Surfing Waves

Well, whatever mojo I had accumulated in the month and a half i've been surfing...
I started on a 6'125 to be precise, but its pretty fat and buoyant and I'm not big either.

A week and half ago I was catching about 90% of the waves I was going for, having a good time and actually getting pretty good. I started off dropping in while still on my stomach and then popping up at the bottom of the wave. I then moved to dropping in and standing up from about the middle of the top of the wave and even going down the line for a few seconds before the wave breaks...

but something happened last week... IDK. but I can't catch anything. Everything I do catch, i'm usually on one knee and holding on to the rails, it gets disheartening when I ride this way so I just carve around in this stance til' I reach the shore and run back in. IDK, it just seems so turbulent to stand.

I have a list of a few things that might be hindering me:
1. There has been a really strong southern swell that hits the spots around here in So. Cal. The waves are bigger and some pounding closeouts, they sure do make me gulp in fear and sometimes even in salt water. (I live in Los Angeles. Bay St. and Sunset Beach are my local spots, so i've been going everyday, to every other day.) - The strange thing is, is that Surfline has been saying these spots we're having really good conditions, but I'm not enjoy them.
2. I hurt my leg skateboarding. Huge gash on my shin, made it really swollen. It's healed now, but I was still catching waves when I first got it.
3. My board needs new wax. I give it a quick wax coat every time, but I'll admit i'm not putting as much as I used to. The bumps have gotten big and flat, and the wax has been rubbed off on some small spots of the board. In my short while of surfing i've determined I like mr zog's with a lot of tiny little bumps (kinda like skateboard griptape). - but I see other people surfing with their boards that have a lot less wax than I do.
4. I've been trying to stand up more at the very top of the wave?

So what gives? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Relax, it's ok, you weren't very good. You're just learning. It takes time. Stay out of the bigger surf. You are looking for excuses but you just need to go surf a lot more. It's very common for beginners to overestimate their abilities.

When I say I was getting "pretty good", I meant progressing at a good rate. I'm going out there almost every day! This challenge makes me want to surf even more, i have to admit, i love doing it so much that my grades sure are starting to slip too.

thanks got any other advice?

I go through bad spells longer than you've been surfing......it's a part of the deal, ebb and flow....surfing is HARD to learn, the environment keeps changing, and sometimes it's two steps forward and one step back.....all part of the deal. Keep at it the same as if you were stuck inside in the middle of a big set fighting to get out back....you'll slowly improve.....for what it's worth, doing what you say you've done after 6 weeks isn't bad at all....you were due for some backwards steps

Hahahahha.....Classic comment about surfline's "good" conditions....I'm a year and a half in of being "out there" just about every day and still can't "enjoy" 5 star conditions at spots around here....double overhead and barreling, that's what qualifies for excellent around here and I'm not there........I'm scared just looking at the surf when it is five star most places.....

A month and a half is a nano blip in your surfing lifetime.....it is going to take ALOT more time than that so just relax and enjoy the journey......

Also, I definitely know what I can't do, and what I can do. I love skateboarding and I know not to test my limits too much. But, When it goes from riding 15-10 waves a day to one wave in three days, it sure does make me wonder/worry if im missing something.

HurdyGurdyManOnAWave wrote:i love doing it so much that my grades sure are starting to slip too.

thanks got any other advice?

Yeah....don't let that happen.....it's cliche but take it from a geezer like me, your schooling starting from right now is setting you up for the rest of your life....do you want to be the guy renting cars or the one that owns the lot? Keep your priorities straight and you'll have the money to play for the rest of your life....

Wow, thanks for the support you guys. I'll definitely chill out more and just enjoy the bad with the good.

I think it is very common for surfers to look for the edge, that one thing that will make them a better surfer, a better board, better fins, a invaluable trick to learning to surf and in reality there may be a better board or better fins but first you have to pay your dues and spend some time surfing. Any semi shortcuts would come with getting instructions from someone at the beach with you that can see you surf but even with that it just takes some time. Try not to let surfing be bad for you but that said it is for lots of people. We are all pretty much addicted ourselves but I guess if we weren't reasonably good at keeping it from being bad we wouldn't be able to afford internet access.

oldmansurfer wrote:We are all pretty much addicted ourselves but I guess if we weren't reasonably good at keeping it from being bad we wouldn't be able to afford internet access.

Hurdy your mojo is out there on a particular wave, you won't know which one but it is there!
You are suffering with a my board is a little too small to really look for Mojos your level is basic and the lack of board is now hindering you as you try to upgrade yourself!
Happens to all of us when our belief of where we are at is proven to be less than we thought. The confidence falters.
Be kind to yourself , lessen your expectations and go back several steps. Look at the waves at this level see where the fun is , find that, find mojo wax on wax off! Daniel San !

Yeah, waves have gotten pretty big, but hey, at least i'm doing that half kneeling/half standing stance on them. They are just so turbulent.

I'm tempted to go back out tomorrow morning before school tutoring, or just wait til' this swell eases up a bit. The swells are coming at 2ft/12s and 1ft/16s. Which is less than they were before. When they hit the shore they are somewhere around 8-9 feet, and they come every two or three waves. The waves in between those large ones are hard to set up for when youre in constant alert or recovering from a big passing wave.

Definitely going to get a longboard when the funds swell up. But this board is all I have right now, i've had it since I was a kid. Got it from my mom's friend and I finally started using it. It looks awesome (80's retro) and I've caught some good waves on it too, like i said before, it's pretty buoyant and fat.

I'm looking for a nice longboard to add to my arsenal. Watching old-school surf videos from the 60's and 50's on youtube really do make them look cool.

HurdyGurdyManOnAWave wrote:at least i'm doing that half kneeling/half standing stance on them.

Did you ever try riding a bike with one hand on the left grip and your elbow pushing against the right grip ? It's much better with both hands on the bar. Your elbows can bend and your shoulders can swing. Same for stand-up surfing. You got to get to your feet. Having a knee down may seem more stable because your center of gravity is low, but you limit your mobility. Also you just cut out the shock suspension of your knees and ankles.

Usually im on my feet 90% of the time. ...It's just lately. i'm pretty sure its just this huge swell that came through. Then again, it's not like I dig doing it, it's just the only way I can get on these bigger waves. As soon as I lessen my grip on the rails of the board, my board pivots left and right really fast. Anyway, i'm going to sleep on it and go out again in the morning.

Glad to say i'm back on my feet again...

Not without some bad news: My friend and musical collaborator, Ryan drowned during a water polo game. That and an unknown, pre-existing heart condition did him in. He is in ICU right now, i'm hearing news that isnt directly from the family... they are private, but I have two sources, one says he is in a coma but will pull through, the other says the plug is getting pulled tomorrow and that he is brain dead. The real kicker, is that they are both reliable sources.
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I went out determined to ride some waves for him.
Here's what I did: Instead of just waiting around on my board for the next best/biggest wave to come by (like what all the other surfers seemed to be doing), I pretty much stopped copying what the other surfers were doing, and I paddled for every single wave that looked ride-able to me, even if it meant turning around at the last second. Was I tired? Yes. Did I catch a lot of waves? I did.
I really was able to let out my anger and frustration while riding a few waves. The rides were really long, I was surprised
that when I expected them to stop, they just kept going and going along the beach. I made it a point to ride some waves while my friend was on my mind and those long waves gave me the chance.

Yeah sometimes you have to go for it to know if you can. Sorry to hear about your friend

I agree, i'm not going to waste my time in the water doing what those other people are doing. I honestly don't even think the guy I was surfing with caught one wave, he was just waiting there, paddling out for the biggest wave and then backing out at the last second. ...but thats none of my business.

I just cant believe this happened, we talked about how hard it was to do school, work and music at the same time. And we worked hard I helped him with his recordings, I dont know.... I think he worked too hard. The funny thing is, is that he just started getting really famous and success was his/ours. and poof. he's gone.

sorry for the rant.

Let it flow , sorry to hear about your friend, hope the result is the best for him his family and friends.
Nice call on yourself to surf it out . Well done.

Really sorry for your friend. Nice of you to surf thinking of him.