Surfing Waves

This happens to me all the time! I get frustrated waiting ages out the back for "the big one" while smaller ones break inside. I paddle inside to get the smaller ones then the cleanup set arrives.

That's a hard one to tackle, it's about understanding the conditions. If u often surf the same spot you begin to recognise patterns, like the time between the big outside sets, you can try to anticipate that.

Or you can position in between, so u can just catch the bigger inside waves or get the hell out of there when you see the big set on the horizon.

Or it's about the board you bring, if it is easy to duckdive the penalty when getting cought inside isn't so big. For a longboard do as above and stay on the outside just enough to be safe.

Well if you get frustrated waiting then go inside and if the cleanup comes then continue to surf the inside I also run into this problem often what I try to do is position myself in between the sets and the regular waves and paddle out for the sets and in for the regular waves but I am surfing alone. It's not often that set waves are frequent enough for me to wait for them so I end up inside more often.

Worst during a contest. You play the strategy to wait for the big sets outside. Your competitors are getting the scores on the smaller inside waves. 3 minutes to go and you panic. Switch game plans and move in. When you finally set up inside, you see you competitor stroking for the big set on the horizon. Damn !

I would love to think that I weight up the variables, how often the bigger sets come through, how many people are there, how long is the ride or is it a close out, am I likely to want to try the bigger waves, how I'm feeling, do I want excitement or relaxed fun etc, and then make an objective assessment

But generally I'm the same as boman. I stay out the back until I get frustrated, paddle around to different peaks and end up on the inside hoping not to have a clean up set

story of my life

Some days it's dialed in and I move inside for awhile and check the watch for the cleanup set that comes roughly every half hour and move outside for that just in time.....other days it seems like I can't buy a wave....chasing shadows and in exactly the wrong spot for every set that comes through then move inside for scraps and it goes flat......

oldmansurfer wrote:Well if you get frustrated waiting then go inside and if the cleanup comes then continue to surf the inside.

Good paddling makes it possible. I have a lot more fun when I’m strong enough to hunt waves rather than waiting for them to arrive. I notice a big difference when my conditioning slides.

dtc wrote:I would love to think that I weight up the variables, how often the bigger sets come through, how many people are there, how long is the ride or is it a close out, am I likely to want to try the bigger waves, how I'm feeling, do I want excitement or relaxed fun etc, and then make an objective assessment.

“How I’m feeling” is a big part of my surfing. Some days I just try to have fun, but other times I really care about goals and don’t get out until I’ve made progress. When the ocean doesn’t cooperate, it makes for a long day!

Big H wrote:Some days it's dialed in and.....other days it seems like I can't buy a wave.

When it’s not dialed in, the big wave comes, I don’t catch it and next one crushes me inside.

BoMan wrote:“How I’m feeling” is a big part of my surfing. Some days I just try to have fun, but other times I really care about goals and don’t get out until I’ve made progress. When the ocean doesn’t cooperate, it makes for a long day!

For sure. Just the other day i had a choice between large for me (10ft face) close out waves that would offer me thrills down the face and that was about it, or another beach that had chest high (at best!) little runners that you could get 5 or 7 seconds of ride on. My 4th surf in 48 hours, I went for the little waves and caught about 25 and had fun, even if nothing memorable. Could barely walk up the beach at the end though.

like in this song "shuld I stay or should I go"