First half hour in surf seem wasted..?!

[PonoBill]

On really big days I feel nervous, which is something relatively new. I think it's because a few years ago I was dashing out on big days when I first get back to Maui and getting pounded. I used to feel like I could pick up where I left off. Now my gut tells me it's ahead three, back two. So now I tend to hang on the edge of the channel, picking off the mid-sized stuff that no one grabs, and working my way out to the main lineup. A lot of broken or detached leashes over the last few years have also dampened my enthusiasm for rushing in.

That said, I usually get my best waves early. Could just be coincidence, but more likely it's conditions. The dawn patrol sets with just a few guys in the lineup offer more opportunity to be in just the right place for the really big stuff, and the bigger the wave, the more important the starting point is.

[Zooport]

All very interesting reading!!!!.....

What I find somewhat comical is telling myself (after several hours in the water and being whooped): "just one more good ride all the way in and I'll call it a day"......Jeezz,  this has turned into another hour plus as I can only bring myself to accept a fun (and long) ride on in for which to top off the session.  I suspect I'm not the only one afflicted with a final one and done ride!!!!!!         

Or how about this one?  Time to get out of the water to make it to work on time, surf is marginal and you're waiting for a wave to ride to shore.  Try to get one and it mushes out.  Try to get another and it closes out.  Waiting but nothing else coming in.  Keep saying "one more wave so I don't have to do the paddle of shame to the beach."  Unfortunately, the ocean doesn't always cooperate and you shamefully paddle in and make it to work with only seconds to spare.  This is a regular occurrence, at least for me.

[supsurf-tw]

Try balance drills on the beach for a few minutes. Stand on one foot at a time and move around. Huge difference.

[Zooport]

Try balance drills on the beach for a few minutes. Stand on one foot at a time and move around. Huge difference.

Plus, you look really cool standing on one foot on the beach.  It's a real chick magnet. 

[SUPcheat]

Try balance drills on the beach for a few minutes. Stand on one foot at a time and move around. Huge difference.

Plus, you look really cool standing on one foot on the beach.  It's a real chick magnet.

A tutu helps as well.  It is also another guaranteed lineup clearing device.

[supsurf-tw]

Try balance drills on the beach for a few minutes. Stand on one foot at a time and move around. Huge difference.

Plus, you look really cool standing on one foot on the beach.  It's a real chick magnet.

  Or be a flailing idiot in the water. chicks dig it...

[Zooport]

Try balance drills on the beach for a few minutes. Stand on one foot at a time and move around. Huge difference.

Plus, you look really cool standing on one foot on the beach.  It's a real chick magnet.

  Or be a flailing idiot in the water. chicks dig it...

Uh oh, you must have seen me surf.

[JimK]

I find in competitive surfing you have a short period of time to "perform" You need to have a procedure & plan
I get fully wet FIRST
Stretch on the beach
Watch the heats before and make a plan on how to score points
There is more but I'll keep that to myself

The above procedure can calm you down and get focused for free surfing
One last thing I "alot myself" a wave count before I go out factoring in wave quality/crowd/ how much time I have ect...
This tends to keep me focused during a session and give me a path to refocus  during a session

Just what works for me
JimK
www.extremewindsurfing.com

[Board Stiff]

In the cold water up here in NH/ME, I tend to be shaky on my feet until I've warmed up, which usually requires me falling in and getting worked by a few waves until my heart rate is up. After that I tend to be a lot more comfortably and steadier on my feet until I start to get tired/thirsty around the 1 - 2 hour mark.

The "one more good wave" bug always bites me too, but rarely ends well. I usually surf at the end of the day, so by the time I start looking for that last wave, it's starting to get dark and harder to pick out and setup for the waves. I'm also tired and falling a lot more at that point, and on bigger/rougher days when I'm having trouble getting back outside, I've been known to spend the last 30 minutes fighting to get through the shorebreak, only to finally exhaust myself and take my final wave riding the whitewater in on my belly.