Latest Surfs...

[IanCaio]

Thanks DTC, I'll take a look at the shops, if I find a similar fin I'll try it. Depending on the price it's worth a try and if it doesn't work, get the board unstable, I'll go for a new set

[oldmansurfer]

Small waves again rivermouth break with my 7'6". Fun little waves. I tried to do the type of no paddle takeoff Wingnut did on one wave and got pounded wasn't able to popup. Today I took out my 8 foot board. After riding my 7'6" board for several months the 8 foot board seemed like a longboard. It paddled easier and caught waves much easier. I did a no paddle takeoff but nothing like wingnuts, I was right in right place (or too far in to paddle) the wave broke on me and I popped up and then rode the wave a long distance. I was running back and forth all over this board and nose riding it often just to get through slack sections. I am sure the 7'6" board would have a problem staying on the waves. I think those differences will mostly go away on bigger waves except for easier to catch waves.

[drowningbitbybit]

Glassy, offshore, 3-4 ft this morning, but the waves were a bit fat and the banks have been destroyed by the recent storm.

However, every now and then was a decent bomb set, and I know for a fact that the face was 7ft+ because as my 6'10 board went down the face vertically, it fit quite nicely onto the face of the wave that had jacked up at just the wrong moment.

I didn't make it. There was something of the 'Cape Fear wipeout' about it... ouch.

[IanCaio]

I haven't been out as frequently as usual those last two weeks, we are getting really cold weather lately (around 11ºC on the mornings, it was about 18ºC under the sun close to 11am) and until last weekend I was worried about finishing my undergraduate thesis (which I was approved on!). But the few times I went out I've been frustrating myself.. Having 3 or 4 bad days in a row is putting me down.

Yesterday was cold, I woke up 6:30am in the morning after getting back from work at 2am, was going to use my long john for the first time. So I get my bike, go with a friend to the spot and it looked bigger, but not giant. I'm assuming maybe 4ft-5ft hawaiian. But it was breaking really far from the shore, the furthest I've seem since I moved here I guess. Not sure how a wave of the same size can differ so much on how far it is breaking, but anyways. I didn't manage to paddle out. When my arms were starting to get tired I sit to get a look and I'm still half way there. So I try to drop a right on the inside just to get out. I wipe out, and guess I made a big pressure dent on the bottom of the board. My friend managed to paddle further, but didn't make all the way out neither. The currents got him kind of close to the rocks, he paddled his way out of there and went back to sand too.

The cold is still here, the waves are out there (not sure how the formation is, yesterday it was closing a lot) and forecast is that it almost doubles up in size saturday..

[oldmansurfer]

Yesterday I went out to middle Horners and it was about head high I managed to do one nice backside snap off the lip but other than that nothing too exciting. That turn the lip was crumbling but underneath it was steep so it was a fast snap and right back down. Talked o some guy from Washington on the beach afterwards. He seemed pretty impressed by my performance but then again he probably knew very little about surfing. Today I went out to the rivermouth area and didn't do anything remarkable but it was sunny and the water was warm and I got some exercise and there were some nice waves but I didn't manage to catch any of them.

[Brian]

Went out today at 9th st in Huntington (conveniently right across the street from me) riding my stock 5'10'' lost puddle jumper. The board is super wide with a ton of foam, dims are 5'10'' 22 x 2.75 so it's easy to get into waves. For reference I'm 6'0" 205 lbs, gotta drop some poundage! It was 3-5 feet, a new building swell with the tide dropping. Was nice to get in the water as it's been almost a week since my last surf. Caught a few nice rides, left and right with a couple good turns and snaps. A pod of 10-15 dolphins were patrolling up and down the beach and surfing with the surfers. They are always a welcome sight!

[IanCaio]

My bad surfing days streak is over!

Had some better sessions lately. There was a big swell that hit the coast saturday, the biggest I've seem since I moved here. The spot I dream of surfing was pumping with triple overhead waves. Not ready for it yet, but it was nice to witness this place working in person, it was beautiful seeing those bombs washing the spot. Sadly I couldn't see anyone surfing it, because they surfed it in the morning, when I was also surfing another spot that had 3ft hawaiian.

Anyways, today the spot I usually surf had around 2'-3' hawaiian waves, not so frequent series. Still really cold because of a polar front, but the long john I got from my aunt is really helping! I feel the difference between wearing only the upper half of the john and the complete john now.
I surfed about 4 waves, did a B/S cutback, and on my last wave before leaving I rode a left (F/S) until the inside when a hollow section was coming. It was getting hollow fast and I didn't think I would be able to snap it, so I pulled up like it was going to be a barrel and I guess it was the closest I got to barreling. The wave lip covered me, but it was such a tiny space and I couldn't get out. But it got me so stooked to get closer to a small barrel

Well, it was completely worth it to give up my warm bed to go surfing in the cold today!

[oldmansurfer]

This weekend I did a demonstration of 100 different ways to wipeout It was shallow shoredump and I had my 8 foot board with lots of tail rocker. Not once did I pearl unintentionally but a couple of the hundred different ways to wipeout include intentionally pearling (without standing up) when the wave is too steep to make the drop. These waves were waist to shoulder high and lurching up suddenly difficult to take off on. Besides wiping out a lot I managed a nice cutback yesterday and a shoulder high floater today. Major sinus flush both days

[oldmansurfer]

I think maybe this one way to wipeout that I do on days like this past weekend is something like a turtle roll but instead of sideways roll it is heels over head. These waves were really shoredump lurching up suddenly and quite often I miss time it because there is only a small window to get into the wave. So here I am at the top of a wave and it is breaking below me, if I can I push the nose into the water causing the board to pearl and immediately stopping my forward motion. If I can't do that then I take a dive off the top of the wave with my board and drive the nose underwater but quickly flipping over so I am on my back and the board is between me and the wave at that point like a turtle roll.

[rickrock999]

Went out yesterday to El Porto in Manhattan Beach. As usual the water was full of surfers. Good waves over 5 Ft.
As I am still fairly new to surfing so any session where I get one really good ride makes it worth the trip. Yesterday I got that really good ride.
Came down the face flying, got to the bottom made a turn and kept going for longer till I went down.
On another ride I did the same thing but as I was coming down the face did a huge faceplant. (first time that really happened to me.)
It felt like I got slapped upside the head. an NFL linebacker taking a full windup. Got another one right after the wave broke where I hung on and went flying, pretty good ride. Overall a really nice day. Be back out there Monday if there's waves.

[drowningbitbybit]

At the moment, we're IN A COLD SNAP. It's all over the news that TODAY IS THE COLDEST DAY OF THE YEAR. It is SO COLD that the beach and the water is deserted. It is OFFICIALLY WINTER. Today IT IS SO COLD that I surfed in boardies and a long-sleeved rash vest

[oldmansurfer]

It's always board shorts for me but i do wear a long sleeved rash guard for sun protection sometimes when I am not killing off the reefs. This weekend I surfed at middle Horner's a reef break and was able to connect a few rides to the inside Horner's shallow reef break. My last wave today was probably the best one. I took off and went left (backside) and made a long bottom turn and a slow turn off the top then it jacked up and I almost airdropped a foot and made it then went forward on the board to keep going while the wave flattened out, and managed to get into the inside wave and rode it to the beach which is a narrow steep area between reef and boulders on the shoreline where the waves smash up and suck back into the water. I escaped getting pounded there, a trick I have accomplished many times years ago but not lately. My wife would have liked that wave but it wasn't much to it other than length (50 yards) and the knowledge of how to ride it (not much skill required) It was very difficult to lineup since the nice waves were infrequent and have a narrow takeoff zone.

[IanCaio]

DBB, not sure if you're on south west Australia, but someone sent me a chart that said there's a solid swell hitting there on next weekend!

The cold here is nothing compared to what our UK friends face, but damn, last time I surfed I couldn't feel the last 3 toes of my left foot!

[Nogs]

Actually surfed last Wednesday, so it's an overdue report! Went in for the first time in a few weeks, slight cross shore and a little bit messy but a lot of fun. Had 6-7 friends in the water and a few locals, everyone had a blast. Conditions are not that good in Ireland for the moment, but there are days with some swell and light wind, so even though it's not perfect we still go in.

I'm at the place where I'm not surfing enough to progress at all, but I just take every session I can get and try to make the most out of it. I've had others pointing out that I'm moving too much on my board (making me lose speed) and that my stance is too wide at times (also known as poo stand) so I've tried to keep my body positioned further back on my long board and my knees a bit bent and pointed towards each other to maneuver better. IDK if I'm doing it 100% right but I'm fast and able to ride along the wave now, it feels like I'm able to distribute my weight better. Also practicing the skill of reading a wave and make sure to look left and right before I pop up to make sure that I know my position.

Picture taken just before sundown. Got really flat at the end as you can see.

[waikikikichan]

I've tried to keep my body positioned further back on my long board and my knees a bit bent and pointed towards each other to maneuver better.

Knees pointed together isn't good either. You might "feel" better going front side, thinking that you're turning. But all you're actually doing is the dreaded "X-factor" , where you bounce up and down to the board.

Further back on a longboard is good only when turning, when you need to be over the fin(s). You need to position your body constantly to keep the board in trim when not in a turn.

[Nogs]

I've tried to keep my body positioned further back on my long board and my knees a bit bent and pointed towards each other to maneuver better.

Knees pointed together isn't good either. You might "feel" better going front side, thinking that you're turning. But all you're actually doing is the dreaded "X-factor" , where you bounce up and down to the board.

Further back on a longboard is good only when turning, when you need to be over the fin(s). You need to position your body constantly to keep the board in trim when not in a turn.

Ah alright. What's the right positioning for your feet and knees then? Thanks

[jaffa1949]

Here I am on my longboard pushing for speed.
Look at these bits of positioning;
1.
I'm well forward on the board , longboards have a trim spot ( an acceleration spot about 2/3 of the way forward) where the board will match speed with a fast face and run a high line well.
surfing fast

2.
If you consider the centre of the nose as 12 o'clock a left hand frontside wave will have a front foot at about 11o'clock and the back foot at 9 (that's for a goofy foot.)
For a natural foot frontside right hander front foot 1 o'clock back foot at 3.

3.
The knees are pointing towards each other I'm squatting to lower my centre of gravity as I'm getting ready to wear a little white water , the wave is about to steepen as I drive forward.

Nothing on the wave is static neither should your positioning be!

Here I've just made a top turn and my positioning is further back with my back foot over the fins and lifting the nose up and around towards where I wish to be my eyes in both shots are directed to my next point on the wave and my body finds it easier to follow.
Again my knees are not pointed towards each other

[Nogs]

Wow, great explanation Jaffa, thanks for the effort mate. Makes more sense now, I'll try that the next time I'm out!

[dtc]

Had maybe my worst session for several years, just couldn't catch a wave (not that there were many but others were catching the odd one here and there). Finally caught one, popped up and ...calf cramp. Fell off, trying to stretch my leg and avoiding the white water and my board and floating around in the impact zone...

Went out again in the afternoon. Full tide, big shore break. Caught a few and decided to go in. Catch wave, bottom turn, cruise along the top and go to zoom down the face and ride the white water to the shore. Follow wkk's instructions, look at where I'm heading and notice sand. No water, just sand - I've ended up in the shore break about 5ft from the beach at the top of a wave about to break .... Eek, as Jaffa says. Launched myself backwards and managed to get over the back of the wave and fall safely, no idea where my board landed but it wasn't damaged fortunately. Took a deep breath and casually wandered out of the water.

Time to reset, get back on the sled.

(Which reminds me of the morning season highlight - sitting there and one of the other surfers suddenly yells 'what the F%*#*' and then immediately 'laughs' as a dolphin surfaced about 4 ft in front of us. He had seen a large dark shape heading toward the surface )

[drowningbitbybit]

This morning I surfed an 8ft wave*.






* As an aggregate of about twelve 6" waves and two 1ft "sets".