Surfing Waves

So i'm kinda new to surfing but bought a short board and I can ride waves well, 2-3tf but when the surf is 3-5 or 4-6tf I get a bit scared of paddling out and dropping in because wiping out scares me and the waves seem so much bigger and so intimidating when there is so much white water coming at me (i can duck dive) i wanna get over the fear and get out the back and learn to take a wipeout. also how do u not nose dive when getting bigger waves.

Getting comfortable in bigger surf just takes time and practice. I recently started teaching a friend to surf, and I noticed that what he thinks of as a big wave is waaaaaay smaller than what I think of as a big wave. I mean, he's scratching to get outside of it, and I'm sitting pretty as it rolls through while I wait for a bigger wave to ride. I don't think he's a coward or I'm a hero or anything, but after spending a lot of time in the water in a range of different conditions I am a lot less freaked out than he is. I am sure I was just as spooked as he is when I was a beginner. And if I went to go surf Mavericks or Pipeline I'm sure I'd be freaking out over waves that other surfers are yawning over.

My point is that your fears are based on your range of experience, and since you don't have a lot of experience you tend to be more fearful. Try the following things and see if it helps:

1. Don't rush to get in the water. Spend at least 15 minutes watching from the beach to figure out where and how the waves are breaking. Are they closing out? Are there outside sets? Can you line up the peak with a landmark visible from the lineup? Are there any surfers in the water that seem to have the break dialed in?

2. Don't rush to get to the peak when you paddle out. Sit off to the side or outside and get comfortable with the conditions. How often are set waves rolling through? Are the sets consistent? Where are other surfers taking off from? Where's that surfer who has it dialed? Can you imagine where you'd want to be when taking off on a wave?

3. Gradually get comfortable catching waves closer to the peak. As long as you're not dropping in on anyone, you can try shoulder hopping or catching the wave further out on the shoulder where the wave is less critical. You can also try angling the drop-in so that you're not going straight down. This will make it easier not to pearl the nose of your board. And, of course, you can always try surfing with a longer board that gets you into the waves sooner to give you more time to get to your feet (if the waves are suitable to that).

4. Can you line yourself up with that landmark you spotted earlier? Good, then hang out there and let a few waves pass you by before you try to get one. When you feel like you're where you need to be and you know what to expect (more or less) from the conditions, then you're ready to catch a wave.

5. Be sure to fully commit! Paddling into a wave without confidence is an easy way to fail. Failing lowers your confidence. Lower confidence leads to more failing. It's a vicious cycle. Instead, commit, commit, commit. If you still fail, laugh it off, then commit again. It's all part of the learning process.

6. If you wipe out, relax. Don't panic. Stay calm. Enjoy it like it's a short, crazy ride at an amusement park. Catch your breath and laugh it off. If you really want to put it in perspective, watch some YouTube vids of guys wiping out on XXL waves like Mavericks, Puerto Escondido, or Shipstearn's. If they can survive those beat downs, then surely you can handle getting tossed by a six-footer, right?

7. If being patient doesn't work for you and watching videos doesn't ease your fears, then go charge some overhead waves, get thrown around a bunch, and then go back to the 4-6ft waves. I guarantee they won't look so bad.

I hope that helps!

Wilbaa, so you are kinda new to surfing but you say you surf small waves well.
I need to ask you here , what are you able to do on the wave, take off with bottom turn or angle take to surf across the face, making reasonable turns, to increase your speed. Can you effectively cutback to the power section of the wave?
It is normal to be a little anxious going into bigger surf.
It challenges the abilities you have been developing, and everything you do is exposed to critique by the wave.

You beach reading skills need to be up for it too as Surferbee says, all that advice is sound. And hey, you’re 14,a great age to evolve your surfing.

There is no time frame for going bigger, just knowing you can do small improvements each surf!

Good post surferbee

Wilbaaa wrote: also how do u not nose dive when getting bigger waves.

The things you do to NOT nose dive, CAUSES you to nose dive. Embrace the pearl, pearling is a good thing. If you hold back and hesitate, you'll be in a worse off position. Head up, look down the line, paddle smarter ( not harder ), get in early and rip.

My philosophy about surfing is to do small steps. Don't suddenly go out in waves twice as big as you are used to. The power of waves increases exponentially with height and so does the danger from waves. Get used to waves that are gradually bigger is the safest way to do it. Just keep at it. Learning to wipeout without getting hurt is an important skill. Work on that ....notice when you are contacting the bottom or board and when you aren't and what you are doing. All the good surfers have specific ways they wipeout to try to keep from getting hurt. I was very different from most surfers because prior to surfing I bodysurfed and developed a high level of skill wiping out on waves without getting hurt. I learned to surf on waves the size you are afraid of but then I had ridden much bigger waves bodysurfing and bodyboarding. So be careful and learn how to wipeout without contacting your board or the bottom and once you are skilled with that the fear should go away (until you go out in bigger surf) Also make sure you aren't injuring other people