Wondering what folk do when out in waves overhead size and found yourself at the base when it rearing up to break with no chance of paddling over it. Wrong place wrong time situation which happens occasionally when paddling out.
Do you turn turtle style, crouch small on board, dip nose and hope to break through duck dive style or dive off board and swim thru..
I've been trying crouch method with limited success but yesterday got pushed so deep after being in wrong place at wrong time, that it was a long swim back up to the point where I stopped to check which direction I was floating.
wondering what most folk do.
I ride a 10 foot board so im ****ed either way. I just dive off and try to get as far through and deep as possible. Then just deal with the drag back pull under. It sucks and easy to get caught in the impact zone for the entire set or more...
A have a short sup and even with less volume and length its close to impossible to duck dive..so go deep and a good trick is to use your paddle blade as resisitance to the drag of the wave..will save you a valuable 2- 3m..which is crucialwhen you pop up for the next wave coming in the set.
Chur
Deep breath and dive into the base of the wave and wait for the drag back, can get a little ear popping on big days
Phil
I'm not happy with the jump off especially when other surfers around and I've had a leash snap when board & rider either side of decent wave. So looking for alternatives. Saw a clip of a guy who just crouched real low and forward to sink nose then dived flat on board similar to duck dive. So been trying that out. Works (kinda)on head high & lower but not on above that when wave thickness increases. Wondering what the pro's do? never seen videos of them getting caught out.
I'm on a 8'8 board so a bit of length.
It always amazes me when surfers paddle out behind me paddling out. I always try and go wide long way round but there will always be someone that just isn't thinking. 10ft board + 10ft leggie in any surf means keep clear. Even popping up over white water can drag you back meters... i always look about and try and take best possible action.
A mate got a clubbie handle put onthe nose of his board. He can Eskimo roll and hold on to it. He surfs any size and regularly goes to indo etc surfing over head ...
For my set up ill continue to jump and dive when needed.
For up to just over head-high - kick board toward wave & dive down under as far as you can (as long as there are no others around). Sometimes you'll find that you can kick the board over the wave (smaller) and it will be close to where you surface. Otherwise - timing to avoid being in the impact zone...if all else fails - dive under.
Personally I try to stay away from other SUPer or proners and kick my board toward 2:00 o'clock and dive deep under the wave toward 11:00, and then use my paddle to reduce the distance of the drag. In bigger waves I avoid holding the leggie or board - too many stories of damaged fingers/hands.
On standupzone.com they have a thread describing how you can kick your board forward through the wave - before it breaks:
www.standupzone.com/forum/index.php/topic,27067.0.html
These threads are about how to get over the wave once it has broken:
www.standupzone.com/forum/index.php/topic,26515.0.html
and:
www.standupzone.com/forum/index.php/topic,25487.0.html
Select to expand quotecantSUPenough said..
then use my paddle to reduce the distance of the drag.
yep, and if it's not obvious, hold the paddle at the handle end, not in the middle. you've got less chance of losing it and it'll help somewhat to line you up right when you can see sky again.
I am no expert in big surf, but keeping close to the board is the recipe for injuries, so:
- I try to always have nobody behind me, I do not wait for the sets to come. It is quite easy for us to paddle away from the surfers behind, although I reckon some are worse than deers in headlights :-)
- I just dive on the side, and try to let the board drag me without offering resistance, to avoid stressing the leash. Better lose some ground than have the leash snap. braking with the paddle is fine once the leash begins to recoil, but avoid it when it is still stretching.
- A new leash broke once then I bailed out and the board kept facing the wave: it backed with the leash in the fins and the leash was cut clean (in front of rocks). So now I always push the board away from the incoming wave when bailing out, parrallel to the wave, so that the leash will clear the fins
- In my experience, trying to jump over the board towards the wave may get you clipped hard by the nose (got some major knee & hip bruises), and throwing the board forwards may have the board come back at you (and the leash) with a vengeance... These manoeuvres may work 99% of the time, but you will regret the 1% when they fail (been 5 weeks out of the water this July from the tail in the ribs...)
Select to expand quote
Rossall said..
Deep breath and dive into the base of the wave and wait for the drag back, can get a little ear popping on big days
Phil
Yes I do/did the same, only this one time I didn't get dragged as far as I thought I would then grabbed my leggy to pull board and the lack of drag was answered.
So now if the wave is not too big, I paddle hard and at the last split second I jump off the back spearing the board forward and under the lip in a way it will make it to the other side and the board helps to hold me for getting dragged.
Ill add, there is a risk of this going very very bad (as im sure some of you guys will point out) its not something to try if anyone is close to you in any direction.
As Colas said. Dive off board & dont resist the drag back in case you break the leash.
I actually swim backwards underwater to reduce the stretch on my leash. I used to do this in my short board days & even then my leash plug started to get minor cracking around its diameter. But that was in huge surf.
I kick my SUP to the side basically at 10 oclock & dive down deep.
I have been caught out recently when I thought I would make it over the wave on my knees only to get sucked back & down the falls. This is the worst for a very deep dunking that can hold you down for ages! Not good on a half gulp of air. I feel out of breath just thinking about it. I just keep totally relaxed under the water to save my energy & oxygen.
I will always give way to prone surfers whenever I can by surfing a different break or picking off the waves that they miss. Injuries & arguments with them is just not worth it. And most times I find a new break nearby & get more waves anyway.
But sometimes you cannot avoid a surfer so I just do my best & unfortunately have to grab my leash at the plug end or grab the leash & reel it in towards me AFTER! the wave has hit to avoid hand & finger injury. But again better to let the board go & dive down deep.
Select to expand quoteCraig66 said..
Rossall said..
Deep breath and dive into the base of the wave and wait for the drag back, can get a little ear popping on big days
Phil
Yes I do/did the same, only this one time I didn't get dragged as far as I thought I would then grabbed my leggy to pull board and the lack of drag was answered.
So now if the wave is not too big, I paddle hard and at the last split second I jump off the back spearing the board forward and under the lip in a way it will make it to the other side and the board helps to hold me for getting dragged.
Ill add, there is a risk of this going very very bad (as im sure some of you guys will point out) its not something to try if anyone is close to you in any direction.
That picture has to be trick photography!!!!! Those boards were indestructible.
Sorry for your loss
. Your method BTW is by far the best IMHO.
Select to expand quotehusq2100 said..
It always amazes me when surfers paddle out behind me paddling out. I always try and go wide long way round but there will always be someone that just isn't thinking. 10ft board + 10ft leggie in any surf means keep clear. Even popping up over white water can drag you back meters... i always look about and try and take best possible action.
A mate got a clubbie handle put onthe nose of his board. He can Eskimo roll and hold on to it. He surfs any size and regularly goes to indo etc surfing over head ...
For my set up ill continue to jump and dive when needed.
some peeps wouldn't now what you're talking about with the handle,,,great idea,,,i think lacey was talking about it once.
the clubbies get out in some big surf with the old handles.
i can never understand people that get behind anyone paddling out regards what board they are on.
at the end of the day if on a SUP and a big set is about to come down on your head ,,,,you're ****'d
There is one other approach that has worked well for me on occasion; the old windsurfing chicken jibe. As I am paddling out towards a big outside set, I try to evaluate early on whether I am going to have a good chance of making it over, or of at least shoving the board over. If it looks too risky, particularly if their are other surfers nearby, I will turn around and start paddling hard towards the beach so that I am as far inside the impact zone as possible. Then just before the white water hits from behind, either kneel or prone on the rear part of the board. You can then either ride the white water over towards a channel for a quick and easy paddle back out, or kneel back more on the tail to let the white water pass. If you are really lucky, you might even be able to angle over for a ride on a clean shoulder or inside reform so that the decision was not a total waste. Obviously this would be a pain in beach breaks where you would hate to lose that much ground, but on any break where there is a good channel that you can angle over towards in order to get back out quickly, you really have not lost much time, and have avoided: broken leash, broken board, others getting hit by your board, getting pounded and dragged in by the rest of the set. The key is making the decision early enough that you are well inside the impact zone, followed by a quick angle over to the channel. For those used to prone surfing, this approach makes no sense since we are used to being able to either duck dive or turn turtle; but a SUP is more like a windsurfer in that these are not options, and any ground lost is much more easily regained with a sail or paddle while avoiding broken gear. Just another option to consider.
Ouch, had the exact same happen to me last weekend. No cracking sound so all good...
Select to expand quotecantSUPenough said..
This is what NOT to do 
Just imagine doing that with a pointy nosed board.
Select to expand quotebreakbad said..cantSUPenough said..
This is what NOT to do
Just imagine doing that with a pointy nosed board.
Yes - that could get ugly. I do think it kicked up higher in part because it has a flat nose.
No one has mentioned the viability of a waist leash when you come off the board. I have been using one for some time now
and so far so good.
Select to expand quoteobijohn said..
chicken jibe.
So that move's actually got a name?? Awesome.
Chicken jibe is something you've got to do early enough to escape the avalanche. The situation I'm meaning is when you cannot go over or run without being rag dolled all the way back to the beach. Not sure what a waist leach helps to get thou the wave, bit off track there. Got to be a better technique that just kicking off the board and diving thou.
I not sure of the kicking the board forward and rolling back approach when the waves get toward double head height as you are leaving yourself right in the impact point.
Timing is everything with waves but you'll always mis-time it and end up in the impact zone.
You right, though running away from others and the worst impact zone is the best, you stated scenario has you looking up at a
board and body breaking lip coming down.
Too late too be a hero now, just survive, first body, and maybe the board if you can keep it out from under the lip. If the wave is
as big as you say it's the worst spot to try to hold any leash or handle.
Basically you are about to either break a leash/ board/someones elses head. Not the highlight of the session I bet.
It helps to take yr 12.6 ,or 14 so you can get out the back fast ot at least hit the whitewall with some speed.
Select to expand quotecantSUPenough said..
This is what NOT to do
WTF Ouch...I'm now thinking those vanguard shapes are not so good for SUP !
Personally I don't SUP in anything over waist high, yet alone over head. So I just duck dive or roll,yet another good reason for boards other than SUP's in ya quiver
Not the board's fault - my fault 
(But you are right, the flat nose kicks up faster and harder.) I was watching to see if anyone caught the wave and was not concentrating on what was in front of me. I reacted the wrong way - shouldn't have tried to go over the nose - not sure what I was thinking... Ouch is right...
