NEW TO SURFING

[RVCAsurfer]

yes i know this topic has been asked numerous times.. but i paddled out for the first time yesterday.. and i just kept getting beaten by waves.. i actually got caught in an impact zone.. and i was held under for awhile.. my question is.. i just read about duck diving.. so i'm definitely gonna try that out.. but when you pass an oncoming wave.. and another BIGGER set is about to cave in on you.. what's the first.. best thing to do in that situation.. please give me detailed advice.. i got injured on my last surf trip. thanks in advance.

[deathfrog]

bail

if you can hold onto the rail guard on your leash


and get as deep as you can

[surferdude_scarborough]

yeah i agree with deathfrog. try and pull your board under the wave as well it wont get dragged back as much.

[drowningbitbybit]

Ah, the joys of paddling out....

i just read about duck diving.. so i'm definitely gonna try that out..

Duck-diving can be seriously tricky, and you need a lot of confidence to it. And its pretty much impossible unless you're on a small board - you need to be able to push it completely under the water before the wave hits you, so if you're on a beginners board you probably wont be able to

but i paddled out for the first time yesterday.. and i just kept getting beaten by waves.. i actually got caught in an impact zone..

If possible, dont paddle out in the impact zone!!
Find a rip, or a sheltered region, and paddle out back where its calmer, then paddle sideways into the area where the waves are breaking.

but when you pass an oncoming wave.. and another BIGGER set is about to cave in on you.. what's the first.. best thing to do in that situation..

The same as you did for the smaller set... but more so... Duck dive again, turtle roll, bail or whatever. Theres no easy answer.
But avoid the impact zone and paddle out between sets (and paddle quick!)

please give me detailed advice.. i got injured on my last surf trip. thanks in advance.

Everyone gets the sh*t kicked out of them once in a while, its part of surfing

[RVCAsurfer]

thanks drowningbitbybit.. appreciate.. yeahh i was pretty banged up.. i now have a fear of a big wave starting to form above me.. and i just run for my life. haha.

[gar]

if you have only surfed once you probably shouldnt go to a place that can hold you down, walk before you run

[sinistapenguin]

For your first few times, stay in the whitewater - don't try and get out back.

If you manage to get out back before you try and catch your first wave, then I can almost guarantee you will spectacularly eat it when you do paddle for it!

Stick in the whitewater, preferably in your depth so that you don't have to swim about between waves. Get used to the feeling of a wave taking you and getting to your feet. Once you have mastered this you are ready to try and get out back.

I'm guessing you were paddling out at a beach break - in which case, you won't have a good channel so you're left with the only alternative:

Get as far out as you can, whilst still feeling comfortable getting over the broken waves. When you feel the set coming to an end, jump the last wave and get on your board. Now, paddle like an idiot until you get out back.

This will result in a few times of you just getting to the 'impact zone' as the next set comes in, but eventually you will make it over that first wave. When you do - keep paddling!! I would recommend that you keep going until you are level with the longboarders who are farthest out.

So, congratulations you have made it to the lineup. Unfortunately you are now absolutely knackered and don't feel like you will ever be able to paddle anywhere again. This is why I suggested paddling so far. With luck you will now be far beyond the danger of the breakers, so you can sit out here and recover.

Of course if your luck is anything like mine, a sneaker set will just be arriving and you will have to get back down and paddle further!!

That's the only way I'm afraid!!

Cheers

Sinista

[drowningbitbybit]

Now, paddle like an idiot until you get out back.

A neat summary of the situation, I thought

[RVCAsurfer]

thanks man. i TOTALLY appreciate all the details.. i just get frightened by the fact that im too far out.. ya know. and we i cant reach the bottom with my feet.. i feel like.. i just have to stay on my board.. and if a wave caves on me.. then im done for.. cuz i havent mastered the paddling technique yet.. but i am a good swimmer.. but wen there's a surfboard with a leash attatched to me.. i dont think swimming is a good idea. thanks guys!. appreciate it.

[WaveJunkie]

I grew up in Oregon. Spent my life on beaches where the water was frigid and the waves where small. We'd catch waves and body surf to the beach.

Then I got out in the water in Malibu, CA. First wave caught me, broke over me, and pinned me to the bottom -- long enough that I worried about running out of air.

These bigger waves are different than the small stuff.

Two kinds of waves --

Easy stuff breaks off the top, spills down the front, mushes up in a wall of foam.

KILLER waves, crest out, top of the wave spills over and forms a "tube" . . . TONS & TONS of water come crashing down, and if you're caught in it, you'll get pinned to the bottom. If you're leashed to a board, the board will drag you around in the wash.

Read up on waves. Look for the stuff that mushes out on the top edge and spills down the front.

Avoid the crashing stuff. *G*

The mush is easy to manage. You just about can't screw up in the mush.

Paddling out, even the "high mush" just crumbles and you, your board get swooped over the top. Every now and then, the "swoop" will carry your board over your head and haul you toward the beach. But it's on top of the wave, not pinned to the bottom.

Pinned to the sand in Malibu -- 1974, thirty years ago. I remember. Never been quite so scared in the ocean in my life.

[little waves]

bail

definately don't bail. use that as an absolute last resort. you may get some water up the nose - but you also may avoid having your board hurt/ seriously injure another surfer.

where i surf there a lot of beginners (i am one of them) and i see soooo many people getting hurt by stray boards. its tough, and learning can be a scary thing - but it is also daangerous. if you must bail, look around and make sure no one is around you (10 ft radius at least).

if the surf is to big, storm surf maybe or something - there is no shame in staying in the white water where you can touch, and hold your ground when a big one comes in. you'll catch more waves that way, and also look like less of an ass flailing around in the line-up.

not trying to discourage you or anything, but bailing is not a good idea. bes to stay close to your comfort zone when learning - and you will progress and catch more waves. as you progress that comfort zone will get bigger, and soon enough you will be out in the line-up dodging head high sets with the best.

good luck and have fun.

[sinistapenguin]

I agree with little waves in that bailing should be a last resort, but there's 'bailing' and 'bailing'.

If you can't duckdive - it's not a good idea to start on big waves! Sometimes bailing is unavoidable, but Deathfrog does say bail, but hold on to your leash.

The last thing anyone wants is a board in the face, so hold the board.

Don't plan on getting duck-diving sussed quickly either, it's probably one of the hardest things to get down. I thought I had it nailed and was diving under 3ft with the best of them.

I paddled out on the first 6ft day since then and couldn't DD a single wave, wasn't getting deep enough.

Duckdiving changes with the conditions!

What I do in that tricky situation is get off my board, grab the rail guard of my leash, flip my board so it's fins-up, then swim down and pull on the leash so the board comes with me - it aint pretty but it works!!

[little waves]

another thing to watch out for when holding onto the leash - if your leach is on the long side and the wave is big, the board can fly up in the air - and since your holding the leash, well, gravity says it lands on your head.

one thing i try to do (i cant duck dive my log of a board at all) is if i know i cant make the paddle and i see the wave is going to break before i crest it - get off the board, but hold the board, not the leash. push all your weight on the nose while next to it (better leverage) and kinda "dive" it under. the board usually comes out smoothly, but i tend to take a bit of a smashing. just gotta hold my breath and wait. usually works out well.

[sinistapenguin]

When we say hold the leash, we're talking about the rail guard piece right by the leash plug - so the board is inches from your hand - when you pull down on it, the board ain't going anywhere.

If you hold the board and the wave is powerful, you could pull your arm out of the socket.

[little waves]

ouch!

ya, that doesn't sound pleasant at all. when in doubt - common sense