Surfing Waves

I've been surfing for about a year now and I still can't manage to RIDE along the FACE of the wave! It irks me!! How the hell do you do it? Can someone give me a good description on how to do this?

oceangrrl wrote:I've been surfing for about a year now and I still can't manage to RIDE along the FACE of the wave! It irks me!! How the hell do you do it? Can someone give me a good description on how to do this? :evil:

Longboard? Shortboard? Hybrid/funboard? It really does make a difference, you know.

Are you catching green waves yet? Or whitewater?

-doug

when you paddel for the wave, paddel realy hard, then look down the line /face of the wave, keep looking down the line of the wave , then when you'v got it paddel two more times quickly whilst looking down the face of the wave, then pop up and keep on looking down the line of the wave, hopefuly you should go along the face, it works for me.

When you're pddling to catch the wave, angle your board slightly in the direction you want to go....ie left or right!

As everybody else has staetd Pretty much the most important thing is to look in the direction you want to go then lean towards the wave. So if your a natrual footed (IE right foot at back of board) surfer going right, along the wave face then lean over the right rail keeping your weight low (still looking in the direction your travelling), then vive versa for going left.

The other thing that really helped me was to spread my arms out a little and point with my front arm (left as im also natrual footed) in the direction that im travelling and the board seems to follow where i point1

I hope this makes sense!

In smaller waves try paddling diagonally into waves instead of just aiming directly at the beach.

also, as you are on the face of the wave, try pumping your board, weight on ur front foot, this is to gain speed

not to be the odd one out here, but sounds to me like you're taking off to late into the wave - surfing for a year you should be able to turn, so maybe try paddling harder into the wave, but a little further away from its breaking point. taking off at the break means you have to popup & start your turn really quick.

thanks for all the help guys! I finalllllly did it, looking the in the direction i wanted to go helped a lot as well as paddling hard!