Surfing Waves

What kind of things should I look for in a peeling wave?

When I go to a point break I at least know what direction I'm going to ride. But when I'm at a beach break I can never tell if the wave is going to break right or left. The number of times I've ridden a wave "down the line" is pretty small. Whenever I've caught the wave and am about to pop up I try looking right and left but I probably am not really looking. My tendency is to head for the beach and look at the nose of my board. Once I'm up it's a coin toss if the wave breaks on my board or behind me.

Rat Fink sand banks determine how beach breaks open up for rides usually from the peak into a rip unless it s a full closeout.
Take time to view the various peaks , paddle out strategies, direction of break , speed of break. Drift and currents. All the things that tell you how to go about surfing it.
If there are a number of peaks, pick one to suit. Paddle out wide of the take off zone watch and mentally plan your ride.
Out behind the break note landmarks for positioning and gain an insight on how the currents are behind the break. Surfing straight to the beach is only a conversion technique to put you back whitewater riding..

If others can ride for more the few seconds you mention one of your other threads, your skill in reading the surf and waves needs upgrading
Point and go is not enough

Choosing when and where to go depends partly on your board skills which in your case you should be picking the slower waves. Here is a youtube about it.

One technique you can do to help with “going down the line”, timing and popping up is to do a “ RACE CAR “. Catch the wave, but sit down on your butt with feet straight out front. Outer hand pulls up on the outside rail, inside hand drags across the wave’s face. Use your head and torso to lean in, out, front and back to help with trim and pearling.

jaffa1949 wrote:If there are a number of peak, pick one to suit. Paddle out wide of the take off zone watch and mentally plan your ride.

While on the beach, watch the other surfers. Notice where they take off to go in either direction and make a mental note of what LEFTS and RIGHTS look like from shore. After you paddle out watch the surfers again and note what lefts and rights look like in the water. It's also helpful as you sit in the line up to watch the waves roll through. As they approach, make predictions about how they will break and observe to see if you were right. Over time you will build experience and get the spot wired.

Thanks for all the great tips! I love the RACECAR idea waikikichan! I definitely watch the other surfers getting longer rides from the beach as well as watch from the water. I like the idea of mentally focusing on what peak I'm gonna ride. I really wish I could see myself surfing, I think it would be so helpful. Honestly, when I'm watching, say someone has caught a wave and I'm still outside, looking at the wave from behind gives me very little information. I listen and watch the waves crashing and try to guess if the wave is peeling or closing out, but it's hard to tell. I think next time I go out I'm gonna focus on the ride I want from the peak I've staked out. Stoked!

From behind watch the feathering of the crest as it goes over, if it runs across the top without sectioning it is likely a runner, if it comes over in long sections then. Maybe not.
Apply what you have seen from the shore, are the surfers making it easily or do they have tomdrive under a section.
Don’t just watch, think, about what is happening and how the better surfers deal with it.
Watch too the failures and wipeout, types of board position on those boards, what positions create speed and what positions bog down.
Particularly watch guys riding the same type of board as you, how do they do it?