Duck Diving

[hurley891]

Can anyone offer some tips for duck diving?. I've got to the point with my surfing where I want to paddle out into some bigger waves (slightly bigger!) and was just wondering whats the best way of getting under those waves which you know are guna crash right on you!!

[isaluteyou]

what type/size boards you riding?

[Pornstar]

The best way to get under waves that are about to break on you is by learning to paddle more efficiently.
Also there´s no better way to duckdive deeper than to keep on doing it.

ISU has a point... there is always a limit up to where you are going to be able to duckdive a fat fish, longboard minimal, etc... So if you are trying to duckdive on a big plank on double OH waves, welll Good luck.

I dont know why but i dont think that might be your case, but letting the other guys know what kind of board and waves you are talking about might help them out wgiving you a better advice.

[drowningbitbybit]

whats the best way of getting under those waves which you know are guna crash right on you!!

Being somewhere else is the best trick.

[hurley891]

I ride a channel islands 6.4 MX, its just my technique with the duck diving that lets me down, once I sink the board I end up pushing it out in front of me so it rises back up again lol#

[surferdude_scarborough]

er thats how youre supposed to do it. maybe youre going down too early and coming back up in the wave rather than behind it.

[kaka]

mmm i ride a 5'7" most of the time
and although i can get under most of the time sometimes the energy of the wave just refuses to disperse and i need to get deeper
can someone just right instructions or link elsewhere

[jonathanderick]

I have just recently become comfortable with my duck dive. I noticed that a successful dive is really dependent on the speed of you and your board.

About a year ago, I would just dip my board under and then follow it with my body before the wave/whitewash hit. I would be at a slow speed or laying idly, which is why the board and I would just pop right back up to my original position, and I would be pushed back. Speed is key.

Of course, none of this matters if you do not have your technique down, which is really something you will achieve through a lot of trial and error and finding what is right. Someone on this site posted that the duck dive motion is exactly like the motion of a regular dive. This little tidbit helped me heaps, mainly with conceptualizing the importance of weight distribution.

[IB_Surfer]

Sounds like you already know what you are doing.

The only advice I have is paddle fast towards the wave before you duckdive, don't stand still or stall. With the forward motion you will end up farther behind the impact and thus it will seem easier, even though it's the same duckdive you already do.

Nomal ability progression, as you become a better surfer you get better at duckdiving too, keep at it, keep the stoke.