasary, touch the water(thats my way to turn that I always forget) I end up at the top and about 3/4 twoard the top of the wave I compresss, meaning I crouch down a little more. Then when i hit the top i throw myself back down, arms thrown down like i threw a big rock at the ground. I keep forgeting to kick my leg. I've only snapped twice so far succesfully, so its somethign I'm workn on. Anyway time for me to drink some green liquid, Hope you all have a good St. Patricks Day even if your not irish, you should be drinking now
(I forgot to get some photos of me surfing, but htis weekend i will FOR SURE!)
(And honestly, I ride this quad even if the conditions are for the shortboard lol)

[Supafly]

And honestly, I ride this quad even if the conditions are for the shortboard lol

Ha i love this thread bro, i am at about the same level as you.

i also use my quad fish (cept change it to a thruster for the bigger days - its a 4 + 1 fin fish ) even if i really should be taking out my shortboard

I will definitely be following this thread so keep the advice etc that you getting coming

[naniekso]

Progress Checkpoint: 8 months* I found a recipt for the surfboard that I bought, the longboard and it dates to almost 8 months ago, leading my timeline to be incorect*
Girlfirends lost to surfing: 3.1


Wallstreet FAT CATS:

OK so i over ate this week completely. I"m pretty sure its all just coming out and about but i still drank and ate alot this week causign me to gain 5 lbs of garbage. its all suppose to be emptied out by tomorrow though haha. ANYWAY I have been surfing almost till death this week as a South swell came from outa no where giving everywhere 2-3ft waves. Then i realized how bad i truly was. I really do suck lol. I think(and hope) taht its because I've been going surfing for almost 5 times this week for 3hours+ and Friday and saturday i had two 3hour sessions.

I find that my board feels heavy, and my legs are soooOOOOo sore. I was gona blame it all on the weight, slowing me down, making my board feel clumsy and slow. I feel like i've forgotten how to ride properly. I am trying to re examine my feet placement, and its to the point to where i feel like I'm probably gonna need a marker or something to figure out where to stand. No videos or photos because it was such a crowded weekend my tapes would only be 10secs.

SO I'm going to give the love of my life(surfing) a break for a while, maybe a day or two? i can live without waves for 2 days max. then i start to dream crazy and surf-walk(its a rare condition that you surf while you walk around asleep, like sleepwalking, but no falling outta windows, just duck-diving under tables and stuff). After this break i'll get better again and start the surf but being better. You know if you surf to much you get worse right? lol i've felt taht way before and i took a break and it works!

[naniekso]

Progress Checkpoint: 8 months
Girlfriends lost to surfnig: 3

My day Off:

OK so as many of you know i'm taking the day off from surfing, only to find myself watching youtube videos and surfing stuff. WoW! AM i addicted or what!?

Anyway I decided to be productive, and watch "The Endless Summer", yes that amazing film which i have just in 5 mins fallen in love with! THIS IS SURFING! WHy is this movie so funny/cool? anyway I just discovered that there is an Endless Summer 2 out which im' gona watch in the next 4 mins. Take care! You guys have got to see these films. dbah out!

[naniekso]

Progress Checkpoint: 8 months
Girlfriends lost to surfing: 3

I like going right:


OK So im goofy footed, waht does that mean? that means that i lOVE to go left, only cause i can see whats about to smack me. However, I notice that I can only do pumps, big up and down turns, and sometimes jump off my surfboard when going left. However, when I go right, I can't do anything except snap really really well. I dont know how, or why, but for some reason I can snap on my backside like kelly slater. I can't snap at all on my front side, any tips? This is frustrating me very much. and you know what i think it is? I think i don't pivot like i do on my front side as much. i dunno lol dbah out.

[naniekso]

Progress Checkpoint: 8 months
Girlfriends lost to surfing: 3

Livin on Video:

YAY got the worst waves of the day on youtube. Its retarded, i audioswaped the song so i can't tell what it is. Also its my waves that were the worst. The board is a 6'0 x 21 x 2 7/8 fish quad, has a swallow tail. enjoi!

You may wonder why i kinda kick my board up in teh air? its for close-outs and walls and such, taht the camera can't see.

[naniekso]

Progress Checkpoint: 8 months
Girlfriends lost to surfing: 3


New board shots:

apperently i can't snap. at all. tips?

[PredationSA]

To me it looks like you're constantly in stall mode on that board :\ Maybe you need to revisit your foot placement when using that board.

Edit: Just saw the end of the video where you said the board barely floats you, explains it

[trifish]

To me it looks like you're constantly in stall mode on that board :\ Maybe you need to revisit your foot placement when using that board.

Looks like his weight is all on his back foot. Gotta shift the weight forward and drive off the front foot. cool vids

[essex sucks]

looks like the board is too small for the waves that day so your not getting the drive off the take off. so loseing all your speed very fast.

nice vid lol

[)(urley]

Hey Mate, greetings from Australia
I have enjoyed your surfing journey alot, and what took you 8months to tell your story, I read in about 45min (Including those great vids xD)
I liked the idea about a surfing journey thread and inspired me to kind of do my own. Although I have some previous experience as a young kid surfing in Australia but now at the age of 17 im about to basically start all over again; this time bodyboarding. Yes I can already go left or right on a wave but other then that, im noob So we will see how it goes, cheers from some inspiration.

[naniekso]

Progress Checkpoint: 9 months
Girlfriends lost to surfing: 3

New Ride! And New Skill:

OK pictures of the new surfboard will be up soon.

I have officially learned to OFFICIALLY duck dive with the new board, or every board in general. I use to not really do it correctly, so i ended up going backwards underwater, kinda getting draged back. The reason for the skills is because of the recent low tide waves all the time. these waves carry a strong hit if you don't duck dive properly and i end up moving backwards. BUT I officially learned how-to today by using the leg on the tailpad technique. I know its not a big accomplishment although i've been surfing for 9months now, but it will definately be a big part of the Surf journey, learning how to duck dive.

[naniekso]

Progress Checkpoint: 9 months
Girlfriends lost to surfing: 3

Best Days EVER! March 13/ 2010

I met a really nice girl that I didn't talk to but was very attracted to. I will see if i can meet her in the same place tomorrow lol. ANYWAY SURFING!: YES I surfed a 9 foot wave today. HOLY BALZ! 9 FT! IT was sooo big and sooo perfect and sooo nice, i wasn't afraid. It was the tidal wave push that comes when the tide changes. the surf report said 3-5 and I got use to seeing 6ft waves all the time. So Out of NO WHERE comes this gigantic wave that's coming in from the distance. I see its a left wave which would have been perfect for my goofy feet. SO i paddle as hard as i can out, I end right up on the peak and before i know it i start to SPEED DOWN , i can see people all the way from the top and i see them lookn with dumb faces haha. So i paddle and paddle and soon i start to go foward. I Standup , and then i slowly it seems start to sink downward along the face looking next to me a huge wall of water! i look down teh line and it was starting to wall up! I had to get off! But i couldn't! the only thing i knew how to do on a big wave was to go straight! (IN case non of you know my new board is a 6'4 x 20.5 x 2.43 epoxy pintail. I'll get pics later) SO i lean out to touch the water and i fly up in the air!

Best day of my life, and i'm having barbecue ribs for dinner tonight! Unfortunately no pictures were taken that I have to put up But i'm sure some person took pictures
This happened at Salt creek. <3 and Peace to everyone! best day EVER! I MIGHT DIE B/c GOD GAVE ME TOO MUCH LUCK!