Surfing Waves

Hi..
I have recently started to use a small beginners trick that has helped me a lot on steep waves. I am catching the wave at a 90 degree angle.. Just when the wave stopps lifting the board, and the board starts moving forward, I lean a bit over the side of the board to point it towards the side of the unbroken part of the wave. Then I pop up.

If the wave gets real steep and starts to breake on top of me, then I just keep on my belly until the worst is over.

The fact that I seem to be able to get safe down these steep waves have removed a great deal of my fear about steep waves, and I paddle with more determination ( and trying to catch the vave as early as possible )


Torben

Not really a beginners trick there mate, it's actually just a slow version of how the pros take off. Speed it up and it will be almost like you are placing the board under your feet in the right spot on the wave at the right time and will allow you to adjust your take off to virtually any wave.

Torben,

how do you change direction of the board? simply leaning on one side? there is no risk of slipping/falling though?
where are the 90degrees you talk about??? or you mean you go "horizontally" (parallel to the shore)? in this case i guess the board would be flipped over.

plz shed some light!

garbarrage wrote:Not really a beginners trick there mate, it's actually just a slow version of how the pros take off. Speed it up and it will be almost like you are placing the board under your feet in the right spot on the wave at the right time and will allow you to adjust your take off to virtually any wave.

mmmm, i still didn't get it. Any video?
thanks in advance

No video... but if you look at how beginners take off, they get to their feet while the board is still moving forward in a straight line towards the beach. Which means that if a wave is peeling quickly they will most likely get caught behind the section.

More experienced surfers are moving down the line AS they get to their feet. They direct the board with their hands and body as they are taking off. The way I learned was almost like bodyboarding onto the face on steeper waves. The most important part of the difference I think, is changing your focus from "getting to your feet" to "getting onto the face". What starts to happen (at least for me anyway) is that those few milliseconds getting to your feet slow down a bit because you become more in tune with what the wave is doing and notice changes in the wave sooner.

thanks.
but what is the difference with the usual "take off at an angle"?
angling the board and looking at the direction you want to go are the first things we are told to avoid nose-diving and/or to be left in the white water by the water peeling at our sides.
Where are the 90 degrees Torben was talking about?

Think he means he is paddling straight toward the beach which will actually allow you to catch the wave a bit earlier as it makes the difference in speed between you and the wave a bit less. The difference between this and the "learner's line" is that this approach requires more adjustment while catching the wave.

The "learner's line" is just a way of giving beginners one less thing to think about. Or to make their first turn a bit easier. Will always have it's place though. Different waves demand different approaches.

garbarrage wrote:Think he means he is paddling straight toward the beach

as far as I know (and experienced unfortunately) is that if your nose points towards the shore you end up nose diving, or taking off with a drop/jump. This is the first thing to avoid if waves are steep

garbarrage wrote: The difference between this and the "learner's line"

I am confused...maybe my poor english skills... "learner's line" for me is "straight line"...so no difference in my opinion. I guess I ignore what a "lerner's line" is.

garbarrage wrote:The "learner's line" is just a way of giving beginners one less thing to think about. Or to make their first turn a bit easier.

i think it makes it more difficult: if you go straight, you may end up in the trough, and no way to turn the board

garbarrage wrote:Think he means he is paddling straight toward the beach

lorcar wrote:as far as I know (and experienced unfortunately) is that if your nose points towards the shore you end up nose diving, or taking off with a drop/jump. This is the first thing to avoid if waves are steep

so how do you guys avoid this? i've tried catching a wave with my board tilted a little bit to the side i want to go but everytime the wave comes, it just flips my board.

Hi again

Here are photos showing what I think is a good way to catch a wave.

http://www.silversurferdude.com/my_diar ... hawave.htm

If the wave is coming towards you at anything else but a 90 degree angle, then when it starts lifting the board it will flip the board.

Just when the wave starts lifting your board arch your back. This is when the board like to dig in. As soon you see this is not happening, then chest down on the board to catch the wave.

Paddle hard before the wave start lifting the board.

Do not go for the biggest waves. They tend to close out. Aim for the medium size well shaped one.

Good luck

Torben

lorcar wrote:

garbarrage wrote:Think he means he is paddling straight toward the beach

as far as I know (and experienced unfortunately) is that if your nose points towards the shore you end up nose diving, or taking off with a drop/jump. This is the first thing to avoid if waves are steep

garbarrage wrote: The difference between this and the "learner's line"

I am confused...maybe my poor english skills... "learner's line" for me is "straight line"...so no difference in my opinion. I guess I ignore what a "lerner's line" is.

garbarrage wrote:The "learner's line" is just a way of giving beginners one less thing to think about. Or to make their first turn a bit easier.

i think it makes it more difficult: if you go straight, you may end up in the trough, and no way to turn the board

You do need to angle your board at some point during your take off, just as you get better you learn to do it later in the process. By "learner's line" I mean beginning your paddle for the wave at a slight angle from the start of the "see a wave, paddle, catch a wave process". More experienced surfers tend to do this at the last possible second, because the rest of the time they are watching the wave as they are paddling, and either paddling deeper or wider as is needed. They are constantly evaluating the wave as it approaches and making adjustments accordingly.

Some waves demand you take a drop, there's not much else you can do except get better at making them.

I actually found this to end up with me sometimes turning to fast into the wave and catching rail. I find it better to go straight down, but as you go down, look down the line. As you do this your body will naturally let you flow into the wave. When going for really steep, bowling waves, aiming to much for the shoulder or rushing the bottom turn can make you catch rail.