Surfing Waves

Hi everyone, I started surfing a month ago and I am hooked. It's all I think about now, and I am desperate to get back out on the water, but the forecast for this weekend is 7ft+. I am kind of intimidated by this, because when I went out last weekend, some of the sets were 5+ ft and I got smashed paddling out. I know how to duckdive, but right now I am using a 7ft foam board - picture below (and it takes me ages to get the nose down and I have nowhere to practice. I can rent a shortboard when I get there, (I've never ridden one before) which I think I could probably duckdive. Once I get out to the lineup, I'm not worried about wiping out (everything that could happen will probably happen sometime anyway). If the swell is from the same direction as last time, there are rocks I can tuck behind where the surf will be a bit smaller, but still pretty big for me. What are your thoughts on me going out? Thanks in advance for answering.

Please don't go out , not on that equipment, not unless you can swim well, not unless you can fit in with the people who are surfing the break.
If you don't understand the rocks, rips and line up. DO NOT GO OUT.
You are being dangerously selfish, unless you have the skills you are a menace firstly to yourself and then people who will have to rescue you

Be intimidated , if not I would consider your attempt idiocy. I'm being blunt because I see this too often and it is always just a little away from a disaster

I add this the board you show is a child's toyis not a real surf board nor is it a lifesaving device and you are not capable of taking a short board into a line up of that size .

Get serious about learning realistically not stupidly. BTW I haven't had the need to rant at somebody like this for quite a while.
I want to see you learn not be a casualty

Thanks for answering, I guess I won't be going unless the forecast changes. There's still a week, so I'll stay hopeful. I'm going to rent a proper board sometime soon and if I like it I will buy one.

You'll do OK in the long run, you have the ability to hear what is being said.
That, and you are keen.
I've looked at your other posts, it is really time to get off the foamy.
Have a read around the learners section , you will see it is not a recommendation to go short at first. As being able to paddle and catch waves is the first thing you need to be able to do.
read the thread thoroughly as your situation has been covered by many here in the forum.
Try before you buy is a good option.

Thanks for the support and the tips I will definitely have a look around.

I would agree to Jaffa, you werent specific about how much you learned on this month, but surfing a shortboard is really harder then a foam (even though Ive never ridden the last one, not really common around here. Only saw one once with a kid). When waves are 7ft a bad executed duckdive can put you on a hold down anyways.
Considering the waves arent really hollow in your break, which I hope is the case, the major problem is still getting past the breaking zone without getting caught inside. If theres an unconfortable feeling it is being completely tired in the middle of several breaking waves.

Also you would need some good sense of balance in a few drops, in case you make a late drop or catch some bumpy section of the wave.

If its the first day with a swell after a few flat days, usually the ocean will be a little strong, with no rests between series.

Ps: is 7ft the swell size or wave height?

I go surfing at the same break and often the waves can get quite hollow there depending on tides- definately not beginner waves!
The surf report is predicting around 4m wave faces so probably a 7ft wave from the back, BIG. I won't be going near it until a few days later when it's due to ease off to around 3-4ft! haha

Sh**! 4m face? 7ft from behind?
Guess that puts an end to the discussion, DONT go!

Which break is that?

Ideally for Benjl area the east coast of Australia is getting smashed with an East Coast low! ( the temperate zone equivalent of a cyclone) Victoria to Queensland is pumping and some places have offshore winds most don't but you can surf inside Sydney Harbour.
Most beaches are washing machines, towards New Zealand the swell evens out and becomes a ground swell regular, groomed and consistent in size. New Zealand then provides its own offshore winds and the entire west coast becomes a surf zone.

The storm moves east and jumps over to the East Coast of NZed . The NSW East Coast receives the swell and winds become offshore. Cycles finishes once the storm crosses NZed .
Next stop South america.

jaffa1949 wrote: Victoria to Queensland is pumping

6ft here today (that's an aussie 6ft... if you're thinking "about as tall as I am", you have no idea...) and strong offshore winds (the very edge of Cyclone Ola), so superb waves today for the very experienced, very fit and very good...
Does that include me? Nah

If you're really are hooked I'd take his advise and mine would be the same but with one other recommendation. Get rid of that board! It will limit you.

The third time I ever surfed was in 6-10ft conditions. I had a shortboard though, and I'm a D1 swimming commit so I pick things up quickly, especially if they are water related. If you rent the shortboard and consider yourself ready, go for it, a little risk is always good.

World explorer I tend to doubt your advice based on your string of posts.
If you go go back to the beginning of the thread you will understand why going out in surf of that size is not a good idea at that level of experience..

954worldexplorer wrote:The third time I ever surfed was in 6-10ft conditions.

What do you reckon a 10ft wave looks like...?

drowningbitbybit wrote:

954worldexplorer wrote:The third time I ever surfed was in 6-10ft conditions.

What do you reckon a 10ft wave looks like...?

Big, that same weekend Juno Beach which is an hour away from where I was surfing got its pier demolished by 10-14 ft waves. It was one of the biggest swells in a while down here.

DBB remember that 10ft world = 5ft Australian. I guess 1.5 overhead? Still, its getting up there

Is that true dtc?
That might explain why I get a little freaked when a 6ft nz wave comes in and it's probably double overhead?!

And then I read comments on here about everyone suring 10ft+ waves and I just can't comprehend the size :O

Even still, a beginner in 5ft nz green waves... I would like to see someone capable of doing that on their third time!! :s

I don't know NZ but I would guess they use Aussie measurements (which is Hawaiian really)

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaiian_scale

http://www.thesurfingsite.com/Wave-Height.html

As to why, it's a oft pondered question with no real answer

Even 'overhead' is a bit dubious, because some people say it means overhead when you are slightly crouched on a board (5ft face) and others say it's fully standing (so 6 foot face). And some people are short. Some measure overhead if they have to look up when laying down on their board...

If you look here

http://www.surfline.com/surf-science/wa ... log_22495/

I would say those waves, in order, are 1 ft, 2ft, 2-3ft, but the head high one seems a bit bigger so probably 3-4ft. The 'overhead' is 4-5ft. That one they say is 10ft I would say 6ft, but it's all getting a bit scratchy when you get overhead plus because people go "1ft, 2ft, 3ft, overhead, 1.5 overhead... "

But definitely the smaller waves, below overhead, are 'half size' in Australia in comparison to the rest of the world

Keep in mind that swell height online could use any method, from surfer measurement to swell (rather than wave) measurement to who knows

A big slow fat wave can be quite unscary. Certainly a low tide beach break will usually be much worse when it gets big

Also keep in mind that a wave looks much bigger when you are out there. And set waves can come thru at 1.5 usual height and even tho you don't catch them, you can use them as how big they were...

954 - you've ask for a lot of advice. Hopefully it has helped and inspired your surfing. I tried to hold back my feelings on your advice, but sorry, someone is going to get hurt. The sad thing it won't be the person listening to that advice, but the lifeguards or one of us surfers around him, trying to rescue him.

" when in doubt, DON'T go out ".

While I agree that some risk is good you need to know what the risks are. No matter how good of a swimmer you are in the pool, you can drown in the ocean. Micheal Phelps can find himself in a current that he can't swim out of and if all he knew was swimming in a pool and he ended up in a current like that, he would drown. There is no going to the side of the pool and climbing out if you are tired. There are currents and waves and difficult shorelines and shallow bottoms. Where I live good swimmers drown frequently because they imagine that is the only skill they need to swim in the ocean. Now if you are comfortable in waves of that size without a board then taking a board into that kind of surf will be a learning experience. But if you are not comfortable in waves that size then it will be highly risky and as Waikichan says puts everyone else at risk.