turtle rolls / duck dives

[dangerous dave]

can any one point me in the right direction in regarding trying to get out through out waves with a longboard
I E turtle rolls if so is there any videos to look at as i had a look on tube and there is not much.
i paddle a bear long board 9,0''
we are back out off to surf maroc in march on a surf camp
do you recon on getting the instructors to give me a few pointers on how to get out and get through wave with along board.

[oldmansurfer]

My recommendation would be to watch the lineup before going out and look for where you can paddle out without getting pounded. Figure that you will catch a wave then go to that area where there are no waves or only small waves and paddle back out there. The ways to go through waves are numerous. First on smaller whitewater coming at you what I do is push away from board and let wave go over board and under my body. If it is a little bigger I push away and push on the tail so the nose points upward and the whitewater hits the bottom of the board. If it is bigger then I do a half duck dive, I shove the nose of the board and myself down and try to get under the force of the whitewater. If it is bigger yet then I turn turtle which I have several variations of turtling that I do, basic is jut to flip over and pull the nose down but be careful to have my elbows on the board so it keep the board from smacking me in the face. On even bigger waves I may wrap my legs around the board and hug the board up to my chest but pull my head back so I don't get my face smashed by the board. Bigger yet and I jump off the board and swim for the bottom. When I was learning how to surf at one break I would come in to the beach and walk back to where it was safe to paddle out and then go back out. I found that even as I learned to surf this was faster at that particular break anyway so kept it up. The other surfers would ask me why I did that and then I would tell them to race me back out and see who gets out first. I would win nearly every time. Anyway if you know the break you can usually find a way out that is easier or quicker or both.

[oldmansurfer]

here is a video but seriously I would use some other technique for these little waves but it shows you how they do it (my instruction is different)

a second one more similar to me although not as attractive of a model

[oldmansurfer]

another video

[dtc]

I use much the same techniques as the Old Man, although I found that the '1/2 duck dive' didnt work very well for me, even at 85kg. Instead for waves too big to just go over and too small to require a full turtle roll, I hop off the side of my board, grab the nose with one hand (still to the side of the board), push myself up into the air a little and then sink under the wave with the board. Sort of like a duck dive but I'm not on the board (if that makes sense).

The purists will probably find this an appalling technique and there are some risks, but it works pretty well.

The risks are that its limited by your one hand grip strength, so if the wave is more powerful than you think the board may be ripped out of your hand (esp if you have weak grip); and you could wrench your shoulder if the board bounces around a little bit. On shorter boards your feet sometimes get pushed back by the water and hit the fins, but shouldnt be an issue with a long board. Wax the nose of your board (top and bottom) to assist with holding on. But basically its the same concept as a turtle roll but with an easier body position.

I find the problem with turtle rolls is that I'm too bouyant with a wetsuit and cant get deep enough, so I need to get the timing right - otherwise I float up at the wrong time. In any event, the key to the turtle roll (and my 'technique' above) is to get the nose of the board underwater rather than necessarily the entire board. The white water then pushes down on the board as it passes over the top. The thing not to do is let the white water get under the nose of the board - you will never be able to hold on even with a small wave.

In terms of getting out, beach breaks can be harder than reef or point breaks in finding a spot with lower waves. There is often a channel that can help but sometimes the waves are breaking there as well or perhaps the channel creates a shore dump. Another spot is to the 'end' of the wave (the spot where the surfers finish up) because the wave there is usually breaking close to shore. Stand in the shallows holding your board until there is a lull in the waves then hop on and paddle fast (learn good paddling positioning and technique). You should be able to, if your timing (and luck) is good, get over the unbroken wave (remember its breaking close to shore) and out the back. Then you just paddle out and across to the shoulder.

Sometimes it is almost impossible to get out without being able to duck dive. It will be doable, but it might be exhausting.

Learn techniques to punch through the lip if your timing is a bit off. With a long board you can just paddle fast into the lip, duck your head - perhaps spread your legs in an 'X' pattern (for stability) - and drive the nose of the board through the lip (only the lip, however, not the body of the wave - if you try to go through too much water then you are cactus). The key is to paddle fast and have some momentum when you hit the wave.

[dangerous dave]

thanks for the input guys .
will try and put and practice what you have suggested on my next surf sessions .
i think its down to time in the water as well for me as I'm still new to this sport .
[try try and try again]

[Rickyroughneck]

I too have trouble turtle-rolling. I lift my body up (to give myself some downwards momentum), turn over and hug the board to my chest (holding the rails) whilst pushing up on the tail with my feet. Despite this the wave often picks the board up like a sail as I just cannot get at all deep. I also haven't mastered getting back on the board in a fluid movement. If anyone has tips to avoid sailing then I would be much appreciated as I am not much of a sailor.

I usually do dtc's technique of jumping off and holding the nose, albeit with two hands instead of one, with my body as an anchor. It is a cumbersome technique as it requires getting off the board completely, but the body acts as an anchor to prevent getting pulled back too much. Wait for a gap in the sets or between waves if it is a long period and paddle like mad.

[zebroo]

I'm 5'3 and 8 stone..

I was taught to jump off the board (lift your hips, jump feet first) and pencil dive to get as much of your body as deep as you can, so most of you is in the calmer water and acts as an anchor. Get the timing right and 'stab' the nose of the board in to the wave as it passes, if you get this right the momentum pulls the board and me through the wave.

Before I learnt this I was hopeless at turtle rolling. I have used this technique successfully in overhead waves and I am not a very strong person. I used to lie sort of horizontally as well, trying to pull the nose down. My turtle roll success rate is now probably 95%, I don't remember the last time it went wrong.