How Good Are You At Surfing?

[hyber]

hey guys,
I seem to be having some progression problems as of late, I can surf pretty well in clean waves that I find in cornwall but my local mushy waves in bournemouth i cant surf for ****,
I find it really hard to do anything and even fall over a lot just after popping up due to unpredictable nature of the waves.

Anyway in cleaner waves i can pump well id say and do the occasional cutback and bad snap. Ive been surfing for about 2years and I feel im progressing slowly as i feel other peple around me are always better. I shortboard btw

So i was just wondering how long have you guys been surfing and how good are you, like better than most people out and what tricks can you do?
P.s. I know surfings not about whos the best but its really starting to frustrate me.

Thanks

[libby]

I've been surfing for 3 years in February but most of the time (other than 3 solid months of surfing in NZ) i dont get in very often at all. So i'm still total cr_ap

[O_Danny_Boy]

ive been in the water for bout 3 years, surfing for bout 1 and a half

wouldnt class the first 18 months as anything close to surfing

my forehands good, pop-up get down the line cut back inside

my backhands terrible

[MrJoe]

Not very

I can pop-up fine, straight onto feet; my forehand is alright (backhand sucks), doing basic turns and that's about it so far!

But i'm loving every second of it

[keef]

Been surfin since February. Everyday. (minus about 4 weeks for injuries).
Learnt on a very unfriendly reef break, on a winter swell. Very scarey
I thought it would be easy as I've skateboarded since I was about 8, and I'm 38 now. Big mistake. It was really hard even to get to standing on the whitewater.
Now I can popup straight to my feet, do an airdrop on the smaller stuff, take the drop on bigger stuff, up to headheight or maybe just over is the biggest so far, bottom turn both ways, trim and carve up and down the wave and kind of cutback to stay with the shoulder, but thats all on a (performance) longboard. I learnt on a 7'6" funboard and if I hadn't broke it I'd still be surfin it now. Tried shortboarding and just don't have the ability or stamina. And I can't surf this afternoon coz my asthma is too bad. Out of all the local longboard guys at my local break I am probably the worst, and one of the youngest.

[Kabazz]

I surf at Bournemouth aswell mate. I've only been surfing at the odd weekend to cornwall/devon. I can pop up town down the line etc.

[keef]

oh and I forgot to say, I had a couple of weeks thinking that I wasn't progressing. A friend who had started surfing at the same time as me suddenly made a massive step forward and I started getting frustrated at where I was level wise. Then another guy just said go out and have fun surfing, don't worry about making progress, just have some FUN.
So thats what I did and still do now, the progress kind of takes care of it's self.

[Phil]

been surfing 5 years now, just starting to master floaters and reo's on a longboard, can cross step and nose ride resoanbly well

[essex sucks]

don't know u will have too asked somone that has surf with me but crap

[Hang11]

Surfing for over 20 years, really not bothered about how good or bad I am, I know my limits and love riding waves.

[keef]

Surfing for over 20 years, really not bothered about how good or bad I am, I know my limits and love riding waves.

top answer, like it.

[drowningbitbybit]

I seem to be having some progression problems... my local ... bournemouth

The answer is in the question
Difficult to progress much on such a gutless fickle wave

As for me, i thought I could surf... Until I got to Australia, and now I realise I can't

[RJD]

As for me, i thought I could surf... Until I got to Australia, and now I realise I can't

Its the corrolis effect, the curl curls the other way....

edit :- I'm xxxxx at surfing, but I enjoy it so who cares.

[Hang11]

The answer is in the question
Difficult to progress much on such a gutless fickle wave

I don't necessarily agree with that, I learned to surf in Brighton, even more gutless and fickle than Bournemouth, and a lot of my mates did too - some of them are extremely good surfers, and can hold their own most places we've ever travelled together.

Learning in rubbish waves teaches you how to get speed and use the power of the wave, it can actually be a bonus.

If you're surfing windslop, you need to be on your feet really quick, getting a bottom turn in really quick, staying high, the power is in the top of the wave, cutting back into the pocket as much as possible, and using the face of the wave to generate speed, not pumping - it'll just make you fall off. Wave selection is the most important thing - don't go for the biggest, go for the waves with the most suck.

[drowningbitbybit]

The answer is in the question
Difficult to progress much on such a gutless fickle wave

I don't necessarily agree with that, I learned to surf in Brighton, even more gutless and fickle than Bournemouth, and a lot of my mates did too - some of them are extremely good surfers, and can hold their own most places we've ever travelled together.

Learning in rubbish waves teaches you how to get speed and use the power of the wave, it can actually be a bonus.

If you're surfing windslop, you need to be on your feet really quick, getting a bottom turn in really quick, staying high, the power is in the top of the wave, cutting back into the pocket as much as possible, and using the face of the wave to generate speed, not pumping - it'll just make you fall off. Wave selection is the most important thing - don't go for the biggest, go for the waves with the most suck.

I see where you're coming from.... Many days spent surfing 1ft of windslop at the witterings taught me a thing or two

I agree, it does teach you how to make the most of the wave, and to pick the right ones.... but.... I think once you get to a certain point, ie pulling proper moves, its a lot easier to do it on a wave with a bit of shape and power. Im not saying it cant be done on Bournemouth's finest, but progress (once you've mastered the basics) is quicker on a less fickle wave.

[northswell]

^^^Good answer

Ooops East Coast we rarely get those, Well, only 50% of the time, East coast winter so far, oh yes.

We're off shore again and only two days gap.

Back to the Q, i 'v ebeen surfing for 13/14yrs and i'm still sh1te.

Will paddle out in most that our coast can offer but normally surf it badly, last week case in point 8-10ft faces om inner reefs, mate gets stand up prprer barelled i surf like a 2wat.

[Hang11]

I agree, it does teach you how to make the most of the wave, and to pick the right ones.... but.... I think once you get to a certain point, ie pulling proper moves, its a lot easier to do it on a wave with a bit of shape and power. Im not saying it cant be done on Bournemouth's finest, but progress (once you've mastered the basics) is quicker on a less fickle wave.

Yeah I agree, you're never going to become a hell man surfing waves like that.

[isaluteyou]

i just go for the stoke not really fussed about how skilled i am + how can you rate yourself i suppose im good enough to hold my own in DOH surf and such and about to try my hand at TOH surf lol

[smallwavegrovellerchick]

Been surfing for 6 years, almost every day for the first couple of years. Almost always surf windslop, choppy waves. Surfed whipping onshore mush today, but no one out so had it to myself.

Can't do any tricks (360s, reverses, airs) but I do bottom turns, top turns, floaters, re-entries, cutbacks (roundhouse, snaps), rebounds, and currently trying to work on getting more vertical (although usually my board only gets vertical when I'm falling off of it). Still got lots to learn and I doubt I'll ever think of myself as a good surfer.

I suck at duckdiving which is a huge handicap (what a kook!) and I've never gotten barrelled while on my feet.

I think surfing windy, choppy waves helps you surf quicker and more spontaneously (and it makes clean, lined up waves seem a lot easier). Windy waves tend to have more power and there's always that element of suprise....oh yeah, and less crowded too.

[flyingvee]

Started surfing after a looooong break - so rubbish, I'm having to re-learn - just about on my feet; Although surfing at Godrevy last month showed me how much practice I need