A Warning about rolling under technique

[Roy Stewart]

The technique described here http://www.surfing-waves.com/turtle_roll.htm is extremely dangerous, I've been rolling under waves up to 4 times overhead using big boards with no leash for many years and the technique described is wrong, as anyone who tries it in waves over head high will soon discover.

I have to go to make some alaia boards now but will be back later to explain.

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[Roy Stewart]

Well the short answer in case anyone is interested is NEVER hold the board near the nose when rolling under, it's dangerous. Instead hold the board in the middle or even further back, and when rolling under waves as they break thrust the board forwards ahead of you it will break through and pull you after it. Grabbing near the nose in this situation will almost guarantee a backwards cartwheel as the entire board gets launched.

[Real Pol]

Yup!
I agree with you Roy. Holding the board at the nose will likely cause it to slip and head towards the people behind you (it does actually say that in the article, but it's worth repeating). I used to wax my rails for more grip when turtle rolling.

[Roy Stewart]

Yes but the danger isn't the board slipping out of the hands, it's the fact that when pushing through with the board trailing behind as it does when held at the nose, the wave will often grab the board and fling it beachwards, catapaulting the rider in a big arc backwards. It's hard to explain I'll have to draw a picture, but the article has it COMPLETELY and DANGEROUSLY WRONG .

I have tried to explain this before with zero success, I even had guys riding my 13 footer in bigger waves getting catapaulted because they were rolling under from the nose but still couldn't comprehend the problem.

The board must be held from the middle and when going up the face of a breaking wave must be pushed forwards out to sea ahead of the rider, and gripped from further back towards the tail. It's really imperative for anyone with a big board to understand this.

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[surf patrol]

Thanks for the explaination, I will make the changes to the article.

[Roy Stewart]

That's a relief, there's a fair bit more to it as well as detailed in my PM.

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