Surfing Waves

Yesterday I went again in near shore dump conditions and failed to catch a single wave, wiped out once.

There were others though that were catching waves.

The longboard guys were catching them real early and managed the flatter waves.

The shortboard guys were making nice drops on breaking waves.

Out of shape and with a 7'9" Plastic BIC Minimal, I wasn't getting any.

Right now I have the BIC and a 6'3" shortboard. I'd like to hear more about techniques for dropping on steep waves on each board.
Thank you!

First I go a little firther out from where I would normally take off and get a running start so to speak if I am having trouble taking off on steep waves. Then I paddle before the wave gets to me and get the board mivng before the wave starts to lift me up then I go all out when the wave starts to lift me up. Positioning in the lineup is important. There will be places where it is easier to take off on waves and generally it's not the shoulder so if you are trying to take off on the shoulder move a little deeper into the lineup. If that doesn't work then a little deeper until you find the spot that lets you get onto the wave. Pop up quickly and lean forward aggressively to get down the face as soon as possible. Lately what I am doing on really steep waves is to push the inside rail into the wave at the top of the wave this is what helps me make radically steep drops. I would do the same with a longobard or a shortboard

pmcaero wrote: near shore dump conditions

Those conditions are different from a normal "steep drop" because the wave will usually have no structure at the curl, and it's more like surfing a close-out. It's a 'late drop' rather than a 'steep drop' (okay, a 'late steep drop' ).

My technique for a shore dumping wave (and it's different from OMS's description) is to shift my whole body an inch further back on the board, because the wave is going to fire you forward when it hits you anyway. I barely paddle, and I pop up instantly, but "one more stroke than you think" is still true.
Then you're going to be dropping for a moment, and disengaged from the water, and you weight your back foot to keep the front up and to stop the rail from catching. Speed isn't an issue - you'll have plenty. As soon as you re-engage with the water, drive left/right (as appropriate) as fast as possible with all your body forward, but still with weight over the fins.
If the wave is closing out behind you, forget about the face, and go out onto the flats, big bottom turn, and then pump up the wave for one big turn and off the top.


Incidentally - a 7'9 mini-mal is a hard board to use on these kinds of waves. A longboard can get in early, a shortboard you can just throw over the falls, but a 7'9 mini-mal doesn't get in early enough, and then isn't the right shape for a late drop. For a late, steep drop, rocker makes a huge difference.

On bigger waves it's probably like 90 percent postioning, 10 percent technique on smaller waves maybe a little more technique but positioning is the most important thing.

drowningbitbybit wrote:
Incidentally - a 7'9 mini-mal is a hard board to use on these kinds of waves. A longboard can get in early, a shortboard you can just throw over the falls, but a 7'9 mini-mal doesn't get in early enough, and then isn't the right shape for a late drop. For a late, steep drop, rocker makes a huge difference.

I have a 7'4" with more rocker but it's pretty busted and left it at my parents from when I'm there.
I've made some steeper drops on that board, true. Since I live in an apartment I'm kinda limited in the number and size of boards I can keep here

With shore break the water is being sucked up the wave faster than on slower or fatter waves, so as Oldman says, if you aren't in the right spot you are pushed up the wave v quickly and over the back. It can be VERY frustrating

There are times I will see a wave break in an area that has a nice tube on it. As I try to figure out how to take off I run into endless failed attempts or I can take off but can't reach the section that is tubing before it throws over. Most of the time I can figure out how to get into that section but sometimes I just can't. However I only surf for 30 minutes so I am time limited. Before I would surf for hours and figure it out. It's all a learning process

oldmansurfer wrote: positioning is the most important thing.

...and commitment.

Hey DBB and DTC

Your descriptions there sound A LOT like the waves that I've had recently in my other post about steep drops etc. Maybe I should've referred to the waves as a shore dump rather than just steep, hollow waves.
Your comment about not just a steep drop but a 'late steep drop' sounds spot on! Trying to get enough speed to get up and early on the before the wave closes or dumps was what I was struggling with.
Being a beach break and with the waves constantly varying in size and breaking point, it made it impossible to try and always be in the right place at the right time.
DTC's comment on 'it can be very frustrating' is about right!

I swear some days you're just in the wrong place at the wrong time and on the wrong board. Other days it's the complete vice versa

drowningbitbybit wrote:

oldmansurfer wrote: positioning is the most important thing.

...and commitment.

Yeah I just read an interview with John Florence and he said once he had that commitment his surfing changed remarkably. You can't be worrying about it all or thinking about your girlfriend/boyfriend, work or whatever you need to bring it all there right at that moment and focus on the wave (but you also need to be fit)

The thing about some shore dump is it lurches up suddenly and all the water moving up the face makes it hard to get down the face so you either need to be down the face allready when that happens or go to the side of that area and try to get down to the side where there is less water sucking up the face. This same problem happens in shallow spots in reef breaks or in sand breaks where a shallow sandbar has formed along the break. On bigger waves just a matter of a few feet might make a difference in being able to take off. On smaller waves maybe just a couple feet over might make a difference. I like to get closeout tubed in shoredump. But I usually ride the wave to the closeout shoredump area then tuck in and get pounded. I have been able to take an absolutley vertical drop with a 4 foot face on my 8 foot fungun by pushing the rail into the wave and going for it. I was taking off on the deep side, five feet deep of a peak that lurched up and pitched out and just tucked under it. If I had been riding the wave from further out I would have a better chance to make it out of that section and in fact had done that a few times. It's all a learning process. Learning about the wave and how your board interacts with it and mixed in there how your level of fitness fits along with both the wave and the board. Learning to push everything out of your mind and focus on the wave helps too.

Here is the article from John John http://freesurfmagazine.com/john-john-florence-the-defending-triple-crown-champions-road-home-to-pipe/

He was talking about surfing Pipeline

“I think once you break that barrier of learning how to commit into the waves, that’s when everything changes. When I was little I remember paddling for a few waves and getting stuck in the hesitation and getting so worked you know you don’t want to do that again. Once you get over that barrier of not hesitating – committing 100% – that’s when everything changes. Once I was able to do that, the whole wave changed for me. Being able to go and see a bigger one and knowing you want it… when you make it, it’s the best feeling in the world.”