Anybody got any tips on getting past big waves?

- Tip your board diagonally, i.e. push more with one hand than the other. This makes it easier to push down
- Use your foot on the tail rather than your knee, although I will always prefer the knee personally. The foot allows you to get into a more compact position and push a bit harder. The knee feels more stable when the turbulence takes hold.
- Hang on tight even if you're getting thrashed. The board floats you better than you float yourself.
- Bail if it's big enough to deserve it. You can get much deeper swimming without a board than with the board. If there are other people around, paddle to a clear zone by yourself and yell "bailing" so everyone else knows your intentions. The last thing you want is to hit someone, be hit, or get tangled.
- Practice getting caught inside. Embrace the thrashings and get used to them.

Try not to get the lip on your upper back, this can wreck your shoulder.

Foam floats bones dont.
Always duck dive except when you are gunna cop the lip on the head. Just hang on to your board at al cost because if yoiu get pushed deep it will rocket ytou to the surface due to its bouyancy.

Sometimes if the lip lands just in front of you can get what i call the bounce. This is where the lip sort of bounces and all the turbulance is up in the air and you can just pop straight out the back of the wave. You can never tell when ypou will get the "bounce:" as i call it but it works. I have had times where you are scrambling with a mate and he is 1/2 a meter behind you and he ends up copping a flogging and dragged in 100m's whille you safely pop though the back of the wave untouched.

The other important thing to do is keep your eyes open as when your are under water so you can see patches of turblulance and by just moving your head(your body follows) you can dodge patches of twirling water and return to the surface much easier.

The only time i bail is when i cant dodge the lip and it always ends up with getting pushed deep with a long hold down.
Oh well thats my 2cents sorry for the rant

good tips there may need them as the east coast of bali is looking the goods ATM

All pretty well covered but my 2 cents is sometimes if your caught on the inside with a set coming through its better/easier to paddle sideways or across the direction the waves are coming from. What this does is try to get you closer to the shouler of the next wave instead of copping them all on the head in the impact zone. Works for me

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1joe said...

All pretty well covered but my 2 cents is sometimes if your caught on the inside with a set coming through its better/easier to paddle sideways or across the direction the waves are coming from. What this does is try to get you closer to the shouler of the next wave instead of copping them all on the head in the impact zone. Works for me

How did you go last Friday?

^^

I dont think too many people where interested in my advice.... would have been 40 out. You where right about the left. Funny how everyone gathers together and leave soo many good waves to me

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1joe said...

^^

I dont think too many people where interested in my advice.... would have been 40 out. You where right about the left. Funny how everyone gathers together and leave soo many good waves to me

Yea the left is great and most people leave it alone because its not as consitant as the right.
That duck dive only works @ (d)

HAHAHA, ps i should have said 40+ out!

BTW plenty of places close to surf

Thanks sounds like i just wanna go deeper

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Legion said...

- Tip your board diagonally, i.e. push more with one hand than the other. This makes it easier to push down
- Use your foot on the tail rather than your knee, although I will always prefer the knee personally. The foot allows you to get into a more compact position and push a bit harder. The knee feels more stable when the turbulence takes hold.
- Hang on tight even if you're getting thrashed. The board floats you better than you float yourself.
- Bail if it's big enough to deserve it. You can get much deeper swimming without a board than with the board. If there are other people around, paddle to a clear zone by yourself and yell "bailing" so everyone else knows your intentions. The last thing you want is to hit someone, be hit, or get tangled.
- Practice getting caught inside. Embrace the thrashings and get used to them.

I've used my knee for awhile trying to train it out as it's leaving some pretty good impressions on my boards especially my longboard, yes I can quasy duck my LB there's alot of "tip" involved