3 board travel quiver

[kool-aid]

I'm surprised the guy from Oregon isn't asking the question on the other side, because I am. This is an around the world trip. I'm picking one of the bigger boards listed, and I get scared and nurse my asshole with my thumb from the beach sooner than most. What happens when sh!t gets real at someplace real?

Edit: Saw post above - I have Baby Buggy and Sub Driver and Baby Buggy outgrovels the Sub Driver all day long.

The question definitely crossed my mind but I figured the answer was pretty self explanatory. If you bring the gun, you feel obligated to use it. Despite being from Oregon I'm not a charging hell man. I want to be more fearless...not that I really ever want to ride giant waves but I'd like to be more comfortable when it's double to triple overhead because those are the days where you can have it uncrowded and I think the biggest thing is that I KNOW I can safely surf those waves, no problem but my stupid brain won't just chill the eff out sometimes. Seeing people who I feel are not better surfers than me go out in heavy conditions and just charge it fearlessly fills me with shame. Every winter I terrify myself a number of times under the assumption that I am raising my threshold but I honestly don't know if it's working.

Around here though the big board is often times as much for the fact that you are chasing peaks in a huge playing field and there is tons of rip as much as it is for actually catching the waves. It might only be 1.5XOH but good luck holding position let alone getting into a wave on a little hpsb.

Usually when I'm traveling the waves are better quality and the larger board isn't needed but it always sucks to be undergunned when a real swell hits.

Bit of a side tangent but there was a 9-0 padillac on craigslist recently. Nice color and for a good price. My buddy was talking about picking it up, mostly just to hang on his wall since he's really no more of a charger than I am. I told him I couldn't have that thing hanging on my wall because looking at those really big wave boards makes me a little sick feeling.

Brb gotta poo.

It's really a matter of easing into it. I used to be terrified of DOH ocean beach. On rare ultra heavy days, that'll still scare me. But 90% of the time I now just consider that the fun range and ride a 6'4 or 6'6.

TOH+ days still scare me though, especially at the beginning of the season because this is where the beatdowns start to feel pretty real and humbling. But towards the end of the season, I feel much more comfortable in those types of waves.

Exposure to bigger surf is pretty critical and easing into it is the way to go. Truth of the matter is that unless you're surfing over an ultra-sharp shallow reef or an uber heavy spot like Puerto, you're unlikely to suffer any real consequences in surf up to TOH if you're competent enough to not get flung from the top or have the wave land squarely on top of you.

Get an 8 footer and get out there bro!!! It's totally worth it.

 

[vanrysss]

5'4" Dead Kooks fish
5'9" Pyzalien
6'10" Russ Short

 

[FresnoRipper]

5'9" Stamps Quantum Quad
6'2" Campbell Bros Egg
6'7" Maurice Cole Shiva

 

[HotHail]

It's really a matter of easing into it. I used to be terrified of DOH ocean beach. On rare ultra heavy days, that'll still scare me. But 90% of the time I now just consider that the fun range and ride a 6'4 or 6'6.

TOH+ days still scare me though, especially at the beginning of the season because this is where the beatdowns start to feel pretty real and humbling. But towards the end of the season, I feel much more comfortable in those types of waves.

Exposure to bigger surf is pretty critical and easing into it is the way to go. Truth of the matter is that unless you're surfing over an ultra-sharp shallow reef or an uber heavy spot like Puerto, you're unlikely to suffer any real consequences in surf up to TOH if you're competent enough to not get flung from the top or have the wave land squarely on top of you.

Get an 8 footer and get out there bro!!! It's totally worth it.

How do you "ease" into it at OB? I surf OB up to DOH, and it's all good when you're making your waves and keeping in position. But, as soon as the currents seduce you into the impact zone of an outside sneaker set there seems to be no "easing" about it. Clue me in, though - I'd love to know, 'cuz I've had sessions go from fun to scary real fast.

 

[casa_mugrienta]

~ Maybe its just me but I HATE to be undergunned when things really get moving in the ocean. Im 6'0 190 so Im probably on the bigger end but my good big wave board would easily be over 7ft with plenty foam for paddling into those big days at the deep water, open ocean, lots of water moving spots. Im far from some hell man, but Ill be damned if Im caught scratching around the inside going nowhere when theres bombs going off out the back.

Same, except I'm much smaller than you.

A lot of people don't seem to mind though.

It's a common sight on trips though. A bunch of undergunned guys unable to get into long period waves on their regular boards that are too small and don't paddle well enough insisting they don't need something bigger while spending plenty of time getting clobbered inside. Meanwhile all the locals and people who know better are on stepups.

 

[casa_mugrienta]

How do you "ease" into it at OB? I surf OB up to DOH, and it's all good when you're making your waves and keeping in position. But, as soon as the currents seduce you into the impact zone of an outside sneaker set there seems to be no "easing" about it. Clue me in, though - I'd love to know, 'cuz I've had sessions go from fun to scary real fast.

I don't understand this either.

It seems like in that area you might go without surfing for weeks on end too, then all the sudden you paddle out into one of the heaviest surfable beachbreaks on the planet?

Please explain how this works without drowning or getting seriously injured.

 

[casa_mugrienta]

The question definitely crossed my mind but I figured the answer was pretty self explanatory. If you bring the gun, you feel obligated to use it. Despite being from Oregon I'm not a charging hell man. I want to be more fearless...not that I really ever want to ride giant waves but I'd like to be more comfortable when it's double to triple overhead because those are the days where you can have it uncrowded and I think the biggest thing is that I KNOW I can safely surf those waves, no problem but my stupid brain won't just chill the eff out sometimes. Seeing people who I feel are not better surfers than me go out in heavy conditions and just charge it fearlessly fills me with shame. Every winter I terrify myself a number of times under the assumption that I am raising my threshold but I honestly don't know if it's working.

For me the desire for bigger waves comes and goes.

Was really amped to be in the juice last winter.

Now have a new 7'3 minigun sitting in the closet waiting for this winter and I kinda avoid looking at when I go in there to pull a board off the rack.

 

[Aruka]

Epic posts Kool-Aid. Thank you.

 

[Duffy LaCoronilla]

Wow. Id be curious as to the average height/weight of you guys. 6'10 being the biggest step up I saw seems very small considering the variety and size of waves you may come across on an around the world surf trip. Maybe its just me but I HATE to be undergunned when things really get moving in the ocean. Im 6'0 190 so Im probably on the bigger end but my good big wave board would easily be over 7ft with plenty foam for paddling into those big days at the deep water, open ocean, lots of water moving spots. Im far from some hell man, but Ill be damned if Im caught scratching around the inside going nowhere when theres bombs going off out the back.

I’m your size.
I ride a 6’6 until it’s too big for a 6’6 then I go to an 8’6 Padillac.

If it’s too big for an 6’6 I’m not really doing turns anyway.

If it’s too big for the 8’6 I go somewhere else.

 

[vanrysss]

I'm from Oregon too, and tbh 50% of the time I ride an 8' C-bucket. Once fall/winter hits I'm usually on that 6'10" Russ Short, and on rare summer days where it's uncrowded and waves are decent I'll bust out my twin or thruster. I think it's funny that the minigun I bought for Sunset turned out to be a daily driver back home, but it's really just the best option out here. Thick-ass wetsuit, freezing cold water, shifty peaks, and low-quality waves pushed me to embrace the foam.

 

[teeroi]

I’d take what I ride here.

5’10 Tokoro MX- squash

6’2 Tokoro 4X pin

6’7 Tokoro 4VC pin.

But I’ve been on a trip and broke the fin box on my 5’11. Having 2 HPSB and a step up would probably be the wiser choice considering the waves I’d gravitate to. Head to DOH hollow lefts. 5’10, 6’0 and an in betweener of the 6’2 and 6’7. A 6’4 or 6’5.

 

[pancake_wave12]

5'6 Matt Hurworth - No Name for the Model
5'5 Mayhem - Quiver Killer
5'6 Arakawa - Skate something (too thick for me)

 

[brycor564]

5'8 VS Flying Manta
6'4 GGriffin hpsb (on order)
6'8 Bonzer5 Egg

 

[ChaseTMP]

5'8 (29.1L) CI NB2 in Varial
5'11 (27.9L) CI Fever in Spine-Tek
6'4 (32.6L) JS FMNII in PU

I've only ridden a step-up once out of about two dozen trips despite bringing one every trip. I was happy I packed a 6'6 on a 2003 trip to Tavarua. For two days Cloudbreak was solid 8'+. The Gudauskas family was on our trip and it was the boy's first time there. They were pretty fearless and had the rest of us pushing ourselves to go over the ledge when everything in my body and mind told me to pull back. Their mom Nancy was filming most of the time and we'd all watch the footage in the restaurant after dinner. I proposed to my wife that trip. The Gudangs parents, Tom and Nancy, bought us a bottle of Cristal which was epic. I was so excited to watch the video footage again a few weeks after getting home. I wanted to show some friends and was crushed to hear Nancy had lost the tapes. She was equally bummed since it was their family's first trip there.

 

[kool-aid]

Well first and foremost - you need to really put in the hours in overhead waves. You're right there's no easing into it if you're gonna surf one DOH day a year on your 6'2. But if you live in a place where it routinely gets big in the winter then you can definitely ease into it.

Second, make sure you have the proper equipment so that you're out there on all the surfable DOH days. Not just the perfect ones where you can get away with being undergunned. Make agreements with yourself about which waves you're going to go on (e.g. anything where I'm in the position and it's not guaranteed to be a death airdrop). You have to get used to pushing yourself. One or two seasons of that and DOH is going to feel like HH used to feel.

Third, when the waves start to get even bigger, pick the surfers in the lineup who are catching waves and emulate their behavior. Go for waves that look like the waves they're going for. Sit near where they're sitting - even if it feels like you're way too far inside. Really pay attention to what people are doing in the lineup They've put in the time and learned the ropes. Casually borrow their experience. No need to reinvent the wheel.

Fourth, really pay attention to the swell and period. That basically tells you everything you need to know about the size / energy. Don't just check the buoy closest to the beach. Check the one that is a couple of hours out because that will tell you what's going to happen during your session. Start to get a sense of what kind of equipment you really need. For me I know that...

Swell is 6' and over 16 sec = 6' - 7' board
Swell is 7' and over 16 sec = 7' - 8' board
Swell is 8' and over 16 sec = 8' - 9' board
Swell is 9' and up and over 16' = 8' - 10'


Fifth, invest in your equipment. Consistently choosing the wrong equipment will undercut your confidence and send you straight to the parking lot every time. Make sure you have solid wetsuits that will keep you warm if you're surfing for a long time or god forbid you have to swim. Make sure all your leashes are fresh and strong. I use big wave leashes on boards up to 7 - 8 feet and I use XXL leashes on everything 8' and up.

Lastly, you have to be at least be in decent shape. You don't have to be in able to run a marathon but you do have to be able to do 20 min of high physical exertion if you have to without having a heart attack or a stroke.

 

[HotHail]

It seems like in that area you might go without surfing for weeks on end too, then all the sudden you paddle out into one of the heaviest surfable beachbreaks on the planet?

It's pretty rare that we go more than a week without some surf, but yeah, it's definitely not 2-3x OH year round. Still, OB catches most swell directions without much to dampen it's energy. So even when it's small, it can be punishing. I got bounced off the bottom last week - LAST WEEK! - in small crossed up surf, and I wasn't even surfing the inside shorebreak. It's sand, not reef, so no biggie, but it gives you a sense of the juice flowing out there.

Kool-Aid: All great advice.

One or two seasons of that and DOH is going to feel like HH used to feel.

Yeah, it's a head game for sure. By the end of winter I usually feel like I can charge waves almost anywhere. By the end of summer, OH at OB makes me pee a little.

Sit near where they're sitting - even if it feels like you're way too far inside.

Yes, when the horizon goes black and I have no idea what's behind it, it usually feels like I'm way too far inside. It also feels like: "Oh sh!t! Where's that guy I was keeping tabs on?!? Wait, how'd he get so far outside all of a sudden? Oh no...."

Fifth, invest in your equipment. Consistently choosing the wrong equipment will undercut your confidence and send you straight to the parking lot every time. Make sure you have solid wetsuits that will keep you warm if you're surfing for a long time or god forbid you have to swim. Make sure all your leashes are fresh and strong. I use big wave leashes on boards up to 7 - 8 feet and I use XXL leashes on everything 8' and up.

This is too true. I broke a standard FCS leash out there a couple of winters ago, and it was at the very end of my session when I was already pretty exhausted. Not fun. Took a few weeks and some mental effort to go out again after that episode. A big wave leash is a good investment. Noted.

Thanks for the thorough response, Kool-aid. All good stuff. ...Ok, quiver on, folks.

 

[waxfoot]

Great post kool-aid

 

[kool-aid]

One or two seasons of that and DOH is going to feel like HH used to feel.

Yeah, it's a head game for sure. By the end of winter I usually feel like I can charge waves almost anywhere. By the end of summer, OH at OB makes me pee a little.

Oh yeah, one point that I forgot. You have to take at least one or two summer trips to places that have overhead waves that can challenge your skills.

This year I did two weeks in the ments / indo that were overhead basically every day. I'm also going to Hossegor for a week+ in the fall.

When the fall rolls around it can go from 4' to 14' feet overnight and you don't want those overhead waves to feel completely foreign.

 

[teeroi]

On the North Shore it can go from fun 6 foot faces to black walls over the horizon in a blink of an eye. Thank god for those offshore swell monitors buoys. When the Waimea buoy went down last winter or the winter prior it was a crap shoot to drive out there. The Waimea buoy is pretty close, we’ll know there’s big surf coming from the more distant buoys and the Waimea buoy will tell us if it’s here yet.

 

[Aruka]

It's really a matter of easing into it. I used to be terrified of DOH ocean beach. On rare ultra heavy days, that'll still scare me. But 90% of the time I now just consider that the fun range and ride a 6'4 or 6'6.

TOH+ days still scare me though, especially at the beginning of the season because this is where the beatdowns start to feel pretty real and humbling. But towards the end of the season, I feel much more comfortable in those types of waves.

Exposure to bigger surf is pretty critical and easing into it is the way to go. Truth of the matter is that unless you're surfing over an ultra-sharp shallow reef or an uber heavy spot like Puerto, you're unlikely to suffer any real consequences in surf up to TOH if you're competent enough to not get flung from the top or have the wave land squarely on top of you.

Get an 8 footer and get out there bro!!! It's totally worth it.

Well its not quite an 8 footer (7-10) but i think it will do the trick. Have actually had it for a few weeks but havent had any waves quite worthy of a maiden voyage. Pyzel Padillac