duck diving issues

[jonny_dezz]

hi im sure this topic has probably come up a billion times before and im sure / hope im not the first but i really struggling with duck diving i am relatively new too surfing and when i actually get out im having the time of my life riding the waves the trouble is im really struggling to get out past the white water by duck diving i literally go 2 paddles forward and 3 back come off my board splash around etc every time a wave comes in

i ride a 7'2 nsp fun board (i gotta start some where) im aware its really buoyant and probably isnt the easiest board to duck dive (at least i bloody hope not) but i feel i cant get it deep enough i push the front end down and stand on the tail but i seem to pop straight back up into the white water and get dragged further back than when i was 6 paddles ago and more than likely im off my board or on it sideways or something im sure looks hilarious to the other surfers

anyway after a week of surfing and getting no where with duck diving really and maybe a little bit frustrated i was talking to a guy in a shop and i confessed that my duck diving is a big bag of toss and was it even possible to duck dive my board or do i need to turtle roll it or whatever he literally looked out the window at the waves id just come from and said oh yeah its defiantly possible to get out back on your board by duck diving but i should use a side scoop technique and i was like yeah nice one ill go do that...... got back in the water and realized i have no idea what the side scoop technique is i have an idea that its where you dip one of your rails into the water first but im just guessing ?????

but after this the waves weren't as big so i just paddled out as normal and shut them down left right and center and had the time of my life haha....

but my duck diving is no better so any help on what the side scoop technique is or help in general where im going wrong would be awsome im 90% sure its just bad / wrong technique although i wish it wasn't cos it easier to blame your equipment than your self right?? haha..... bloody frustrating though when you don't know where your going wrong......

[surf patrol]

Hi jonny_dezz, welcome to Surfing Waves
It is possible to duck dive a 7'2 NSP, but they are pretty buoyant. It's a tough board duckdive without a lot of practice. You're right about scooping, it's tilting the board instead of going nose first board flat. I wouldn't recommend this for someone who had not had a decent amount of practive. I'd go with trying a regular duckdive, or turtle roll.
As you perfect your technique, it will become easier to get the board through the waves.

[Ashsurf]

As with getting pulled back with the wave, it might be that you're duck diving too early and coming up still in the thick of the whitewash.

Kicking under the water helps for a little extra push also. It will mostly come with practice though!

[surf patrol]

There are plenty of duckdiving help posts. Check the bottom of this page for the Similar Topics links. Also, a forum search should bring up plenty of help.
The problem with duck diving is that it's tricky to master.
One time, (I thought I was ok at duck diving at this point ) I was paddling out on next to another guy when this big set came in. A wave broke a little further out than we both were and it looked like I could probably make a duck dive under the mound of incoming whitewater. As I was just starting to think about starting my duck, the other guy just disappeared. He'd started much earlier than I did, and obvioulsy had gone much deeper. I tried to get under it and got pulled back along with the whitewater. It was then that I realised that my duckdiving still had a long way to go.