Surfing Waves

I have been surfing for a couple of years on and off and have started to get serious about becoming proficient.

I used to surf longboards and generally reached the point where i could do what i wanted on those so bought a shorter style board. 6'5' thruster, but quite thick and wide so fairly easy transition.

i have no problems riding green water when i can get on (riding along the wave, basic turns etc) but i have generally always gone in water where i can stand and push off. now that i am out the back more and in deeper water, i am finding the transition to paddling to catch waves very frustrating. I know there can't be much to it as i see a lot of people take two or three strokes then catch the wave, and when i paddle like a maniac, i miss the wave.

is there any technique thing that has to 'click' and then it becomes easy and obvious? could it be wave selection? where i'm trying to catch the wave?

any help appreciated.

BTW i surf mostly now at tea tree bay, noosa QLD Australia if any other newbies interested in heading out sometime.

cheers

it could be wave selection, OR you are too far back on the board, try to balance yourself on the board when paddling, the nose should be just a few inches up from the surface of the water..goodluck!!

well said, dondiemand...

hardest thing for me whenever I go out on my shortboard after riding my longboard for a while is making sure I'm far enough forward on the board.

I've gotta keep the nose almost at the surface of the water otherwise the board won't pick up speed. Takes me a few waves to get used to it, because on my longboard I'd be nosediving if I was that far forward.

hmm, further forward, that could be helpful. i have tryed to be more forward but maybe not enough.

do you lift up your legs when about to catch wave, help with transfer forward or do you try to paddle with them? hope you know what i'm on about.

Are you as far out as when you were riding a longboard? If so you need to be in further. You probably know that. I am just trying to hit the possibilities.

Ausurfmaybe wrote:hmm, further forward, that could be helpful. i have tryed to be more forward but maybe not enough.

do you lift up your legs when about to catch wave, help with transfer forward or do you try to paddle with them? hope you know what i'm on about.

Excellent point about the legs. I have used that trick since I started over 35 years ago. Another thing I do is crowd the nose a bit and push down when I feel the wave build under me.

Ausurfmaybe wrote:hmm, further forward, that could be helpful. i have tryed to be more forward but maybe not enough.

do you lift up your legs when about to catch wave, help with transfer forward or do you try to paddle with them? hope you know what i'm on about.

u probably mean "kick paddle"..in some cases, kick paddling slows u down, so it's better to just lift ur leg at a 90 degree angle with ur board, feet/toes together..also, do long hard strokes, instead of quick short ones..that should help..goodluck!

kick paddling helps depending on the size of the board. But as a general rule if you are kick paddling just before you pop up it might be an idea to have those legs at a 90 degree angle as that ill put your weight forward and stop you from falling off the back of the wave

As always, position on the board & where your trying to take off.

You'll need to take the wave a lot later than a longboard.

well when paddling to get out back, you should lift your shoulders and head, but when paddling to catch a wave i find you should put your head down and paddle untill you feel the wave pick you up

oh yea, and instead of paddling with your shoulders in a circle motion, bring your hands under the board when paddling (if it makes sense) and this will make the paddling strokes stronger

this is all really good feedback, thanks. i'll get out out in the next couple of days and see if i can make sense of it all.

Hey Au,
Regularly longboard at Noosa too (usually the pot/nationals), am similarly making a transition from a 9'6 to a new 7'6, thanks for posting this question, I am feeling same frustration.
Cheers
Farside

i think your so used to taking waves early that now, your also taking them early exept your on a shortboard. Try to catch the wave much later than usual, it will be wierd at first but then you will get the hang of it.

You definitely need to be much closer to the "pocket" to catch a wave on a shortboard. Chasing waves and paddling frantically usually doesn't help. Get to the point where the wave is very close to breaking, paddle twice, if you catch it, you were in the right position, if not, wait for the next one and try it again.

At last Otter , a good suggestion. Maybe go back to the longboard until you can read waves better. Position is the key. You will eat it a few times but it beats kookin' it on the sholder. It will come in time.....eventually