CAN YOU DUCK DIVE A 7'0 FUNBOARD?

[dougirwin13]

Ah Rich R!

A fellow sceptic!

Read what I had to say on slice n duck in the longboard forum.

And what borneng had to say afterwards.

And, for your viewing convenience, the image borneng posted:
.

But you are right, the world really is flat. <J>

In your defense I did play down the difficulty factor

-doug

[sinistapenguin]

You can definitely duck-dive that board.

I'm 5'10 & 180lbs and can duck my 7'5 mini-mal with no-problem. In fact I can duck it better than I could my 6'6 x 18 x 2 1/4 thruster!

It's all about technique. The thing I find is that once the nose is down you need to REALLY push the tail down. I use my foot. It's the only way to get the board right under and coming up in the right position.

My friend is the same height, but lighter and he can duck his 9'6 longboard! OK it doesn't go quite so smoothly, but he can do it!

It's all about technique and unfortunately I think this is different for each person/ board combination and the best way to sort it out is go out on a really small day, when you're not bothered about getting worked cos the waves are too small, then just keep trying different things til it clicks!

That's what I did!

Cheers

Sinista

[dougirwin13]

Ahmen Sinista!

-doug

[rich r]

Why you would want to slice and duck a longboard in medium to big conditions versus eskimo roll is beyond me. Look at the grimace on that guy's face trying to keep that nose under water.

I can only imagine the forward motion you loose in the manuver, as well.

I would love to see video of someone 5'10" and under 180lbs duck diving a 9-6 longboard. I'd pay money to see it, actually. Or at least buy a couple pints.

[dougirwin13]

Eskimo in medium to big and you get pushed back way too far... It turns into a real battle just to get out back.

As usual it's different to duckdiving a shortboard. But practice is the key... It's quite effective once you get it sorted out.

Slice n duck is mostly technique, not muscle. Although bodyweight obviously helps a bit.

My 9'6" does it easy enough and I am 6'0" and 83kg.

From the same book (page 58):

What Really Big Aussies Do
Bill Stewart has told be this story twice so it must be true:
"Frank Latta and I were surfing some good size waves in Australia, maybe 10 feet, and we got caught inside. Along came this huge waal of white water and it looked like a problem. But Frank Stood up on his board, sank the tail first, then the entire board, and then completely disappeared underwater(!) The soup passed by him without a scratch.
"I saw him do that all day. Sinking the board like that just wasn't a big issue for him. I imagine, though, that it does take a high degree of skill to execute, and, like anything else, alotta practice to pull off."
(Sorry, no pix of this particular feat, although I wish we did. Maybe in the reprint.)

I particularly echo the author's last sentence.

If you have further questions or comments about (or against) the technique you might wish to ask Doug Werner (the author), Bill Stewart or Henry Ford (major sources). They are all highly skilled at the technique and strongly recommend it. You will find their email addresses easily enough of you have good search skills.

-doug

[sinistapenguin]

I would love to see video of someone 5'10" and under 180lbs duck diving a 9-6 longboard. I'd pay money to see it, actually. Or at least buy a couple pints.

I've seen him do it. It wasn't pretty and damn sure wasn't as effective as a turtle roll. But my point was that it can be done!

[bokey]

Your better off turtling the board, this will probably be your most effective way of being pushed back to shore

[rich r]

I'd remind people that brute force is usually not the way to get out back, in any case.

The first thing you should be doing to get out back, especially on a bigger day, is knowing the break. Where are the deep spots? Where is the rip?

I can get out on a 8'-15' (face) day and only need to roll two or three times on my 8-6, without getting sucked back towards shore by knowing *where* to paddle out. Meanwhile, guys on shortboards duck diving are still struggling their way through the impact zone.

Regardless of technique, on a medium-big day, you're going to get pounded trying to roll or dive a longboard if you don't paddle out in the right place.

[dougirwin13]

Couldn't agree more Rich!

-doug

[sinistapenguin]

Good point rich - understanding the break helps enormously!