The 6ft barrier.

[Kaaimans]

I've been stuck on a max of 6ft waves for almost two years now. (6ft meaning the back of the wave.) 4-5ft if it is thick and hollow.
I've been training hard and I know my body can handle more than I'm doing at the moment, and there was a sesh or two that I crossed over to 7-8ft, but that is rare and I have to be in the zone. How do I convince my mind that I can handle the waves? The problem is big waves don't come often, and there is no way to gradually get used to big waves, when it comes I have to be either in there or not, there is no middle ground. The spots that take the big swells don't have multiple take off points, and it is pretty much the same size the entire wave, so there is no working up to the big waves in a sesh, as to get smaller waves I have to be right where the big ones are going to hit.

I know I can handle the waves, since I can do 400 situps, 200 pushups, and 200 squats, I can hold my breath for almost 3 minutes, but when it comes down to it, I'm just to scared to even try. How do I get over this barrier? I am tired of always going to the more sheltered, familiar spots when it gets big, I want to be out there getting barrelled. I have the skill, I am fit, and winter is coming up. I don't want this to be the 3rd winter of cowardice! I am turning 18 and I want to prove to myself that I can surf bigger, heavier, more critical waves.

[volcomism]

It's all about commitment and confidence. If you paddle into a decent sized wave, you need to commit to it! Don't half-ass paddle, or have a shaky-pop up ; it'll only bite ya. When you see that wave coming, check your left and right ; and just GO FOR IT. Commit to it and tell yourself, this wave is mine. Paddle smooth and steady, nail your popup and race the section. Just have fun with it, don't stress.

[billie_morini]

Dear Kaa - man,
If I could do I can do 400 situps, 200 pushups, and 200 squats or even half as many of any one single exercise, I'd be quite satisfied with myself. Not sure I'd care if I could surf waves greater than 6ft.
billie

[tony g]

I have found out the hard way that the ocean is way more powerful than we are. The truth is we are fragile. If you are not comfortable in bigger waves then do not surf bigger waves. It is true every surfer wants to push themselves, but within reason. If you are hesitant out there you may get into trouble. I agree with the earlier post, hesitate you may be to late. I find I will surf bigger waves when I am surfing more and feel like I can handle it. If you are in the charging mode then go for it. I think The more you are surfing the more comfortable you will be in bigger conditions.You could also swim for cross training, and that may help build confidence in bigger surf.

[jaffa1949]

It is quite hard to cross a perceived barrier particularly where the conditions aren't there often enough to become used to it.
If you could go on a surf trip and have the size at your favourable spot gradually increase you would slot in well and be surprised how much bigger you took on.
If you are scared of the beating you may get as it gets bigger, two methods 1 stay within your comfort zone ( and that's OK)
or 2 go out and take a smacking or surf it well either result will tell you where you belong in the food chain.
I wish more people would be as aware as you about their limits and how to expand them.
There is nothing worse in a heavy big surf to have to deal with people who lack skills,awareness and have bulls'd themselves about their courage..
respect yourself try a little more and do it as you can.
To encourage you here are two pictures of one foot waves.

one foot wave!

Another one foot wave

[garbarrage]

I have the same problem as you. My method of dealing with it is to go out every time no matter what. Usually when it gets that big here there aren't that many people in the water and those that are I know. They are actually happy to see me have a go. Been trying this for a coule of winters and gotten smashed every time, which wiped my confidence a lot.

The last time I went out at that size, the swell built while I was out there, so had already caught a couple of overhead waves and was frothing in a crowded line-up. As the size built the crowd thinned until there was just myself and 2 other guys in the water. I was still a bit cautious as I felt that day was mine. I sat wide, and a bit further out while the other 2 caught a few. A bomb set rolled through and my caution actually paid off as I was sat in just the right spot. The other 2 guys weren't so lucky lol. Paddled like a motor boat, dropped in, wobbled, thought I was going to wipeout, then the rail grabbed the face and it all came together. I didn't do much more than hold on, but I was buzzing. I got out after as the paddle out was hellish. But as I walked back to the van I over-heard a Kiwi guy calling over to his mate, "Hey Cam, you see that? Some f'n kook just got the wave of his life!". Never been as proud to be a kook.

Only wish the winter was a bit longer now though. Well, I would if I hadn't just had my first week of the year surfing without a hood, gloves, or booties. Won't go into how my next surf at an easy beach break at shoulder to head high was a complete shambles either.

My point (after a long story that I tell at every oppurtunity) is that if you don't keep trying it won't happen. Keep at it, and maybe all the factors will come together. Swells that are building are a great help also. I am by no means over the hump, but that one wave gave me the confidence to know that I can do it. Was the best wave I've ever had, and would hate it to be the last one I have like it.

[Deepwaterdesigns]

I cant wait till i get to the 6ft barrier! im still stuck on the 4ft barrier!
Love jaffa's idea of a "1 foot wave" thought....

[Surf Hound]

Best advice I got was to paddle out . I paddled out maybe 2 times on conditions bigger than I would have ever surfed before and just sat in the line up. Bear in mine, I was out of everyone's way and by no means a bother to anyone, I was just there getting comfortable. I guess I probably had 2 hours each session and never caught a wave. I did however almost take a couple on the head on set waves, which was great. Those huge sets rolling in and me paddling NORTH as fast as I could to get over that massive wall building, I nearly s*it my pants, I didn't quite make it and had to dive off my board and diving as deep as I could without hitting reef to get under, all the while my board pulling my leg and myself back towards the wave. Man I was scared, I popped my head out pulled on my leash to gather my board and I could here everyone around me hooting and hollering about how they just about "got it" as well. Right then and there, I realized I could handle the conditions and the guys out that day were the same as me (paddling like hell to get over that wall and then praying and swiming like hell to avoid the pounding). Suddenly, most of my fears were simmered and maybe 30 minutes later I really wanted to go in and figured the best, safesty way in would be to catch a wave in a far as I could and then paddle the rest of the way. So I waited for a nice clean set to come in and picked me off a clean wave and rode that thing in, all the while hopping like hell I wouldn't fall and have to take one or two on the head. I made it and since that day have been able to surf what I used to not. I am not sayin I am ripping these waves yet, but I am charging more than I ever have. Each session I am gaining confidence and feeling less scared. I guess what I am saying is that I had to actually get out there and experience what I was afraid of before I could actually surf. Dont get me wrong, I nearly sh*t my pants on those big ass waves rolling in, but I did handle them and I noticed I handled them just as well as the guys around me. I was able to push my limits to DOH now but I wouldn't say I am nearly comfortable but I am getting there......

[garbarrage]

I cant wait till i get to the 6ft barrier! im still stuck on the 4ft barrier!
Love jaffa's idea of a "1 foot wave" thought....

Not a bad place to be stuck... 4ft waves are the most fun IMO.

[Deepwaterdesigns]

Like surfhound above, ive also had a similar experience the last time i went out in the bigger stuff.
it was about 3 months ago and i got a similar battering, plus half a sea urchin in places i would rather not mention. however, it has made me feel a bit more comfortable taking on slightly bigger stuff. i did also just sit, slightly outside the line-up and just watched where, when and how the other guys were riding, taking off etc.... the more i watched, the more the confidence grew, before i finally took off on one... i made it to the bottom of the wave but lost my footing, hit bottom, made friends with the aforementioned sea urchin, and then took a few on the head before getting back out to the safety of the channel. Again i sat and watched, but this time decided not to paddle for one and headed back to shore after another 10 or so mins, confidence well and truly knocked.

but, i didnt die, i didnt drown and now i feel like i could paddle out on a day slightly smaller than that, and be ok. i think part of the issue that day was that it was very messy and choppy, it was hard to predict when and where the set was coming. maybe if i had gone out on a same size swell ( they said on the forecast sites it was 7-8ft but i think it was more likely 5-6ft) but a cleaner and glassier day i might have had better luck.

my issue at the moment is that, as i work on a ship and only get limited time off, i tend to pick the smaller days to actually go out and have fun, rather than wasting my surf getting smashed around, and trying to push myself. ive been picking the mellower days and concentrating on my longboarding and just having fun. when i get back to dry land and can go out every day then ill start pushing the pace a bit.

[Aloha]

It all depends on how the wave breaks, I'll happily paddle into anything (board length permitting) if I know it's not going to pitch violently and one mistake and you are reef food. So if it's not doing that then triple overhead waves can be fun too. For those critical ones mentioned above I don't think I'd be happy with them being over 6 foot (double overhead) either. Also if you are in Hawaii (are you?) then that's another kettle of fish as those waves have way more power than most places in the world.

Generally when it's massive I take my time, pick the right wave and then commit. I don't think I've ever had a really bad wipeout when it's big, don't get me wrong, I get smashed, but all my bad hold downs are from duckdives during cleanup sets.

If it's safe enough you can always jut paddle out and shoulder hop, sit a few of the big ones out and go for something in between. If you aren't having fun then you shouldn't be there. Surfing is about having fun, if you enjoy the adrenalin rush from steep drops then you've just got to go and do it. I absolutely love surfing with mates when it's big because you try to out do the other guy by taking off steeper and on bigger waves each time. You also do get smashed and you laugh at each other when it happens. It's the best!

But yeah a steep wave is a steep wave, if it's steep at 4 foot and you have the ability to make the drop then you'll probably make it at 6 or 8. I don't take off on nasty waves where I have a high change of not making if my ability sucks, you have to weigh up the odds, and if they are in your favour then paddle like hell.

[madcat]

Alright so I guess I don't have quite the same mind set as some surfers. If I'm not surfing over rocks I really don't care how big it is. My issue stems more from "Is it going to close out on me right as I drop in?" but even that is rare. I guess a lot of people just sit in the lineup's for awhile, I don't think I've ever sat outside for more than 15 minutes. If I see a peak coming and am ready I honestly don't think about it, I just go.

The place I surf at was really big the last 2 weeks or so on some days. 10' + for about 4 days running. The form sucked and it was pretty nasty when they would close out, but I just don't think about it much. I'm not really that good yet and I eat it a lot, but it's just water. As long as you don't get held down or slammed into anything you should be ok. I rollerbladed for about 10 years and after jumping into 16 foot wooden wave ramps and onto rails, the water just doesn't scare me that much.

[Aloha]

Alright so I guess I don't have quite the same mind set as some surfers. If I'm not surfing over rocks I really don't care how big it is. My issue stems more from "Is it going to close out on me right as I drop in?" but even that is rare. I guess a lot of people just sit in the lineup's for awhile, I don't think I've ever sat outside for more than 15 minutes. If I see a peak coming and am ready I honestly don't think about it, I just go.

The place I surf at was really big the last 2 weeks or so on some days. 10' + for about 4 days running. The form sucked and it was pretty nasty when they would close out, but I just don't think about it much. I'm not really that good yet and I eat it a lot, but it's just water. As long as you don't get held down or slammed into anything you should be ok. I rollerbladed for about 10 years and after jumping into 16 foot wooden wave ramps and onto rails, the water just doesn't scare me that much.

That's why I reckon a lot of beginners should do more body surfing. Once they are fit (good swimmers) and confident they should go body surfing on a medium to large day. When you do this, every wave finishes with a hold down of some sort, and you get tumbled way more than in a whole years worth of surfing. You'll see it's not all that bad. Getting put through the spin cycle is kind of fun.

I'm not saying that the OP is a beginner or that this is for him, I'm just saying in general.

However this still doesn't mean that beginners should throw themselves into big waves, as one thing they probably haven't got down pat is getting away from their board when you wipe out. It's instinctive for a seasoned surfer but beginners can end up on their fins when they airdrop out of the lip etc.

[Kaaimans]

Well, I'm not in Hawaii, but I am in South Africa. The places that hold waves more than double over where I live is very critical and hollow, and it breaks half a kilometer out to sea.
I have been surfing with more and more confidence. There where a few days at the 5ft region, which where thick and hollow, where instead of just surfing it like I normally would, I was doing huge turns and getting some deep barrels. (One day I had 6 barrels.) I am surfing a 5ft, heavy wave, like I used to surf a 4ft, not so hollow wave.

Oh, and should I mention all the spots I surf are reefs and points, and to get back in you have to paddle through the impact zone, and towards rocks.
My confidence grew tons in the past few weeks.
I'll see if I can do some big turns and get some barrels next time a hollow, good forming 6ft day comes, and see if the wipeouts do not hit me as hard as I remember. (I haven't surfed 6ft since last winter, with the exeption of a day this February where the waves got over 6ft, where didn't get wiped out, and only had one duckdive.)
I'm also doing some apnea training. I am seeing if I can do good sized sets of pushups after emptying my lungs completely of air. My max is at 20 pushups per set. I'm going to see if I can get it to 40.
If I can get my apnea training in gear, and if I perform well in 6ft, with some big turns and some barrels, I think my confidence will get enough of a boost that I can get my max size up to 8ft.
After I finish school (I'm in Grade 11 now) I will be able to travel the countries coastline and find some bigger waves. My local doesn't get more that 6ft often, and to get an 8ft swell that still breaks cleanly is very rare. But there is some spots within an hours drive that get up to 10ft, and Jeffries Bay is only 3 hours drive. I want to get to 9ft+ before I go to J-bay, since the crowd is to heavy to get any waves when the waves are 6ft-8ft. Once it gets bigger than that though, it thins out to 30-40 guys out at supertubes. (Normally it gets up to 100...) That is also when it becomes possible to surf from Boneyards, through Supertubes, past impossibles, through Tubes, all the way to the point. That is almost a mile long ride, with many barrels in between. I haven't went to J-bay yet, as I first want to be free to stay there for a few months, getting to know the wave, getting ready to surf one of those really big days. And I'd like to be ready to do that by the time I finish school un two years time...

[Aloha]

Well it sounds like you've got way more experience than most of the posters on this board so I don't think you'll get much out of this forum. Plus you are still pretty young so there's no rush, you might find in a few years that those waves aren't as serious. Waves of consequence are brutal and don't care how experienced you are so it's always good to trust your instincts. I found overseas surf trips changed my surfing dramatically as I was able to surf large perfect waves twice a day for 10 days each time. You come back home and the big waves at home just aren't as scary. However I get slammed much more at home, due to the unpredictable nature of beach breaks compared to perfect reef surf, but that's another story.

[Kaaimans]

Well, I wouldn't say I have more experience, since I've only been surfing for 3 1/2 years. But I am kind of nurtured around powerful reefs and points.
I also got myself a set of bigger fins, since last time I surfed a 5-6ft day, I did a nice turn, and as I started coming down from it, the wave pitched. I tried pulling in, but I couldn't quite catch my rail and my fins slid out. I ended up falling and I started kicking, but for some reason I only kicked air, not water, then I realized I'm stuck in the pit. A few milliseconds later I ended up getting nicely crushed...
I then looked up the weight range of my fins, (G5's) and saw that it was in the 65-75kg range. I'm 6'3" and 85kg... So I ordered a set of M7, which should have a lot more hold, and has less drive, which is good since I often get pushed past a barrel section regardless of stalling.

Anyway, I just find typing all the stuff out helps me find where the problem lies, and then I normally solve it myself before anyone else can give me much advice. It's a mental game after all, weather you want to transition from 4ft to 6ft, or from 6ft to 8ft, or 8ft to 10ft, or from 25ft to 50ft...

[surf doc]

I've only been surfing about a year, but I think I can relate to finding myself outside of the comfort zone. For me, anything over 4-5' can get me nervous, but like others have said it also depends on the type of wave. When I'm at porto and it's 4ft, it's usually hollow and steep, and when you get caught inside duckdiving is almost useless as the wave will still crash ontop of you and toss you about even with a solid dive. But there are other spots in socal, like sunset blvd where 4-5 ft waves are gentle as they break slowly from bottom to top and getting caught inside is no big deal. I rarely get out of my comfort zone there.

Getting tossed about in the washer is usually no big deal when you are in your comfort zone. I think people get into trouble when they have fear AND get tossed around. If you are confident that you'll surface, then yes it's actually kinda fun flipping about. But when you get whiped out and there's some uncertainty about how long you'll be under, panic can set in. We've all felt that before, and it can make you struggle to get to the surface at the wrong time, it also makes your heart race, and these two things together burn oxygen and that's a good way to get yourself in trouble.

[Aloha]

Anyway, I just find typing all the stuff out helps me find where the problem lies, and then I normally solve it myself before anyone else can give me much advice.

I have that a lot too, on other forums about other things, e.g. technical or mechanical.

[Sham]

yesterday I paddled out in bigger conditions than I have ever before (only 4-5 ft (with some 6-7ft sets occasionally) which for me is huge!) once I got out there I was immediately struck with fear and couldn't (or wouldnt) paddle for any waves.. i was out there for about 30 minutes trying to decide what to do.. do I try and paddle in and get smashed or what.. i decided the best way in was to catch a slightly smaller wave coming in.. so i paddled furiously for the next decent wave knowing that if i missed it i was then too far in for the next set and would get crumbled again. anyway. i caught the wave and actually rode it really well! felt awesome! i caught it almost all the way into the shore and sat on the beach.. and after about 10 minutes i decide that wave was too much fun and i should paddle out. but same thing happened.. got out(finally) and just started shitting myself again.. this time i think the swell might have picked up and i seriously didnt know what to do

i was out there for an hour that time and seriously i just felt sick. im not the best surfer and just didnt know what to do.. finally i decided just to paddle in when i saw a break in the sets.. i still got thumped and probably should have tried to catch a wave but my mind just wouldnt let me.. when i finally washed up on shore i just lied on the sand haha not as fun as i thought it would be!

i need to get over it cos winter is nearly here and the swell is picking up almost everyday! and i dont wanna not surf everyday.. im loving it too much!

[behindThePeak]

yesterday I paddled out in bigger conditions than I have ever before (only 4-5 ft (with some 6-7ft sets occasionally) which for me is huge!) once I got out there I was immediately struck with fear and couldn't (or wouldnt) paddle for any waves.. i was out there for about 30 minutes trying to decide what to do.. do I try and paddle in and get smashed or what.. i decided the best way in was to catch a slightly smaller wave coming in.. so i paddled furiously for the next decent wave knowing that if i missed it i was then too far in for the next set and would get crumbled again. anyway. i caught the wave and actually rode it really well! felt awesome! i caught it almost all the way into the shore and sat on the beach.. and after about 10 minutes i decide that wave was too much fun and i should paddle out. but same thing happened.. got out(finally) and just started shitting myself again.. this time i think the swell might have picked up and i seriously didnt know what to do

i was out there for an hour that time and seriously i just felt sick. im not the best surfer and just didnt know what to do.. finally i decided just to paddle in when i saw a break in the sets.. i still got thumped and probably should have tried to catch a wave but my mind just wouldnt let me.. when i finally washed up on shore i just lied on the sand haha not as fun as i thought it would be!

i need to get over it cos winter is nearly here and the swell is picking up almost everyday! and i dont wanna not surf everyday.. im loving it too much!

haha, well written. i know that feeling well. so well....