Surfing Waves

I've been surfing for 5+ years (always at the low end of intermediate). Im 42 and reasonably fit (fitness has improved considerably in the last 9month)
Lately i am struggling (mentally when out there as well). When it gets larger (3-4ft+) and has more push i am finding i am getting hung up in the lip and not making it down the face when paddling which leads to a lot less time for me to get to my feet, which results in a poor ride and me getting very very frustrated!

I am practicing a lot on land (doing WaveKI) and get in the water 2-3 times a week (though rushed as i get 45min or so a session as kids and work life are the order of the day).

It feels like the wave is rolling straight under me and if anything it feels like too much volume (6 to 6'2. 38-39L). Not sure if its the epoxy and need to look at PU so i can get the board dug in to the wave when paddling (all my boards are epoxy).

Any thoughts would be appreciated. Wanting to glide in to the wave, have a second or so to get to my feet then. off i go. Getting to my feet isnt the issue, its the gliding in and having the time to get to my feet which is causing me issues as im getting in so late and being hung up in the lip.

Thanks again!

avocabloke wrote:It feels like the wave is rolling straight under me and if anything it feels like too much volume (6 to 6'2. 38-39L). Not sure if its the epoxy and need to look at PU so i can get the board dug in to the wave when paddling (all my boards are epoxy).

Then you need MORE Volume and MORE length to assist in helping you get into the wave earlier.

Question: You say the "wave rolls under" you, but what is the percentage of when the wave rolls under you ( and leaves you on the back of the wave ) versus the amount you pearl / nose down ( and you get cartwheel forward ) ?

Thanks for your response. I would say pearling would be the higher percentage Maybe 65/35.
I have dropped about 10kgs in weight and still surfing the same volume

avocabloke wrote: I would say pearling would be the higher percentage Maybe 65/35.

That's strange, as I thought it would be the other way around.

Question #2: Are you angling in or taking the drop more straight down ?

Thanks again. I would say slight angle, 15 degrees or so.
It all started happening when i went to the Mentawais last month.
Didnt have lots of spots working so 30-50 people on take off point and quite a bit of agro.
I live in Australia and where i surf has a bit of push to it and can stand up quite fast, thought it was more prevalent when i was in Mentawais.

I think part of it is that "its in my head now" and im my own worst enemy as well as possibly something else going on.

When the wave is under the 3ft mark or a gentle take off then it does not seem as bad.

Thanks again for your time

Avoca Point, Copacabana, all crowded and with los of good surfers, a challenge just in that!
What Mentawai break was problematic for you?

jaffa1949 wrote:Avoca Point, Copacabana, all crowded and with los of good surfers, a challenge just in that!
What Mentawai break was problematic for you?

Its actually not too bad at Copa/Avoca. I was blown away by the crowds at the Mentawais.

I was facing issues at Hideaways, Ebay and even Pitstops when it was sucking up.
Locally, since ive been back, Copa when it has a bit of a push i am getting hung up on as well.

If all the cruise boats are on those breaks then definitely crowded, all punchy pitchy fun waves when uncrowded, but jockeying and pushing for your turn in traffic ramps up what happens to your head, Indo waves move much faster to pitch point, Hawaiian waves even faster!
Oz waves have drag, from the continent shelf. and are slower to pitch up.But I also suspect your timing and judgement are a little off.
Confidence will return

You could push your limits a bit on larger waves at Forries lefts and rights and hone your quick takeoff skills at Banzai or Suck Up there .
It does vary enough in size to offer some smaller days, they were my home breaks for many years I taught my boys there!

Yea I used to surf there with the older blokes. Then family came along and when I’m on the clock to get back, the 30min drive knocked that on the head.

Want to get the issue sorted out then I’ll progress to more critical waves

I think you might be under gunned lime WKK mentioned in spite of your weight loss. I don’t surf really big, 2xOH is comfort zone and 2.5x is my usual limit but I have two step up boards for bigger days, one is +2” and 3L bigger than my daily and the other is +5” and one liter bigger, both have a pronounced rocker which helps in hollow stuff. These both helped for those more critical days getting over getting hung up. That and taking off deeper; gotta look the beast in the mouth.

Yeah a funny thing happens with bigger waves people fear them so try to shoulder hop them but it's very often too difficult to shoulder hop a bigger wave because the force of water going up the face on the shoulder is greater than the momentum you get from a less steep drop. The result is you can't catch a wave. To catch it from the shoulder you need some better paddling skills or maybe a bigger board. A bigger board might help, definitely the right bigger board will help. However you can't do a quick popup? Are you practicing this at home?

Thanks for responding. My pop up is pretty ok. Quick on land and in water. The problem is when im hung up in the lip, even the quickest pop up isnt going to serve me that well as i need to et down the face.

You're probably right, maybe i am shoulder hopping a bit on the bigger stuff (though doesnt feel like it!)

if you are where the lip is pitching over the push from the lip helps you get onto the wave. You can feel the push but you need a fast popup. I sometime do a weird kind of takeoff when I am paddling and the wave breaks under me and I feel the push after it has broken under then I popup and ride the whitewater to the bottom of the wave and bottom turn to get back in front of the break. Not sure how I know where or when exactly to do this I just do it because it feels right and it works pretty well. This usually happens when I am slightly out of position to catch the wave maybe on the shoulder. Not saying you should do this but before I did it I had no clue that was possible. This is on head high to 1.5 overhead waves not on the steep section although once I did do that on a steep wave and pulled it off. Anyway sounds like you need to position yourself deeper or get a board that paddles faster (longer). If you want a board that glides you need a longer board