duck diving

[freaky_welsh_chick]

i'm having problems with my duck dive. i can kind of get the nose down, and even the tail i litle bit. but i'm not going very deep at all, so i'm not 'escaping' the wave at all. it's not as if i'm a small, light person. i think maybe i need to work on some more strength? to sink this damn ship of a board (7'3" pop-out). can anyone help? is there another way to get out there until i can actually duck dive? does the turle roll really work, or does that carry you back to shore an all?

[reef]

I have the same problem. I can get the nose down but seem to float back out backwards like a cork! I just cant get the back of the board to sink. I get through most waves like this but if there are any big waves, i just grab the nose and jump off. I have a bic 6'6" board.

[surf patrol]

Duckdiving problems are common in the early stages of surfing. It is a skill that has to be practiced, and it is not made easier with boards that are hard to sink such as bics. You can duck dive them, but it is all about practice and timing. Get out there on a small messy day and get some practice. You will feel when you have done a good duck dive as you will go under the wave smoothly and not feel like you are going through the shaker.

does the turtle roll really work

It does, but learning to turtle roll is again a skill in itself. You are better off to keep persevering with the duck dive and get it down - you'll appreciate it in the long run. Any surfer knows how frustrating it can be when you cannot get out back.

[freaky_welsh_chick]

is it easier to learn to duck dive when it is smaller and mushier? or when it's clean? i guess if its clean i will be wanting to actually surf rather than trying to sink my wretched board.

[surf patrol]

It makes no difference from a practice point of view, but when it is clean you will really be able to tell when you have got the duck dive right as you will hardly feel the wave go over you. When it is mushy it can feel like a wasing machine no matter how good your duck dive is.

[freaky_welsh_chick]

wow i had the coolest session yesterday! i didn't quite manage a duckdive, but the waves were pretty clean... well niiiiiice! so i managed to get out back, cos i could paddle out in between sets, an i caught the green water, yey!!!!!! it all went goood (except the 1 time i had my weight too far forward and nose dived, just as i was pickin up the most speed, oops!) i did kinda duckdive, but i find i dont keep my balance as i come back to the surface, i fall off the board, lol. any ideas? also, how to you keep up speed, cos i found i went ahead of the wave and so my speed petered out. thnx!

[sinistapenguin]

Hi All

Surf Patrol is right, duck diving is the bane of most new(ish) surfers and is a pain to get right.

It is something that I could never get right. I had the worlds least buoyant board - 6'6 X 18 wide X 2 1/2' thick. When I was paddling normally only about 3 inches of the nose were above the water so I didn't have a problem sinking it. This didn't mean I could duckdive though!!

Here's my little story. Last September I went to Newquay with my friend who has just started surfing. On the Saturday we had some super-clean, super-fun 2 ft sets with the occasional 3 ft wave.

Sunday was about a foot and mushy. I really didn't feel like paddling out but felt I should for my friend's benefit. After a while of thrashing about in the soup I thought I would practice duckdiving. As SurfPatrol said, this is what you need to do. Get a day when the swell is small and the water is warm, so you don't feel like you're missing out too much, then just practise.

I can now duckdive my 7'5 mini mal in flat water - no waves required - and completely submerge myself!!

Here's the bit no-one tells you. Getting the nose down is the easy part, it's what you do once you are under that counts. Here's what I do:

As the wave approaches, keep yourself moving toward it, this will help the nose go under. Grab the rails, a bit further forward than you would to stand up. If you want help sinking the nose, put more weight on one side, that way the board goes in at an angle, rather than trying to sink the whole surface at once.

Once the nose has gone down and the wave is nearly on you, shove your head under the water (take a breath first).

Now, immediately, push down on the tail of the board and push your hands (and the board) forward, then, pull your arms in, and push the tail away with your knee or foot, essentially making your board swoop through an arc under the wave.

Practise, practise, practise

Cheers

Sinista

[freaky_welsh_chick]

i did it!!!! i actually duckdived cleanly once or twice yesterday, right under the wave, and the rest of the times, i managed to do a sloppy kind of duckdive, but managed to get through, and for the first time, made it out to the line up! unfortunately by this time i was knackered (im unfit, and surf was messy with rips and stuff hindering) and i did't have the energy to pop up properly when i caugh a wave :(. but i am all excited about my achievement, and now i see what my aims are (stamina etc..) i'm totally motivated to build my strength and fitness :)

thanks to everyone who gave me tips and stuff, its well appreciated :)

[surf patrol]

I went out on Rottnest Island for a surf last week and it is probably some of the biggest waves that I have been out in. It made me realise that I have now got to refine my deep duck dives somewhat. I just could not get under some of the bigger sets that were breaking in front of me when paddling out after a wave. I guess I am going to have to get back out in some bigger surf and give it the old Practice Practice Practice routine. There was me thinking that I had duckdiving totally down - oh well!

[Guest]

Duckdiving problems are common in the early stages of surfing. It is a skill that has to be practiced, and it is not made easier with boards that are hard to sink such as bics. You can duck dive them, but it is all about practice and timing. Get out there on a small messy day and get some practice. You will feel when you have done a good duck dive as you will go under the wave smoothly and not feel like you are going through the shaker.

does the turtle roll really work

It does, but learning to turtle roll is again a skill in itself. You are better off to keep persevering with the duck dive and get it down - you'll appreciate it in the long run. Any surfer knows how frustrating it can be when you cannot get out back.

[Uluwatu]

hint:

go as deep as you can and keep your eyes open. Your body will naturally "correct" itself under the wave and the boards bouyancy will pop you back up....

[freaky_welsh_chick]

lol, makes no difference keping your eyes open when surfing in Rest Bay... it's so dirty you wouldn't even see your board right under you!!!

[Brent]

beginner tip,

when duckdiving a longer board, use your foot, rather than your knee.

when you go under, leave one leg full stretched out, with the other one up in the air, , kind of like doing a press-up with one leg up in the air & the other one outstretched & taught & balancing on your toes. When under the water, pull your board towards you & relax the taught leg, this has the effect of heading you up the other side.

Try it lying on your living room floor to see what I mean.

[The111]

As the wave approaches, keep yourself moving toward it, this will help the nose go under. Grab the rails, a bit further forward than you would to stand up. If you want help sinking the nose, put more weight on one side, that way the board goes in at an angle, rather than trying to sink the whole surface at once.

Once the nose has gone down and the wave is nearly on you, shove your head under the water (take a breath first).

Now, immediately, push down on the tail of the board and push your hands (and the board) forward, then, pull your arms in, and push the tail away with your knee or foot, essentially making your board swoop through an arc under the wave.

I've had limited success with duckdives, and this is something I've always wondered about. I'm on a 7' fun-shape if it matters. Up until now, I've been submerging both the nose AND tail before actually getting my body under the water. I tried once or twice to submerge my head before the tail and had no success at all. Anybody else have any opinions on this? I can get the whole board submerged and angles properly so it shoots to the surface, but I'm not going as deep as I want, and I think that might be because of how long I keep my body above the surface.

[surf-babe-95]

bump.... i'm also curious if you submerge your head/body before, after, or while sinking the tail

[bob]

duck diving isnt really that hard. U have to find the right point on the front of the board to push down then take ur left or right foot and kick the back of the board down into the water. Make sure u time it right because the wave will also help u come up from the duck dive. IT also helps if u have a stomp pad.