Surfing Waves

So I am trying to catch some small unbroken wave with my 9 footer. But I always have problems reading the waves, I am either in the wrong position or going to the wrong direction after pop up. My paddling is probably not up to scratch too. But this one, I think I somehow "catch" the wave but it only lasts a few seconds. it is because this wave is a closeout? or I am just not paddling quick enough?

I always have waves passing me over no matter how hard I think I am paddling, even with this longboard I am using now. (supposed more volume and easier)

You need to change your video setting to allow us to seen it

dtc wrote:You need to change your video setting to allow us to seen it

it is public now

looks like it's closing out on you on that particular section, either catch it earlier and be moving down the line already, or shift to where it's breaking more slowly. Many times here it breaks mellower left (my backside) , so if I am to the left of the peak I am guaranteed longer rides.

In this clip I am catching a small mellow left, which gives me plenty of time to adjust and just ride it staying in the pocket.
https://imgur.com/TTftWrV

Yes the wave is a closeout. Perhaps it is just shore dump where there isn't enough swell to make the wave break until it reaches the shallow water right before the shore. It's hard to say from the video if there was something to ride on one side or the other of the closeout but sometimes there are. It's possible that if you practice going further out and paddling before the wave gets to you that you can catch that wave earlier and get more of a ride but sometimes it is shore dump which pitches up suddenly and you can't catch it much further out. What you might do is spend some time on the beach before you go out looking at the waves. Find places that look like you might get more of a ride. Look at structures on the beach to give you a general location of where that wave is breaking the paddle out to that area and find the wave you saw and get a more accurate lineup. You may lack some skills in wave reading but unless you try you will continue to lack skills. This is something all surfers should be doing since what would be a good wave for you will change with your skill and your boards.

Your popup looked pretty good to me. I don't think you did anything wrong except perhaps pick the wrong wave. However, I can tell you from my own experience that as I've been surfing I've taken off on loads of closeouts like the one you posted. In fact, I've probably taken off on more closeouts than decently shaped waves. Why? 1. Because advanced surfers usually have taken off on the best shaped waves and I don't want to drop in. 2. I misread a wave and think there's a peak when there isn't. 3. I just felt like taking off and seeing if I could make the drop. 4. Because it was there and I had already missed the first 4 waves of the set. Anyway, I would recommend you try doing a 360 turn in the whitewash on those closeouts.

RinkyDink wrote: Anyway, I would recommend you try doing a 360 turn in the whitewash on those closeouts.

I finally managed to do it my last sesh, totally recommend trying it

RinkyDink wrote:Your popup looked pretty good to me. I don't think you did anything wrong except perhaps pick the wrong wave. .

Do you think that wave I caught was an unbroken one? it closed out quick but the feeling is not as pure whitewater

The wave broke under your board so you had some elevation over the front of the whitewater. That is what I call a "floater on takeoff" or maybe more appropriately a "foam climb on takeoff". It's fun when you can do that and continue on the unbroken wave but in this case there was no chance to do that. On a big enough wave you can generate a lot of speed in your bottom turn and make it around the section unless you are riding a closeout.

Paddle harder and earlier on a better wave that isnt a closeout.

pmcaero wrote:

RinkyDink wrote: Anyway, I would recommend you try doing a 360 turn in the whitewash on those closeouts.

I finally managed to do it my last sesh, totally recommend trying it

Cool. I've been trying to put all those attempted 360s I've done into practice on the face of a real wave, but every time I try to set it up I run into newbies who force me to avoid hitting them. I had a beautiful rolling wave that I couldn't get too far in front of without losing the wave. So I tried to set up my first attempt at going up the wall of the wave and then swinging my board into a turn back down the face of the wave. In order to do this I had to straighten out toward the beach a little and then bottom turn up into the wave face, but just as I start straightening out I hear, "IN FRONT OF YOU!!" I look away from the face of wave and sure enough I see I'm about to plow into a 16 year old body boarder. Arghh! I had to abort the whole attempt and keep going straight. My second attempt ended in the same way except this time it was too very lovely, deer-in-the-headlights, newbie female surfers right in my way. I got to talking to them in the parking lot later and they were good people. One of these days I'm going to make good on that 360 practice and swing my board into a turn on the wall of a wave.

frostless wrote:

RinkyDink wrote:Your popup looked pretty good to me. I don't think you did anything wrong except perhaps pick the wrong wave. .

Do you think that wave I caught was an unbroken one? it closed out quick but the feeling is not as pure whitewater

I don't consider your wave unbroken because you couldn't go right or left. Looked like a good wave to practice a popup on though. Malcolm Gladwell would probably say that you need to pop up at least 500 times to be in the range of a competent surfer. So, toward that end, I'd say you made progress.

RinkyDink wrote: One of these days I'm going to make good on that 360 practice and swing my board into a turn on the wall of a wave.

well, I did the 360, my board did less than half of that

You guys are going to seriously hurt someone or poke an eye out trying to do a 360 turn. Getting the nose to fully go in the opposite direction 180 degrees is hard enough, in the foam white water,even harder. I would take it in baby steps and try turn up the face and pull out with a bear hug or flying laydown grab. "Attempting a 360", will just have the rider spinning off his feet and the board flying in the air. That's just dangerous. One sure sign that a rider is advancing in skills, is that he is able to control his board from take off to pull out. Shooting your board out is not.

RinkyDink wrote:Anyway, I would recommend you try doing a 360 turn in the whitewash on those closeouts.

Hey guys do everyone a favour and get your basic skills working a simple surf sequence like;
read and understand your surf break, read the wave, master a take off with a link to the face and wall, either by angled take off or first bottom turn.
Do basic up and down turns, be able to cut back to the power point of the wave and set up on the face again.
Not having your feet locked into one position, know instinctively how your position effects the board movement.
Being able to get speed from your board in everything you do, most beginners are barely pushed along slugs, know how to accelerate and slow your board being able to beat sections!
Know how to turn your board enough to avoid collisions.
Being able to read the wave face as a guide to what you are doing!!!!
Being able to get off the wave under control.
These are basics!!!
Until you can do these things consistently you are still IMO only a beginner.
No-one can fault your stoke though keep that and all will come good

360 turn in the white wash on a close out, very poor advice. Why would you do that???
Please consider what you as a learner are advising another learner to do! Some of the stuff suggested is not safe!

jaffa1949 wrote:360 turn in the white wash on a close out, very poor advice. Why would you do that???
Please consider what you as a learner are advising another learner to do! Some of the stuff suggested is not safe!

It's not about actually doing a 360. I'm not interested in pulling that off. It's about getting a feel for shifting your board with your front foot. I think it's great advice. I've learned from it. What the hell else is there to do in whitewater at the end of a wave anyway? You can plunk back into the water or try something different. Why not shift your board around and get a feel for using your front foot to maneuver? I think it's good to experiment and find out what's possible. However, paint by numbers works for newbs too. Do whatever works for you.

waikikikichan wrote:You guys are going to seriously hurt someone or poke an eye out trying to do a 360 turn. Getting the nose to fully go in the opposite direction 180 degrees is hard enough, in the foam white water,even harder. I would take it in baby steps and try turn up the face and pull out with a bear hug or flying laydown grab. "Attempting a 360", will just have the rider spinning off his feet and the board flying in the air. That's just dangerous. One sure sign that a rider is advancing in skills, is that he is able to control his board from take off to pull out. Shooting your board out is not.

I'm not actually trying to do a 360. I'm just turning my board from a more perpendicular position on the face of a wave. I'm sure I'll get hammered a few times, but I'll gain some more understanding.

The following video is what I'm ultimately aiming to do, incrementally that is, and on much less vertical wave faces at the start.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRZwRcn-gD0

Be careful what you say, because someone (especially beginners) might take your words seriously. If you don't intend to turn 360, but just do a off the lip or top turn, then say it. Even Mick Fanning in the video you posted does just a 90 degree turn, not a 360 degree turn. I understand what you are trying to say ( and your intentions ), but others might not. If you want to do a "White Water Foam Climb" at the end of a wave, then do and say that. But even you yourself almost collided with other surfer more than once. Better to learn how to stall, sink the tail, pivot and spin the board 180, layback down and paddle back in one smooth motion. That will involve many skills, make you a better surfer and not danger others.

OK that's good but is advanced basics, bottom turn to top turn ( Mick Fanning level).

Every advanced move in which I fail has a start in an inadequate preceding basic skill, that is multiplied in the next or a subsequent move.
A full set of basic skills in not painting by numbers , but the very basis of all that you want to do in surfing.
Experimentation in pushing your skills is important and so is sometimes just relating to the wave and having a joyous ride with it.

The best surfers on any equipment I see are those that generate speed form move to move.
Observe the good guys at your beach see if what I suggest is true!

waikikikichan wrote:Be careful what you say, because someone (especially beginners) might take your words seriously. If you don't intend to turn 360, but just do a off the lip or top turn, then say it. Even Mick Fanning in the video you posted does just a 90 degree turn, not a 360 degree turn. I understand what you are trying to say ( and your intentions ), but others might not. If you want to do a "White Water Foam Climb" at the end of a wave, then do and say that. But even you yourself almost collided with other surfer more than once. Better to learn how to stall, sink the tail, pivot and spin the board 180, layback down and paddle back in one smooth motion. That will involve many skills, make you a better surfer and not danger others.

Actually, I took the terminology from another contributor here. I think it was DTC. He suggested it and I tried it. I started calling it the 360 trick. Anyway, I went out and tried it in whitewater, but not really expecting to do a 360. In the whitewater my board did like a 25 degree shift to the side (if that), but I was thinking about the 360s I did on my skateboard as a kid when I tried it. After I tried it though, a light bulb went off for me and I realized that that kind of shifting of the board is what those guys are doing at the top of the wave. That's why I recommend the maneuver in whitewater. It will help beginners get a feel for moving their board with their front foot (basically carving).