Surfing Waves

There’s nothing better than the feeling you get after a ride with your favorite maneuver. It makes the day and pumps you up for the next session. What's your favorite?

I ride a longboard in small surf and when waves closed out I used to turn into shore. If luck was with me there would be a line in the flats to get around the section and I could continue the ride but usually I would just bounce in white water toward the beach.

Then I learned about floaters. Instead of riding below the closeout, I climbed above it and turned toward shore with a lot more speed and often got back into the green wave. It changed everything.

Ru has great explanation.

I like the backside cutback a lot. As a regular riding many lefts in Bali u gotta love that.
Finding the right moment to do it, anticipate it with a drop and a bottom turn to create speed and then lean maximum into the turn from a nice overhead wall to dive into the drop back to the pocket. Then in the pocket a carving or snappy re-entry turn back up the face with a lot of speed to handle whats next.
It's great to make a lot of speed so you first outrun the wave for some distance so u can make it a nice carving turn with a lot of space before back in the pocket.

I like getting tubed but don't do it much. Other than that it is simply making powerful turns. I don't do that much either but every once in a while I make a top turn or cutback that puts as much tension in my legs as a bottom turn and I absolutely love that. I love to do floaters and foam climbs and came up with a sideways foam climb that ends with sideslipping back down to the bottom. Really get a kick out of that but I have done it less than getting tubed maybe like 4 times. Of course I love doing airs particularly if I can pull off a complete 360 in the air.....ok wait a minute are we talking about reality Then just let me say I enjoy doing something spontaneous and different.

My friend 80's-90's pro skater Jeff Hartsell was asked what's his favorite thing in Skateboarding. He answered "Rolling".
Same for me, the simple act of TRIMMING along the face of the wave doing NOTHING. Not going any faster or slower than what the wave is, that is pure bliss.

Forehand carves....love the speed, the spray and on a bigger face cutting it back then bottom turning out of it (one of the tour commentators called it a "carve down"....didn't know that was a thing but they were describing my favorite move).

waikikikichan wrote:The simple act of TRIMMING along the face of the wave doing NOTHING.

Of course you are probably "doing nothing" on the nose.

waikikikichan wrote:My friend 80's-90's pro skater Jeff Hartsell was asked what's his favorite thing in Skateboarding. He answered "Rolling".
.

One might wonder why he risks injury doing all these tricks if he would rather just be rolling.

BoMan wrote:

waikikikichan wrote:The simple act of TRIMMING along the face of the wave doing NOTHING.

Of course you are probably "doing nothing" on the nose.

Actually the opposite, there's so much going on and all the counter-opposing micro movements of you and the wave you got to deal with. When you see photos of guys "cruising" hanging ten, it's usually only a split second
captured in time.