Surfing Waves

I have been getting some solid surf sessions in recently, My local spot, breaks in chest high water so when im tired it ends up with less paddling and more pushing, but i catch 90% of my waves and am really starting to get a feel for my 6"3 7s Superfish ( the more narrow / hybrid one with some rocker ).

I'm still taking off straight towards to shore, but i feel like my board requires this? its very nimble board, when i take the drop and bend my knees into the drop to get some more drive and lower my center of gravity and lean in for a bottom turn, 75% of the time my nose sinks into the water and i wipe out sideways.

What is the reason for this happening? my brain is telling me that its my weight distribution and im leaning to far forward, Should i be digging in the tail a little? When i get the turn in i can tell I'm doing something different, what i cant quite figure out. What i do after a bottom turn i not figured out yet! trying to get lessons from the local surf shop is a nightmare they never reply to messages. So for now im still stuck teaching myself.

One other issues, Green waves. Ive caught some, but again im not quite sure how. On a shorter board should i be forward more, arching my back more to keep the nose out and dropping my arch a bit to get down the face?

Its coming along nice, my confidence has grown. Lower back pain has subsided and my pop up is becoming more reflex now, i get some waves i would never of got 4 months ago, im just facing 'technical issues'.

For anyone reading this with lower back and hip pain issues, i cant recommend surfing enough its a amazing.

When you say catching waves, are you catching the white water or an unbroken wave? Its a bit unclear - or are you catching it unbroken but then popping up after its broken?

If an unbroken wave I dont know if this is your problem but as a thought - think about what you are doing when you are going down a wave, basically you are going down a hill. At the bottom of the slope the water is flat. So if you head straight down the hill and weight the front of your board, then the nose has no where to go but into the flats ie dig the nose under the water.

Really the only solution is to turn across the wave before you hit 'the flats' or, at least, hit the bottom of the wave at a bit of an angle (probably 45deg or more from the beach). Have a look at any surfing video and see how those guys do it (the initial 'first drop') and you will see they arent doing it the same way you are!

I find it way easier/less stressful to paddle at an angle to the beach anyway, then when you catch the wave you are already more or less heading in the right direction. You can paddle straight to shore but you have to turn as soon as you pop up or... well, you know what happens.

If you are 'pushing yourself' into unbroken waves, then its entirely possible you just dont have the necessary speed up and you are perling rather than nose diving at the bottom. Same result, but different cause.

peazz wrote:i take the drop and bend my knees into the drop to get some more drive and lower my center of gravity and lean in for a bottom turn, 75% of the time my nose sinks into the water and i wipe out sideways.
What is the reason for this happening? my brain is telling me that its my weight distribution and im leaning to far forward, Should i be digging in the tail a little?

Yes - that's your weight distribution (and/or you're too far forward on the board).

When you do a bottom turn, you pivot around one point, and all the weight is at the back. Pretend you've dropped your keys at the bottom of the wave - reach out and turn your whole upper body almost backwards to get them, your weight goes onto the back foot, and you put your trailing hand (asssuming you're doing a forehand turn) right down low.

Okay, you've picked up your keys (am I taking this analogy too far?) so now stop loading the back foot, spread your weight evenly, slightly unload your knees, and off you go into wherever you're going next.

Cheers guys, ill take it on board.

In regards to what im catching, Im catching white and green ( just before they are breaking ) sometime i misjudge distance and end up propelled by the white, its about 50/50, my board seems to prefer a later take off, but hey what do i know im still a beginner!. My break is just a average beach break that is mainly shoredump, but the like the last session the stars can align and there is some real super peeling waves.

later in sessions i am pushing myself into waves, but only because of lack of energy. I still give myself enough time, and i still paddle like a * and commit. I just got myself a body ball and pull up bar so hopefully ill have some extra paddle power next time i get out.

Really wanted to get some lessons past few weeks but surf school aint replying at all, its a joke!. All these things could be answered and solved in 1 lesson