Surfing Waves

Hi all, I know this probably seems like a stupid question but Im having a whole lot of trouble catching waves. Im just a beginner and have only been surfing a few times now. Im 5'8" and my board is 7'3". Whenever Im paddling for a wave I feel it catch me ok and push me along, but the next thing I know it passes underneath me and Im left sitting out the back of it! I was just wondering if any of you had any tips to help me out!!

Thanks a million!

when you paddel for the wave keep on looking back and if the wave looks to mellow then stop.

when you fell the wave has got you do a few extra realy hard paddels

begin to paddel for the wave when it is about 15ft away from you

build up back and pctorial muscles, so you have a stronger paddel

Thanks for the reply, I'll have to work on my paddling now so down to the pool I go, when Im not going surfing that is!

Also, how far up the board would I want to be in general so that Im not corking the board?? I've tried move up a few times but have ended up pearling spectacularly!

on my 7ft4 i lie on it so my toes just touch the end of the board - im 5ft4. it could also be that the waves are a bit gutless, sometimes i have no end of trouble catching waves if they are moving too slow

Traggie wrote:Thanks for the reply, I'll have to work on my paddling now so down to the pool I go, when Im not going surfing that is!

Also, how far up the board would I want to be in general so that Im not corking the board?? I've tried move up a few times but have ended up pearling spectacularly!

It's a fine line but you need the nose of the board just out of the water when paddling for a wave. Abit of pearling never hurt anyone, besides you need to get used to it!

Thanks for the help guys, I just need to wait for the swell now to get out and practise!

kitesurfer wrote: Abit of pearling never hurt anyone,

I beg to differ :stuff in yet more ibuprofen in futile attempt to stop neck hurting:

I hate that second where you are skimming across the top of the water with just your nostrils submerged, before you lose speed and fall below the surface, you feel like you're there forever...maybe not physically painful but painfully embarassing

Traggie wrote:Also, how far up the board would I want to be

you want to lay flat on the board so the noes is just on the waver then lean back/ arch your back so the noes is slightly out of the water, this was if you begin to pearl you can lean back alot more

Most boards have a logo on the top half of the board (Al Merrick, Town & Country, OP, whatever). This is typically a good place to start with where you should lay on the board.

Laying flat, with your nose touching the board, your eyes should be right over the logo. If you're pearling, scoot back so the bottom of the logo is in front of your eyes. If you're getting passed through by the wave, scoot up a bit so your eyes or more in the middle of the logo or near the top. But I'll place money that if your eyes are near the top of the logo, you'll pearl.

Once you feel the wave pick you up, you should be moving to stand. If you feel the wave start passing you through, you want to try and lean some weight forward to start you down the face (but not too much or, again, you'll pearl). If as you're standing the wave seems to be loosing you, lean forward, placing more weight on your front foot, but keep your knees loose so you can quickly even out your weight when you start down the face.

Thanks for all the advice lads, it's much appreciated. I'm losing the wave at the moment before I even get a chance to get to my feet, but what you're all saying makes sense!
Rich, I have a Circle One funboard, and there is indeed a big logo about two thirds of the way up the board, so I'll try out all around that spot next time I'm out and hopefully I'll get it!

Let me know how it works out. It might sound crazy, but even an inch forward or backward can make all the difference.

rich r wrote: It might sound crazy, but even an inch forward or backward can make all the difference.

rich is definately right on my longboard i can tell if in in the wrong place even if ist by and inch or 3, and depending what the surf is like it will efface how i catch waves.

when you get better and better you will have a per places you will lay on your board, when its big step surf you will lay further back, when its small and weack you will be as far fowrad as you can you without perling, but il save that for another time.

Thanks again, and I'll definitely let ye know how it goes anyway. Typical though, once I get all this great advice, and I'm itching to try it out, the waves disappear!

i think you might be getting a nice swell within the next few days

so let's say you see a nice wave (nice for me means 3-4 ft ), and you decide to paddle for it. your timing feels perfect, and the wave is about 10-15 ft behind you. should you be paddling:

a). short, fast and shallow strokes
b). long, slow and deep/hard strokes
c). faster but deep/hard strokes

i don't know if this varies per person, or if there is a rule of thumb re. paddling for a wave. i've been trying out different boards and thus having to change positions so frequently that i haven't been able to find what works best...sometimes i feel like i'm not paddling at all -_-

depends entirely on the wave, its something you learn as you go on.
For example a wave is steep and your taking off late you can sometimes get away with 2 quick strokes and then take off, but a more gutless wave you want to get up plenty of speed before it reaches you. Generally the earlier you can start paddling and more speed you can get up the better, but not so early or fast that you end up taking off too late and going over the falls.

Its all about timing something you can only get from experience me thinks. Alos a good dollop of wave knowledge never went a miss either. How often i have seen surfers attempting waves that i can see they will get thrashed on mutant waves and the likes of. The more experience you get the better your timing and judgement will be. One step at a time

Hey all, sorry for the delay but due to a variety of circumstances I only got out again this weekend. Have to say all the advice worked a dream, I just played around with my positioning around the logo til I got it right and then shifted my weight forward when I felt myself catch the wave. Now, I've just got to move on to the next problem of actually standing up...