Surfing Waves

Hello,

I'm new at surfing but I LOVE it alot! I've only been out 3 times so far in small conditions ( 3 or 4 feet ) and I'm not having much trouble standing or turning, but I'm having serious trouble getting past the breakers!
What I need to know is can I duck dive my 7' funboard? The dimensions on it are: 21" wide and almost 3 inches thick. I weigh 116 pounds and I'm 5'7. I have a basic idea of how to duck dive and turtle roll but I just wanted some feedback into which one would be easier and if it is even possible for me to duck dive my board. I'm going surfing on Mar 1st and 2nd, so any feedback before then would be greatly appreciated!

Oh and heres a pic for reference, if it helps any . And yes, I know Ron Jons are made to be laughed at, but I got it for a deal and all the other used funboards were over my budget.

the answer is yes you can! although i'm not sure if its the best strategy.

admittedly, i'm pretty new to this myself and i have a 9' longboard. i figured out that i do the following, i can duckdive it pretty well:

1) inch forward a bit on the board so the nose starts to dip below the water

2) grab a rail and press down (almost as if you're doing a push up) on one side, once you get the rail about 12 inches or so underwater, push the other side down

3) poof you're duckdiving --

now if you practice this a bit, you can get a bit further underwater, but most of the time i end up with the board deep under and i'm basically right on the surface or just barely below it, which isn't terribly optimal.

i've found that turtling is a lot easier, but i bet if i was using a funboard, i'd be thinking more about ducking than my big 9' mama

Wow I cant imagine ducking a 9' er . But thank you for the advise! I had so many people telling me I HAD to have a 6'6 or smaller board in order to duck, its great knowing at least someone can duck a larger board.
Well hopefully I'll do good when I go, so far the forecast seems awesome for where I'm going, 3 feet with offshore winds, sunny and 76 degrees!

I'm a bit concerned about the board comming up and giving me a pretty good blow, both when ducking or rolling. Has this happened to anyone? Any ways to avoid it??

THANKS!

Surfergirl15 wrote:
I'm a bit concerned about the board comming up and giving me a pretty good blow, both when ducking or rolling. Has this happened to anyone? Any ways to avoid it??

THANKS!

Just hold on to the board with your hands and control it, if your hands are controlling the board there shouldnt be a problem, if your hand slips when duckdiving it can be pretty painful, to avoid that apply wax on the rails.

What I meant was, as I go to duck dive, what if the wave pushes the board up and over me instead of down and under? Or does that just not happen? Sorry if this sounds confusing or stupid.

In my humble opinion i think you would really struggle to duck dive a board as buoyant as yours when you only weigh 116 lbs

I can just about duck dive my 7'4" 20" 2 1/2" funboard and i'm 6'0 and 190lbs if i weighed any less i don't think i'd be able to do it.

i'm sure you will find out either way though.

After you duck the board, you duck yourself by pushing your self down and forward (using your head as a 'weight' and the angle of the board). So you should end up above and slightly forward of your normal position on the board.

And once you and the board are underwater, you should hold tight and hug it against your chest - less drag that way.

So the wave will the rip board from under you if you get it wrong, not into your face. All the water-weight is above you, not below you, and comes crashing down on you and is moving towards the beach. So your board goes backwards. The next trick is to avoid being thrown over the falls yourself - so practise and get DEEP!


By the way, Ive got a 7'4 which I struggle to properly duck, but I can easily duck my 6'10 so with your weight at 7', you might struggle

i agree with dbbb.

im 5'10 and i weigh 126 pounds and i stugglr to duckdive my 6'8" funboard

THANKS FOR THE ADVICE EVERYONE! Its great to hear everyones feedback on the subject. I only have two days to practice duck-diving before I have to go back home( I live in Atlanta - which REALLY sucks) . Too bad I cant practice surfing more often. I usaully only get to go about once or twice every 3 months but we're supossed to be moving this year to Florida!

Sorry if this is out of topic, but is skateboarding good balancing practice? Since I cant surf all the time, I usually use a balance board to practice balancing and I ride my Sector 9 on some pretty big hills. I have a friend who lives in Florida who told me that longboard skating helped him get better at surfing. I think it sounds too good to be true, and I'm guessing it is.

Well Maholo for the advice/feedback!

It just takes practice and know your board. I'm a small guy and I can duck dive my 7'0 fun board. While in paddling position before hitting the waves, move your body a little up toward the nose of the board so that your weight will sink the nose a little bit. In that way, you can push the board down more easily. I find this very helpful in duck diving bigger boards.

Thanks! Do you need alot of forward momentum in small surf ( talking 4 foot and under) to duck good or does it not matter in small conditions?

It doesnt matter in small conditions... because if its less than 4ft, then you should be able to paddle right out to the sweet spot without needing to duck dive at all!

So true! . But I'm still going to practice ducking anyway, even though the forecast calls for only 1 or 2 foot swells But I guess thats the right size wave to start learning to duck dive on. I cant wait untill tomarrow, but I do hope to size gets up just few more feet

Hey everyone! Well I just got back from my surf trip the other day...


The waves were only knee high and no bigger, but I learned how to do floaters and hit the lip .

Now onto duck-diving. YES it was alot harder than I thought it would be!!!
I could BARELY get my board to sink enough even when I used my knee or foot to push it down . So I just turtle rolled which felt weird because I couldnt even feel the waves wash over me . Too bad I cant go surfing untill Jun so theres no way I can practice rolling or ducking . Well, a big mahalo to you all again!

later

No surf 'till June!!!

You need to move...

Yes I know

I'm trying to move but its taking over 2 years for most houses to sell where I live

How long have you been surfing for? That's great progress... floaters!?!?!
I'm learning too and I have a 7'6 funboard, how hard was it to do floaters with a funboard? That's awesome... well done!

Surfergirl15 wrote:Oh and heres a pic for reference, if it helps any . And yes, I know Ron Jons are made to be laughed at, but I got it for a deal and all the other used funboards were over my budget.

Dont worry I have a ron jon too and love it.

Just to let you know i have a 7' funboard too and i cant duckdive mine. My boyfriend can, but my arms just arent strong enough ....

Just my 2 cents