Surfing Waves

Hi All,

Just thought i would update with my progress so far. Started way back in July 2012.. Had the what board shall i go for queeries and ended up with a 7'6" minimal. This felt tiny, wobbly and just darn hard to get a feel to! It must have been about 4 weeks later that i actually managed to ride a wave in the white water.. I go pretty much every Saturday unless it's flat as anything! I can now sit on the board like the others and can get the front under when trying to duckdive but am struggling with getting the back down

Saturday just gone i feel has been my biggest improvement/achievement so far. I managed to catch my first unbroken wave and ride down the face of it. Even if it was for only a few seconds it felt awesome! Managed to catch a few of these and of course bailed a load too! There was one time where two of us were paddling for the same wave we both caught it and as i started to decend.. i face planted.. wouldn't have bothered me too much, but she.. yes SHE managed to ride it without falling off!

So far starting on a 7'6" board has been very, very challenging but very rewarding. I would 100% advise new surfers to start on anything bigger then 8' if they want to learn quickly!

Would like to thank everyone for the advise and help on the forum, specifically Jaffa for helping me decide what board to get! Can't wait for my next session now!!

That' s very merry Wherry, don't get hung up too much, there are lots of face plants between minor events of standing Kahuna tall.
A Jaffa example recently, good surf good line up for take, the Jaffa paddles he catches it!
Tries to stand to take drop, right knee refuses to unfold last sight of Jaffa on that wave was him taking the whole lot on the head, = drowned rat splat!.
Yesterday's training surf prior to going oversees, paddle out wind change. Minor messy surf has turned to victory at sea, only thing to do prone in.

Even after 54 years humbling occurs often. Fortunately I haven' t got the desire to be humbled by something like Teahopou. Any small to medium wave has the opportunity

Glad to have helped!

Oh don't you worry, i do get some looks by other begginers when i eat sh*t get back out and do it again! I did get my own back as i caught the next one and they fell off!

Guys, i need a bit of help now. I do this all on my own so whatever you guys suggest is all the help i will get! I'm now catching the face of the wave, but only for a very short period as i can't seem to go across the face. If i angle my board then i tend to bail. I've tried to bottom turn/lean but i can't do that either! I'm learning on a 7'6 x 21 3/4" x 2 7/8" what am i doing wrong/do i need to do right?

Wherry wrote:Guys, i need a bit of help now. I do this all on my own so whatever you guys suggest is all the help i will get! I'm now catching the face of the wave, but only for a very short period as i can't seem to go across the face. If i angle my board then i tend to bail. I've tried to bottom turn/lean but i can't do that either! I'm learning on a 7'6 x 21 3/4" x 2 7/8" what am i doing wrong/do i need to do right?

When you angle your take-off, as you pop-up, lean into the face of the wave a bit; ride your surfboard more from the middle too. That is what I do on my longboard and it works a treat, but i've seen people do it on shorter boards too in videos (indeed watch someone shortboarding in a barrel).

As was said, after you pop up then turn straight away along the face of the wave - dont surf to the bottom of the wave then try to turn back up the face (obviously you can do this too, in theory, but I'm more than aware its harder than it looks). You should be able to angle about 15-30 degrees during paddling, then you turn a little bit more - often just a little back leg extension/push will do it.

Another possibility is that you are catching the wave too late and dont have enough time to turn before the wave breaks. On a 7ft6 board you should be able to catch the wave fairly early - so paddle out another 5m from where you normally start and see if you can still catch the wave. If the waves washes under you, move in a few metres and try again. Its much easier to pop up and turn before the wave starts curling.

Good luck - one wave you will nail it and then you will have it all sorted!

Thank you both for your reply, i will try all suggestions as i really need to start nailing this!

I should be going out tonight so will put this to the test!

You are going great mate. My most remember stack the other day was catching the wave at the same time with my mate. It was a steep wave and I watched him stack it and starfish to the bottom. Unfortunately in not concentrating my rails caught on and I went down too at the same time.

For every good wave you catch there will be many stacks behind it but when you land it, the reward is great! Keep at it!

Hello!
I have written a little guide book with information on the tricks and tips I used when learning to surf, it is for both beginner and intermediate surfers covering everything from pop ups to aerials. There are some sections relevant to your question and I have quoted a section below and I really think bottom turns are key to setting up for riding along the face.

Bottom Turns
Your first bottom turn on any given wave is critical as it is this manoeuvre that sets the wave up for you. A good bottom turn should give you the drive and power required to accelerate yourself along the wave face. This acceleration allows you to keep up with the unbroken section of the wave in front of the breaking lip. Having just popped up you should be light on your feet, with a slight bend of the knees. There is no point standing rigidly on your board; you need to be relaxed and allow your body to move freely. No matter whether you approach the bottom of the wave frontside (surfing along the wave facing the wave) or backside (surfing along the wave with your back to the wave), you need to lean into the wave face to initiate the turn. Have your weight centred over the board and think about what your head and shoulders are doing as the rest of your body will tend to follow. Rotate your shoulders to face slightly up the wave face and push down with your legs to accelerate the board in an arc back up the wave face. The harder and further you rotate your shoulders and body, the tighter the turn will be. The idea is not to shoot down the wave face onto the flat water in front but to continue to maintain or build speed along the wave face.

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Having since posted this i haven't been able to get back out in the water so never had a chance to practise. I also needed some quick cash so had to sell my board, made £60 profit and managed to pay for my hotel in Singapore enroute to travelling up OZ. There will be plenty of time for me to practice round there!

Wherry wrote:enroute to travelling up OZ. There will be plenty of time for me to practice round there!

Where are you heading? Plenty of Australians around who can give you some tips/directions.

If you are buying a board, the backpackers who are leaving and selling their boards (and many others) seem to use 'gumtree.com.au' to sell more than ebay. Plenty of backpackers, plenty of boards.

dtc wrote:

Wherry wrote:enroute to travelling up OZ. There will be plenty of time for me to practice round there!

Where are you heading? Plenty of Australians around who can give you some tips/directions.

If you are buying a board, the backpackers who are leaving and selling their boards (and many others) seem to use 'gumtree.com.au' to sell more than ebay. Plenty of backpackers, plenty of boards.

Me and the Girlfriend will be landing in Sidney and then heading up the Gold Coast for however long we last Totally didn't even cross my mind about buying a Surfboard out there! Thanks for the advice

Wherry wrote:Me and the Girlfriend will be landing in Sydney and then heading up the Gold Coast for however long we last

Lots (and lots) of surfing between Sydney and the Gold Coast - pretty much the entire way is surfing. Of course, places like Byron Bay stand out; but there are more surfable beaches than you can surf.

Obviously buying a board creates transport and storage issues (depending on how you intend to travel) and there are places you can rent a board in the main tourist areas (Sydney, Byron, Gold Coast etc); but you should be able to find a reasonable mini mal for no more than $300ish and that will work out cheaper than hiring if you surf more than a handful of times (and you can resell it at the end).

Went out and had to use an old school short board (6'2") manage to stand up on my first attempt but then fell off Only way to describe it is it's like riding a skateboard with rollerskates on!

Will be renting a 7'2" from now on

So are you in Australia now?

Jimi wrote:So are you in Australia now?

Not yet mate, will be there on the 30th December Got a two day stop at Singapore on the 27th December.

dtc wrote:

Wherry wrote:Me and the Girlfriend will be landing in Sydney and then heading up the Gold Coast for however long we last

Lots (and lots) of surfing between Sydney and the Gold Coast - pretty much the entire way is surfing. Of course, places like Byron Bay stand out; but there are more surfable beaches than you can surf.

Obviously buying a board creates transport and storage issues (depending on how you intend to travel) and there are places you can rent a board in the main tourist areas (Sydney, Byron, Gold Coast etc); but you should be able to find a reasonable mini mal for no more than $300ish and that will work out cheaper than hiring if you surf more than a handful of times (and you can resell it at the end).

In my opinion, Byron Bay is the best place for surfing.

billsagerthon wrote:In my opinion, Byron Bay is the best place for surfing.

YEp 700 learners in the water at the same time can't be wrong There can be great surf and being that crowded frees up other breaks .

Angled Takeoffs . . . nothing more and nothing less. Aim to the left or the right of straight ahead . . . maybe 45 degrees ish roughly . . . . just paddle the unfamiliar and all should be good.