Surfing Waves

When you paddle out the back and someone is on a wave coming towards you what do you do to avoid the person and not mess up that persons ride. I did this on the weekend and felt bad i went over and apologised though

paddle into the white water and take the pounding


they'd do it for you

Chances are that if you're paddling across someones ride, then you're paddling out in the wrong place anyway.

But if you do, yup - go 'behind' them into the white water. Thats your punishment for being in the wrong place

did u hear that mr fox

taking the punding can be fun if the waves are big, but it's not something you want to have to do all the time, so get positioned properly and you'll be fine

OK - paddling into the white water (ie BEHIND) the riding surfer is the IDEAL thing to do, but it isn't always possible, so don't take it as the 'be-all-and-end-all' thing to do - quite a few do and that's where problems arise - both from the person paddling out and the surfer on the wave!

If you are heading towards the white water, or are far enough away to change direction, then great (keeping an eye on the line up should mean this is the case MOST of the time).

If you are paddling the other way (not ALL waves break one way, so it's easy to get caught on the inside of a set - and that ISN'T just a case of you 'paddling out in the wrong place'!) - then JUST KEEP PADDLING THE WAY YOU'RE GOING!!

The main thing is to make it obvious what you're doing and be decisive in your actions. That way, the surfer coming in knows where you're going and can (should?) avoid you. If you flounder around, try to change direction or do nothing, then accidents will happen.

If you make your best effort then no-one should complain - especially if you back it up with a simple ackowledgment of it possibly being your error........

Surfing-Innovation wrote:If you make your best effort then no-one should complain - especially if you back it up with a simple ackowledgment of it possibly being your error........

Hear hear.

Duck Dive

drowningbitbybit wrote:

Surfing-Innovation wrote:If you make your best effort then no-one should complain - especially if you back it up with a simple ackowledgment of it possibly being your error........

Hear hear.

yup, to easy to go up to the guy in the line up and say 'sorry dude, my bad'. Makes people feel better. When I first started, i dropped in on a guy, he came up to me with a mean look on his face, I said sorry dude, I didnt see you on the wave(i really didnt). He goes, oh shoot, its ok, just dont do it again. Situation resolved.

It depends on where you are, and how fast you paddle, too.

First, you should be looking out into the ocean before you start to paddle back out. If you've just taken a wave in, you shouldn't really end up getting in anyone's way taking the same general line back out back, but if you do, if you can read where they are headed, go in the opposite direction.

If you're confident that you can beat them over the wave before they come across the face, then it's ok, but you better be pretty confident.

If you're keeping an eye out ahead of you, though, you should be able to read most of those situations before they get too close.

Paddle away from the main peak while paddling out, far enough away so that you don't block a rider's path. Sometimes you can find a channel that will not only help you paddle out, but give you some extra outgoing speed with the retreating water. It'll happen once in awhile, just don't get the deer in the headlights look.

heh demands on the size and power of the waves as well. If you are closer to the channel and think you can make it before he reaches you keep paddling. When I went to bali this past month of july I was paddling like mad trying not to get caught in the inside of those sets .