Surfing Waves

I finally managed to do it.. To succeed.. In.. Pearling my 5'6 dominator

I have been genuinely surprised at how hard it has been to nose dive the 5'6 dominator despite being super flat in rocker and with a Really wide thick tail.
I took it out again in 2-4ft pretty solid conditions in the weekend and had a blast. It was only on a 4ft slightly overhead wave that I caught (very, late) that I finally nose dived and got
Smashed by the wave. I could've perhaps stopped it happening if I'd really stamped on the back but any of
My boards including my short board would've pearled on that save wave with that later drop.

I did start to feel the limitations of the wide and thick tail at that height though. It was fast and responsive but I just couldn't get the rail to dig in deep enough at that speed to turn me tightly. I had to lay the bottom turn and almost fight with the board to dig in and set its arc.
Some fins with more release might help though.
I'm genuinely surprised at these little boards Though.

yea, at 170lbs I use my 6'1 most of the time, but I took it out on an 8ft day and it seemed to skid down the wave, the rail just would not set and I would end up at the bottom of the wave relying on hard bottom turns, which I pulled of, but sometimes I did not. Had to break out my 6'5 ste up just to set the rail, so sometimes you do need a little more size to get in carve the wave face

I think as you learn pearling becomes more a problem related to lack of contact with the water and less about technique or the board but once in a while it is still a goof up.

benjl wrote:I finally managed to do it.. To succeed.. In.. Pearling my 5'6 dominator

Haha, great stuff - well done!