semi-useless techniques

[92122]

Walk as far out as possible from shore while jumping whitewater to delay having to lay on the board, put pressure on the ribs, and start using your paddling muscles. Not so applicable at reef breaks.

Dial in a spot to grab any given board and throw it under you in one swift movement to the perfect paddling position. On a typical shortboard this means palming the nose and fully extending your arm, but your go to spot may vary.

Timing your paddling and duck dive to a breaking set wave so that the first lip impact detonates right in front of you. Not on you (of course) and not allowing it to roll too far, but to where the first splash just covers you (low pressure theory = Mike Stewart). The perceived benefit of less turbulence is reduced the further the whitewater rolls.

Keeping the board level or ever so slightly angled up when you bottom out a duck dive so that the nose or tail doesn't get pushed backwards by the whitewater turbulence as it rolls over you.



I regret that I'm not a good enough surfer to discuss more useful advice, but at least I know my place in it all. Flame away, or drop your own.

 

[Chee-to]

Jam-starting your takeoff in a hollow pitching wave like spongers do.

 

[kelpcutter]

The no paddle late takeoff is very satisfying when it works.

 

[obslop]

casually chatting with your bros and asking them about their fins as you lazily paddle to their inside for the next set

 

[everysurfer]

Surf where there is nobody else. You will get more waves.

 

[everysurfer]

Dont pee in your wetsuit; it smells.

 

[everysurfer]

Stop posting consecutive post, or you get a time out.

 

[20W-50 and blood]

quit surfing and brag about your injuries to all who will listen

 

[Lizard50]

stand on the burm with your starbucks and create reasons why the surf isn't good enough to paddle out.

 

[LifeOnMars]

so basically have some experience in the water, all things that come naturally with time. the things you mentioned are so minute and anyone with a half a brain could get those movement patterns down after a few years surfing, others are doomed to a lifetime of kookdom, this is possibly due to poor genetics or other environmental factors

 

[TangTonic]

I once read that Jamie O'Brien can duck dive and somehow stay under water and popup somewhere like 50' away and scare the sh!t out of people. I've tried this and can't do it.

All the above mentioned are things you kinda figure out on your own after a lot of water time.

It's been cool to watch my 9 year old develop some of these techniques on his own.

 

[Duffy LaCoronilla]

An adult learner once asked me how to know which waves to go on, how to know if you’re in position to catch it...

He didn’t like my answer.

 

[Duffy LaCoronilla]

Dont pee in your wetsuit; it smells.

Some of rinse our suits after surfing.

There are two kinds of surfers.

Ones that pee in their wetsuits and ones that lie.

 

[GromsDad]

I once read that Jamie O'Brien can duck dive and somehow stay under water and popup somewhere like 50' away and scare the sh!t out of people. I've tried this and can't do it.

All the above mentioned are things you kinda figure out on your own after a lot of water time.

It's been cool to watch my 9 year old develop some of these techniques on his own.

Don't know about JOB but JJ can duck dive and go the length of a pool. There is a video of him doing it somewhere.

 

[surfadelphia]

Some of rinse our suits after surfing.

There are two kinds of surfers.

Ones that pee in their wetsuits and ones that lie.

I try not to pee if I'm wearing a hooded suit with booties and gloves, there's nowhere for it to go. Just a suit, pee away

 

[Chocki]

I once read that Jamie O'Brien can duck dive and somehow stay under water and popup somewhere like 50' away and scare the sh!t out of people. I've tried this and can't do it.

All the above mentioned are things you kinda figure out on your own after a lot of water time.

It's been cool to watch my 9 year old develop some of these techniques on his own.

I did it once by accident on a big for me day. Freaked me out how much distance I covered underwater.

 

[sushipop]

 

[Kento]

Walk as far out as possible from shore while jumping whitewater to delay having to lay on the board, put pressure on the ribs, and start using your paddling muscles. Not so applicable at reef breaks.

Timing your paddling and duck dive to a breaking set wave so that the first lip impact detonates right in front of you. Not on you (of course) and not allowing it to roll too far, but to where the first splash just covers you (low pressure theory = Mike Stewart). The perceived benefit of less turbulence is reduced the further the whitewater rolls.

#1: Guilty of taking the leisurely stroll as far as I can to increase the chances of a hair-dry paddle out. Silly because you can paddle so much faster than you can wade out there.

#2: Always paddle your ass off, especially if it's hollow, since you might sneak just under the lip and emerge unscathed. It is trippy when, on very hollow days, the lip lands in front of you and you duck-dive, knowing it's futile, but get sucked right down, under, and up so smoothly, you're surprised your head even got wet. And then there's the other 99 out of 100 times where you just get annihilated.

 

[Mr Doof]

What follows is my semi-useless technique most commonly employed.

At some every winter, I'll be stuck on the inside bar. There will be any number of reasons for this:

1 Haven't really woken up
2 No lulls/short period
3 Low tide dredgers in gut deep water
4 High tide roiling thumpers in "deep" water
5 Mixed swell/big swell
6 Fatigue from day before or during session
7 Some/all of the above
8 Etc

So on the inside bar, there comes apoint where I get dislodged from the board, and instead of reeling it in only to get blasted by the next wave, I'll swim down to the bottom, and claw into the sand to stop from being dragged back (too much). Repeat as needed until the waves shift over, then scramble on top and paddle like mad.

Works brilliantly until it doesn't, and usually if it works brilliantly, the glycogen gets depleted just before the clean-up set heaves into view.

 

[Billy Ocean]

1. acquire wetsuit changing poncho
2. marvel at how air freely blows up your skirt after changing from wetsuit and the free and loose feeling it creates
3. consider how often you might get away with just wearing the poncho even when not surfing
4. start wearing the poncho "just as a joke" casually
5. quit surfing.