Surfing Waves

Now I've been surfing for a while and I just moved down to a 6'4 shortboard. The transition wasn't so bad, I'm actually progressing nicely, except for my duckdive. My board is 6'4 x 19 x 2 3/8, I'm 6'0 and weigh 170 pounds, so it should be fairly easy.

I can submerge the nose fine, but after that things fall apart. I know my backfoot is supposed to counteract the front of my board diving down. The thing is I can't do it properly. Am I supposed to kick my tail quickly to sink the board? Or apply pressure with my foot and keep it on the tail? Any time I attempt to keep my foot on my tail I feel really akward and lose my balance. Any help would be appreciated.

Start with your knee on the tail, rather than your foot. Its easier, and for a 6-footer on a 6'4 board, that'll be plenty of sinking power!

And the weight on the tail does two things at two different stages -
1) before the wave hits you - you've sunk the nose, now you need to get as much of you above the water as you can to sink the rest of the board. So you go up into a crouch press-up like position (hands near the nose and straight arms, knee on the tail, one leg up behind you). Board sinks, and just before the wave hits you, you follow.

Part 2) the board and you are under the wave. Shunt the board forward and up and pivot it around that knee on the tail. So you sink the tail, but pull the nose up and forward so that it pops out, with you on it, just behind the wave

Then paddle happily into the line-up



Thats the theory anyway - in reality it takes loads of practise. I should know, Im still rubbish at duckdiving

also you need speed to do it, so paddle really hard just before and then duckdive.

Any more advice?

try to do with what we told you and practice alot!
if you still dont manage post back.
i got a surfing book and it says o push your board down to about 30 degrees (nose) then push down, try to get the board under and then you can work on getting yourself under.
Also its much easier to try on waves then to try on flat water.

get your other foot up in the air, thatll help you get more leverage on the tail and help you balance.

what i do is i kick the tail when i submerge, my knee is too weak to push the board..goodluck!

Man... I'll still having problems getting that tail under, and I still feel akward. Guess I gotta practice, anymore advice would be great though.

try sticking one knee on the tail and put the other in the air to push down giving you forward thrust. The combined forward motion and weight should take you right under.