Floater advice

[Eddy9]

Hello I'm after some technique advice for executing a float over a section. Had some really nice conditions at local beach break last week. Clean face with clear sections. Having managed a good bottom turn around a section and taken speed back up the wave I needed to float over the next section or breaking white water but when I got the board on top of the wave I just stall and come off the back or worse get caught by white water and wipe out sideways. Feels like I'm lacking some basic technique here so would love to hear some tips, thanks

[oldmansurfer]

the floater seems to be a timing thing for me at least. I have a high rate of success with that maneuver but I have to hit the lip right when it's coming over and then turn back down the wave. What you might do when you stall is to nudge the nose toward the shore, that is if you are stalling in that position with the board facing down the line, if you have the board facing back down the wave and you stall then you went too high onto the back of the wave and need to stay on the lip. One mental imaging thing you might do is just try to imagine it hasn't broken and just keep surfing (DON'T GO ONTO THE BACK OF THE WAVE). Floaters are awesome they feel quite like turning or riding other parts of the wave until you hit the whitewater at the breaking edge of the lip then it's just a little bumpy. Foam climbs can be fairly smooth too depending on the wave but often are a lot more bumpy and for me I need speed to foam climb and timing to float.

[waikikikichan]

but when I got the board on top of the wave I just stall and come off the back or worse get caught by white water and wipe out sideways.

Right BEFORE you got your board "on top" of the wave, where were you eyes focused on ?

When you were "on top" of the wave, what were you looking at then ?

[BoMan]

This REALLY helped me!

[Big H]

Speed helps too.

[oldmansurfer]

Yeah well doing a floater or foam climb doesn't mean you will get more speed or make a wave. I guess maybe it depends on the wave and how good you are at a bottom turn as to what to do but still a good thing to know how to do.

[BoMan]

In addition to what Ru said in the video...

* I pressure the tail at the top of the wave while turning toward shore. This engages the fins and brings the maneuver under better control.
* I crouch LOW with my hands outside the rails while sliding down the white water to keep from getting bounced off.