Pearling

[954worldexplorer]

Yesterday I went surfing after a month, and I kept pearling. I have 2 boards one has a lifted nose, and I barely nose dive with it, the other(which I used yesterday) has an almost horizontal tip, very slightly upward, and I nose dive quite often with it. What to do?

[IanCaio]

This board curvature is called "rocker". Having more rocker (more curvature) helps when dropping in steeper waves, reason why big guns (boards to surf big waves) have rocker on their noses. However, more rocker also means less paddling power. It's a balance of factors.
Maybe you're leaning too much forward, but if the wave is too steep, it could help to drop leaning for the curve as soon as possible. In case you are droping frontside, put weight on your toes during the drop, and if backside, put weight on your heels.

Hope it helps!

[oldmansurfer]

It's so amazing that we ever learn to surf. Taking off is so incredibly complex sometimes yet seems so effortless. I think the causes of pearling can vary but most commonly people are afraid of the drop so they lean back and put weight on the back of the board which slows it down and makes you more likely to pearl. You have to lean forward then shift your weight back as you go down the wave. If you are on a long board it may be in addition that you aren't paddling enough. If you don't have enough speed you stay at the top of the wave as it gets steeper making it more likely that you will pearl. Things that can help are taking off at an angle so that you aren't going straight down the wave, this makes less of an angle at the bottom and makes it less likely that you will pearl and doing as Ian says doing an ankle turn pushing your heel into the board if you are backside or your toes if you are frontside which makes only the side of the board pearling and it usually pushes itself back out.

[waikikikichan]

2 boards, 2 different day, 2 many variables. What size is the board with the rockered nose and what size is the board with the flatter nose ? On one day was it On Shore winds and the other day Off Shore winds ? High tide soft rollers , Low tide pitchy lip. They are more factors to consider than just the angle of the nose.

I had a friend that was so scared of pearling. She custom ordered a board that had a lot of rocker on the nose to prevent pearling. Well, it didn't pearl alright. The reason it didn't pearl is she could not catch waves anymore. The front of the board pushed so much water like a snow plow. The waves just kept passing under her.

question: when you said you were pearling, does that mean you were going heels over head over the wave ? Or just the nose of the board went under the surface of the water for a second , but you still pop up and rode the wave ?

[salty_sunkissed]

Before you pop-up, try doing the "Cobra" yoga pose to load the fins. This will lift weight off the front. Don't hold it for too long, though! A split second will do the trick! Good luck!