Duck Dive Vs. Turtle Roll

[Nutty Brunette]

I have a 7ft board and I was curious as to which would really be better for me to do. My friend on a long board showed me how to do the turtle roll and it seemed to work pretty well but my husband said I should really be duck diving on my board. I have tried to duck dive and I seem to eat xxxxx pretty bad with this technique. What would be the best way for me to get over or past a wave without crashing a nd burning. I am pretty small and it seems like the wave just knocks me back with the duck dive. Any suggestions??

[kitesurfer]

With practise you should be able to duck dive a 7ft board but it will never be s easy or sucessful as duck diving with a shortboard but definately more sucessful than a turtle roll once u have the technique sorted.

KS

[bluesnowcone]

i can duck dive mt 6"6' egg, but sometimes i dont get it right and wooooooshhhhhh, my board gets ripped out of my hands and i get rolled everywer. if i wer u i would try duck diving it, but ohnistly if you cant get the duck dive right, youl be perfectly fine with a turtle roll, just dont mess that up lol

[IDynamite]

you really have to be careful doing the roll with a big board...it could get swept away from you and nail someone else

[Stone Fox]

I'm guessing my 7'4 is a bit big to duckdive?

[Adrenaline Fueled]

I've been using a 7ft 2 NSP for over a year now, and I've always tried to duck-dive it. I've always struggled to get out the back. Last week, my mate who has been surfing for 15 years asked why I didn't try rolling my board. He showed me how to roll, and I tried it this weekend. Fleshing hell, I was out the back in no time! Soooo much easier!! And, for the sake of science, I tried duck-diving the board on the same waves, and was struggling much more. Now, I'm sure with the propper technique that the duck-dive is way more effective, but for me? I'll be rolling from now on. I'm probably in the minority here, but that's what works for me

[eastcoastsurfshop]

I used to be able to duck dive a 7'8" back in the day and I was a lot lighter then! The trick is to scoot up the board & get the nose right under then push down with ur knee or foot. get that nose under & the rest will follow. Hold on tight tho!

If u have a bigger board try tipping it on it's rail & go through that way. Seen a lot of guys on logs get out in big surf by doing that. Turtle roll is deffo good, but it does mean ur off your board so lose a little ground.

The main thing in both is to get some forward momentum going, even on a shortboard it's hard to duck dive from a stand still.

[Nutty Brunette]

Hey everyone thanks for the advice. I will be going out this evening to surf so I will give the duck dive another try. I guess my main problem with the duck dive was that I don't feel like I have enough psyhical strength to hold the board down as I'm going under the wave. So wish me luck ! I will try again and see if I have better luck.

[dougirwin13]

With a full (round) nosed board you'll find that you have more luck if you push one side uner water slightly before you sink the rest of the nose.

[isaluteyou]

The most i can duck is a 7'8 at best. I try to tilt one side under the water then quickly shift my entire weight toward the nose thrusting down.

It kinda works but its just no comparison to using my shortboard.

I hate turtling anyway always found it pretty innefictive in big stuff.

[dougirwin13]

Yeah. The more volume you have the more difficult it is. So you either need to be stronger/heavier or have better technique. We all improve with the latter.

It's something worth practicing on smaller/crappier days. Always need something to refine, eh?

-doug

[Hang11]

If it's a big macca about to nail me, I stand up on my longboard and dive off it just as the wave is about to hit me. If I get it right, the board flys up in the air over the whitewater too. Not reccomended in crowds though, but it does help to avoid getting a beating.

On a big board, there's nothing to beat being able to paddle damn quick, and timing the paddle out to avoid the sets breaking on your head. Get them out the way on the inside, and then make a break for it.

[dougirwin13]

Specially if said board is designed to paddle fast

All ya gotta do is try to hold your ground between sets and then you are outside everyone else like magic

Course, the only problem is that more volume often means the wave grabs your board easier and has a better chance of dragging you back. Practice and technique again

-doug

[justloafing]

you really have to be careful doing the roll with a big board...it could get swept away from you and nail someone else

Exactly that is why you don't paddle out directly behind another surfer.

[rich r]

IDynamite wrote:

you really have to be careful doing the roll with a big board...it could get swept away from you and nail someone else

justloafing

Exactly that is why you don't paddle out directly behind another surfer. Wink

1. Rolling IS designed for dealing with a big board. And if you know what you're doing, it won't get ripped out of your hands.

2. As for paddling out behind someone, you also have to watch out for kooks who throw their board behind them, try to power through 2 foot whitewater, and so on.

As to the question - how big are you? Someone 5-11/160lbs should be able to dive a 7 foot board, though it depends on how thick it is. But if you're kind of small, then it's practically like a longboard to you and you might as well roll.

But it could just be a matter of technique and practice for the duck dive.

[dougirwin13]

On a related note LOG has some excellent footage of guys duck diving 9'+ longboards.

-doug

[Roy Stewart]

Rolling succesfully has more to do with weight than volume, a heavy board is needed to drive the rider underwater, more weight in the board is needed if the rider is wearing a wetsuit.

.

[Banana]

Another trick in your arsenal is to time your paddling out. I've gotten a lot better at waiting for a lull in the waves. It doesn't always work, but get the timing just right, and sometimes you'll breeze right out.

[dougirwin13]

G'day Roy!

Been a while since I saw you in these parts.

Interesting obs re weight of board. Sensible too.

I hear Paul is looking forward to visiting with you soon.

Cheers!