Latest Surfs...

[IanCaio]

@oldmansurfer,
15 minutes to paddle out? Some good cardio you have there, the line up was probably so further out. By the way, I can't imagine myself duck diving a 10ft face wave. Was probably gonna get pounded a lot .

[oldmansurfer]

I try not to be where the wave is breaking. I did duck dips (my board is too big to duck dive) and took a little pounding not too bad. It took me 15 minutes when it usually takes 10 minutes so I think it was breaking a little further out than when I usually go out there or...maybe I am out of shape. Which is possible considering there hasn't been much surf here lately. Definitely I am slightly out of shape just don't know if I am 5 minutes worth of out of shape, I still made it out without stopping for a rest. It is a good cardio workout.

[dtc]

Ian
Obviously no idea what you are doing right/wrong so this may be completed irrelevant. One cause of crashing at the bottom is not being crouched down/insufficient knee bend. So as you hit the flat your speed and weight will force the board under water unless your knees bend to absorb the force. If you think of skiing, for example, if you hit a mogul either your knees bend or your feet stop but your momentum continues and you crash (or your knees break, I guess). With surfing, your feet wont stop immediately, but you will drive the board a bit under the water. Then your feet stop. Then you will crash. Anyway, remember to stay low.

Another problem, but usually easy to figure out, is hitting the bottom too straight and your nose just dives straight under the water because of the angle of the board's tail, which is still on the wave.

[oldmansurfer]

I cooked 3 X 50 pound bags of rice this morning instead of surfing. It was a fundraiser for the Kiwanis club here. Others made large quantities of fired Portuguese sausage, scrambled eggs, French toast and fruit salad. I left before the dishes were done and the floors were mopped. We made about 1500 servings.

[IanCaio]

Swell is turning east, getting smaller. But I tried to dig some waves today. Once in a while a 2ft serie would hit for our happiness. 2ft hawaiian, since I found out people actually measure the same way here. It's probably 3 to 4ft face.

In a moment I was there, paddling for a wave closer to the peak, when a local pulled my leash and snaked me into the wave. Felt like that North Shore pipemasters scene! I probably said something like "we are pulling leashs now?" but kind of swallowed my pride and kept surfing. I was by myself, not worth being small tempered and getting in some trouble. I found a local friend of mine later and it turned to be a real fun session afterall.

@dtc,
I'm not sure, I usually hit the bottom with my legs bent, the bottom turn seems good overall. However today I had some tips on water, since waves are sort of fat on the break I frequent, making speed is essential. They call it "steps", not sure if it makes sense after translation, which is basically pointing the board up and then suddenly kicking it down repeatedly in a rythmed motion. Probably what pumping is actually. I managed to do it a few times today, on one wave I could do up to 4 "steps", managing to stay on it a bit longer. All practice now!

@oldmansurfer,
It all sounds real tasty!

[oldmansurfer]

They call it "steps", not sure if it makes sense after translation, which is basically pointing the board up and then suddenly kicking it down repeatedly in a rythmed motion.

I call that "speed turns" bottom turn then jump to top and snap back down to the bottom.

[IanCaio]

Yeah, but small quick turns instead of large radius bottom turns and snaps. Kind of like what Medina does in this video before the first aerial:

[oldmansurfer]

Yeah they can be smaller or bigger depending on what is needed. You do what you need to to keep up with the wave. Medina is a great surfer and he does just enough to be where he wants to be on the wave. In addition to keeping up with the break he has to time the airs so he is turning off the bottom at just the right moment to hit the lip for an air. He probably does most of that without thinking. Probably he is riding doing all these turns thinking "when I get to that section I am going to do a fronside ollie".

[drowningbitbybit]

Unexpected glass-off this afternoon in front of an incoming storm

The forecast was for onshore winds and barely any swell... but the surf was 2–3 ft, the wind was light offshore, and the water was like glass. And due to the forecast, there were no crowds either

Caught my last wave just as the storm hit

[IanCaio]

Went to a different break today for the first time. Always good to do it once in a while; even though they are relatively close and receive the same swell, the waves behave quite different on each one.

Today was about 2ft waves, 3ft to 4ft faces on the bigger series. But on this break, instead of forming slowly, the waves breaked quicker and with more energy. It was breaking on shallow waters too, was worried sick about breaking my board (or my skull ). The waves were closing on the spot I was, could barely ride a line, except for the wave of the day; a short line ride before a close-out.
Got pounded many times, but it was really fun! I'm not sure if my late drops aren't good, or if they were just too late, but lots of those pounds were due to being thrown down from the lip.

[oldmansurfer]

Making takeoffs is mostly about positioning, paddling and focusing. Yeah shallow water worries me too and unless it's sand I am very wary of shallow water.

[IanCaio]

@oldmansurfer,
It is a beach break, but even sand can ding a board, and in harder conditions can injury ourselfs. Of course reefbreaks can be more harsh, but we can't underestimate the dangers of hard waves breaking on shallow sand.

Had a surprisingly good session today. Went to the same break as last time, but I went kind of late. It takes me 2 buses to get there, about an hour and a half, and I would have about 2 hours once I got there before the night falled and I had to come back. But I went anyways.

2ft waves, around 3ft to 4ft faces, kind of like last time. But they were opening rideable faces more often. Then I rode the best wave so far, not the biggest, but the best. Could ride the line for so long keeping speed, then the wave walled even more and I could make a top turn, hitting the bottom with some good speed. Kind hard to describe. It made the trip completely worthy it, I was looking like a child paddling back to the line up with a smile in my face! Again, like my previous best wave, it was a backside right. Not sure why my backside waves are flowing better.

Feeling so stoked!

[oldmansurfer]

I don't under estimate them I am just really good at not getting hurt and sand just makes it a whole level of easier to keep from being hurt. I grew up bodysurfing so handling a pounding on a sand break is second nature to me. Backside better shaped waves maybe? Great session.... I am like that sometimes too even in my old age.

[Jester]

Went to lahinch today.. Just to keep you updated with my progress, it was pretty clean on the sets, small at first, 3 foot faces but steadily got bigger. Made my paddle out through the breakers and went for the first wave I saw after I caught my breath.

I must say at this point I haven't surfed for about 3 wks I think.

Turns out it was the best ride of my life so far!! I caught it, didn't think and just turned left with it, slid down the face at an angle, back up again to catch more power, turned, back down again, trimmed a line, saw a section collapsing in front of me, managed to get high then swoop down to clear it on the flats..it was petering out so practiced turning right and back into the power again.. It just kept going and going. Must have been 30 seconds long, first time I actually felt like a surfer!!

Weird thing was I didn't need to think at all, I just felt it and reacted, totally incredible feeling!!

Spent the rest of the day trying to replicate and for the most part failing and getting mullered but I KNOW I've made progress

Achievement unlocked!

[oldmansurfer]

Yesterday was maybe head high or a little bigger but the swell direction was off a bit so none of the breaks at my beach were very good. This morning the swell direction was a little better but the waves were over head but many double waves. After I returned from shopping for plumbers tape to fix a leaky sink the left breaking reef looked awesome and double overhead but unfortunately it wasn't so good when I was there so I went both days to the sand break. Yesterday I was way over to the right side and today way over to the left side. Funny thing is there was a strong current both days which were both going toward the middle and out so I suspect somewhere in the middle is a strong rip current. I caught a couple fun waves on both days but more importantly I got lots of exercise.

[drowningbitbybit]

Beautiful conditions today, but being a public holiday, I went to one of the less popular beachies - still very good, but a bit soft on the high tide.
The waves needed some good paddling power to get onto them, and after three days of easter eggs, food, and too much alcohol, a lot of them passed me by

Oh, and there was a 7-year-old girl totally outclassing me - the only surfer on the beach getting shacked and pulling airs

[oldmansurfer]

I had a ride yesterday that still comes back to my mind. I guess it was better than I thought at the moment. It really wan't much of a wave but it felt kind of good. Overhead wave, steep drop, good bottom turn then choppy face so I was taking it easy but I stuck pretty close to the whitewater and got half covered in whitewater and made a few turns but because it was choppy I didn't push hard on any of the turns. In a week it will be a tube ride at pipeline LOL (just kidding)

[drowningbitbybit]

Gorgeous autumn morning today with a slight chill in the air, but still warm water

1–2 ft, with some 3ft sets, and glassy clean. Good vibes in the water too with noone hogging waves. Got some nice ones, including some nice lefts which is a bit of a treat

[oldmansurfer]

overhead waves with a little bit of face on them. There were a bunch of people out but we all had our own peaks we were going for along the beach break. the good...I did a fun frontside foam climb and a backside foam climb which is my first ever and it worked really well except that when I went for a bottom turn I jammed it too hard and my butt went in the water and the board went faster than I did and left me behind. I also did a more powerful cutback which I hadn't done in a while (successfully) I got a shore dump closeout tube ride. The bad was I missed a few waves and fell on a backside cutback where I was off balance on my bottom turn so shouldn't probably have gone all out but I did and ended up with the board completely upside down and my feet still on the board. If only I could figure out how John John Florence makes those kind of maneuvers. Fun day though.

[oldmansurfer]

went back again today and the waves were not so rippable but I did get a shore dump closeout tube or two