Bigger waves, still ride the log?
Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2018 5:58 amHey everyone, long time no see!
Ive been living on maui for the past 6ish months so ive gotten to practice surfing a bit
To keep this short, my question is basically:
When there are larger waves (larger meaning 6-8 foot faces), should I stick with my longboard (9'2), or go shorter (I have a 7'2 fun/fish), or even shorter-er (6'8 board). I have found myself frustrated with the shorter boards in the larger conditions.
I almost always surf head high or smaller conditions due to location / lack of a car, and up until recently have almost exclusively ridden the longboard in these conditions as I have noticed significant progress with bottom turns, top turns, cutbacks etc. (However moving forward in waist high days I will start taking the 7'2 out )
However there have been maybe 2 or 3 south swells that have brought 6-8 foot faces to my area since ive been here (about 3-4 months ago ---- notably before I made significant progress with my skill level IMHO). During these swells I found that I enjoy riding my longboard because I get into the wave/ popup early, and am able to pick my line with more time and more stability. Also I have the added benefit of having an easier time paddling back out. Of course the name of the game when surfing the 9'2 is "find the channel and /or don't get caught inside". I would like to mention that I am really not able to duck dive my other two boards very efficiently either due to their volume (51L and like 45L).
On a few more recent occasions I have used the shorter boards in similar conditions (I was forced because we drove and my buddy doesn't like strapping down my longboard on his roof
), and my experiences have been mostly frustrating, as I had a harder time catching waves (multiple factors Id say- crowds, conditions, new breaks, personal ability).
As I reflect on my experiences I wonder if it is more of just having to suffer through learning the considerations of the shorter boards and bigger waves, or If the longboard would actually be best for my situation and the given conditions.
Can anyone provide any guidance or personal experience?
Ive been living on maui for the past 6ish months so ive gotten to practice surfing a bit
To keep this short, my question is basically:
When there are larger waves (larger meaning 6-8 foot faces), should I stick with my longboard (9'2), or go shorter (I have a 7'2 fun/fish), or even shorter-er (6'8 board). I have found myself frustrated with the shorter boards in the larger conditions.
I almost always surf head high or smaller conditions due to location / lack of a car, and up until recently have almost exclusively ridden the longboard in these conditions as I have noticed significant progress with bottom turns, top turns, cutbacks etc. (However moving forward in waist high days I will start taking the 7'2 out )
However there have been maybe 2 or 3 south swells that have brought 6-8 foot faces to my area since ive been here (about 3-4 months ago ---- notably before I made significant progress with my skill level IMHO). During these swells I found that I enjoy riding my longboard because I get into the wave/ popup early, and am able to pick my line with more time and more stability. Also I have the added benefit of having an easier time paddling back out. Of course the name of the game when surfing the 9'2 is "find the channel and /or don't get caught inside". I would like to mention that I am really not able to duck dive my other two boards very efficiently either due to their volume (51L and like 45L).
On a few more recent occasions I have used the shorter boards in similar conditions (I was forced because we drove and my buddy doesn't like strapping down my longboard on his roof
), and my experiences have been mostly frustrating, as I had a harder time catching waves (multiple factors Id say- crowds, conditions, new breaks, personal ability).As I reflect on my experiences I wonder if it is more of just having to suffer through learning the considerations of the shorter boards and bigger waves, or If the longboard would actually be best for my situation and the given conditions.
Can anyone provide any guidance or personal experience?