Surfing Waves

At high-tide, the spot I’ve been surfing recently gets near impossible to catch waves. Even on a bigger board (7'6 - 8'0) However, with the south swells rolling in these days, there are plenty of big outside sets that roll through that have enough juice to catch… but the takeoff has to be right at the peak. When you hit it just right, it is so incredibly fun and you’re rewarded with a long ride on a big ‘ol peeling, slopey face.

Being that takeoff has to be dead-center, right on the peak – there’s little margin for error with positioning – compounding this is the fact that its beach break – so there’s not a lot of method to the madness and these bigger outside sets form up pretty quick at random. So, I kinda hafta just get lucky and be sitting in just the right spot or try and paddle to the rapidly forming peak and catch them a little late – which I do far more often than not because they’re so crumbly and I find I can stick it like 50%

Here’s my question – any advice for sticking it like 100% of the time on these types of waves?

Again, these waves aren’t sucking up, pitching and fully folding over themselves. More of a whitecap where like maybe the top third at most is folding over itself as the wave rolls in. They’re usually anywhere between 4-6ft in size, as well.

It’s really disorienting taking off surrounded by whitewater – so when I stick one… I’m not sure what I’m doing correct. Conversely, when I bail – I don’t really know what I did wrong.

If I’m on a more conventional wave – that’s really fast, or I’m late on – usually really digging hard on my last few strokes and forcing all my weight and the board down the wave – to keep it from getting sucked up the face does the trick.

Does the same method apply to these types of waves? Should I be scratching to get down the face and away from the foam ball?

I’m not sure, but currently, I think I do something to the effect of “trying to” time it so I’m popping up just as the crumbly foam ball hits me. Again, sometimes this works awesome because it feels like you’re shot out of a cannon and come screaming out of the foam on your feet in a great position on the wave. Other times, the foam ball just chews me up – or it gets so rocky that just as I get my feet under me – my weight is all sideways because the board is bobbing around underneath me that I fall over. Anyway – thanks in advance!

You are trying to "put lip stick on a pig". The answer is to stop riding in the whitewater. The whitewater is the area after the wave has given up it's energy. You need to get on the clean face where it's not so turbulent.

shaaaaaan2020 wrote:Here’s my question – any advice for sticking it like 100% of the time on these types of waves?

100 % ? You mean every single wave you go for, even after 2 hours of being out in the water, even as the tide changes or wind changes directions, even if a kook gets in your way, even if the wave doubles up or a back wash hits you ........... you still are going to stick that take off 100% of the time. Surfing is done out in NATURE and Nature don't play by man's rules. You need to work with the wave, not try to force you will on it. Look at the Pros, even they mess up and miss the take off, sometimes. I understand you're frustrated and want to get better, but you need to learn the "wave" is ever changing. There is no 100% absolute answer that you are searching for.

Maybe you should change your statement to: "any advice for sticking it like 90% ( or a majority ) of the time on these types of waves?"

Is riding down prone then pop up in the flat an option?

As Waikikikichan said, there's no such thing as getting 100% of the drops and there are lots of things that can influence whether you'll make it or not. How hard the lip throws on top of you, how far the lip throws, how big the wave is, how fast it's going to be, etc.

Ideally you'd position yourself and time your paddling so you don't have to drop in with the white water breaking on top of you. When for some reason it happens, the best chance you have IMHO is to pop up really fast, which is going to be harder because you'll have the wave breaking on top of you. Taking a bit longer to get up on the board and you're likely wiping out.

ConcreteVitamin wrote:Is riding down prone then pop up in the flat an option?

That's actually the last thing I'd try to do in that situation, getting up fast gives you more control. Going down the wave on your belly with it breaking on top of you is going to result in pearling most of the times. You might get to the flats, but not on top of your board

I mean, that's if I'm understanding the question right.

Find a better wave. Waves are all different some are just as you say crumble and then if you aren't right at the peak they don't offer much help in catching the wave. Thus finding a better wave is the solution or a bigger board might help because you could get into the wave sooner and it takes less wave power to get up to speed. I have surfed waves like that. There are so many different waves out there. Every wave is different even if it looks identical. The more varieties you can surf the more fun you will have. So you know what it takes to ride those waves and that is lining up exactly right learn to position yourself better and you will catch more or try a bigger board.

Adding to the advice already given...

Learn to identify the sweet spot for catching unbroken waves at your break. This will vary by location, tide, swell direction and a host of other factors. When the tide is coming in, for example, I move a little inside because the waves roll before breaking. On an outgoing tide, I move a little outside because the waves pitch. This video will help you understand where to be.



Next, don't sit in the lineup and wait for waves to come to you. Watch approaching waves and paddle left, right, inside and outside to hunt the sweet spot for the ones you want to catch. Work on strength to make this possible.

waikikikichan wrote:You are trying to "put lip stick on a pig". The answer is to stop riding in the whitewater. The whitewater is the area after the wave has given up it's energy. You need to get on the clean face where it's not so turbulent.

shaaaaaan2020 wrote:Here’s my question – any advice for sticking it like 100% of the time on these types of waves?

100 % ? You mean every single wave you go for, even after 2 hours of being out in the water, even as the tide changes or wind changes directions, even if a kook gets in your way, even if the wave doubles up or a back wash hits you ........... you still are going to stick that take off 100% of the time. Surfing is done out in NATURE and Nature don't play by man's rules. You need to work with the wave, not try to force you will on it. Look at the Pros, even they mess up and miss the take off, sometimes. I understand you're frustrated and want to get better, but you need to learn the "wave" is ever changing. There is no 100% absolute answer that you are searching for.

Maybe you should change your statement to: "any advice for sticking it like 90% ( or a majority ) of the time on these types of waves?"

Thx for the response. Yes - I was being hyperbolic - "sticking it 90% of the time" is a more realistic expectation. and, yup: need to get away from the whitewater.

Let me ask it a different way. Is the method for a late takeoff similar across all wave types?

For example,

On a fast, hollow wave - if I take off late, I find paddling really, really hard, giving it two extra strokes and really fighting against getting sucked up the face by forcing my weight and the board down the face is a successful strategy.

On these crumblier waves - because they're so slow, I find it's easier to time a quick popup without having to really fight against getting sucked up the wave. Should I be paddling harder to get down the face and, "away from the whitewater" as you say? Would this increase my rate of success.

Or is trying to time it and pop up as fast as possible the best bet?

Thanks!

IanCaio wrote:As Waikikikichan said, there's no such thing as getting 100% of the drops and there are lots of things that can influence whether you'll make it or not. How hard the lip throws on top of you, how far the lip throws, how big the wave is, how fast it's going to be, etc.

Ideally you'd position yourself and time your paddling so you don't have to drop in with the white water breaking on top of you. When for some reason it happens, the best chance you have IMHO is to pop up really fast, which is going to be harder because you'll have the wave breaking on top of you. Taking a bit longer to get up on the board and you're likely wiping out.

ConcreteVitamin wrote:Is riding down prone then pop up in the flat an option?

That's actually the last thing I'd try to do in that situation, getting up fast gives you more control. Going down the wave on your belly with it breaking on top of you is going to result in pearling most of the times. You might get to the flats, but not on top of your board

I mean, that's if I'm understanding the question right.

Hey man - thx for the response. I've definitely employed the "pop up in the flat" strategy - rarely pearl, but it's usually a waste of a wave - lose a lot of speed and position - usually just wind up hitting a closeout after getting up and bottom turning back.

Let me ask it a different way. Is the method for a late takeoff similar across all wave types?

For example,

On a fast, hollow wave - if I take off late, I find paddling really, really hard, giving it two extra strokes and really fighting against getting sucked up the face by forcing my weight and the board down the face is a successful strategy.

On these crumblier waves - because they're so slow, I find it's easier to time a quick popup without having to really fight against getting sucked up the wave. Should I be paddling harder to get down the face and, "away from the whitewater" as you say? Would this increase my rate of success.

Or is trying to time it and pop up as fast as possible the best bet?

Thanks!

oldmansurfer wrote:Find a better wave. Waves are all different some are just as you say crumble and then if you aren't right at the peak they don't offer much help in catching the wave. Thus finding a better wave is the solution or a bigger board might help because you could get into the wave sooner and it takes less wave power to get up to speed. I have surfed waves like that. There are so many different waves out there. Every wave is different even if it looks identical. The more varieties you can surf the more fun you will have. So you know what it takes to ride those waves and that is lining up exactly right learn to position yourself better and you will catch more or try a bigger board.

Hey man - thx for the advice. I'll keep surfing!

shaaaaaan2020 wrote:Hey man - thx for the response. I've definitely employed the "pop up in the flat" strategy - rarely pearl, but it's usually a waste of a wave - lose a lot of speed and position - usually just wind up hitting a closeout after getting up and bottom turning back.

That probably worked because the wave was very mellow, on slightly steeper waves it's harder to get to the flats on your belly when the lip is breaking on top of you. But as you noticed yourself, even if you make it you likely lose the wave because you wasted all the pumping/trimming you could have done on the face and get on your feet on a part of the wave that doesn't have much energy (the flats).

shaaaaaan2020 wrote:Let me ask it a different way. Is the method for a late takeoff similar across all wave types?

I would say on both mellow and steep waves, the earlier you can get on your feet the best. Dropping while the whitewater is breaking on top of you shouldn't happen that often, you should be taking off slightly before it breaking, but if you have to I don't see advantages to trying to ride away from it before getting up.

While it's true that you have more control after standing it's only true if you know what to do after standing. If not then learning to place the board in the best position while laying sitting kneeling is going to teach how to ride a wave even without standing. I am regularly caught having to decide if I'm going to popup fully or stay in whatever position I am in due to bouncing of the board while trying to popup. When I don't popup I often have a nice ride maybe only because I am familiar with riding boards while not standing and steering the board is all that is required on the wave. When I do popup maybe I will have a good ride or maybe I fall. For me is still a learning curve, do I popup, bail or stay where I am and steer the board? I think I am fairly good at picking when to bail but the other choices not so good.