Learning on a 6' 10"

[mrbig]

Feral man, That is amazing what you are doing. Congratulations for pursuing a path that is incredibly difficult, but will manifest in mad skills that most of us can only dream of.

Continue to keep us all informed on your alternative path, that is clearly working for you!

[Logan]

Well done Feral!  I started on a 10'6 roto-molded whitewater board and quickly dropped to a 7'10.  I spent two years having the same experiences you are having, albeit in the cold cold waters of Maine.  I've been there... some days I am still there.

Stick with it, and give yourself permission to take breaks.  Back when I was measuring my successes and failures not on wave count but on time spent standing and opposed to flailing, I had to step away from time to time to see any progress.

My local beach is not really known as a "great surf destination or spot", and it can be kind of fickle for sure.  I felt like I was taking big steps when I went to "better" spots that were cleaner, fewer cross currents, warmer, etc. and things just clicked.  It sounds like you are living in a place I would consider a "destination", but don't hesitate to travel and see how you apply your growing skills in a variety of situations.

My 7'10 has finally become friendly, and sometimes makes me feel like a rockstar or at least relatively competent.  I have certainly noticed this summer that I have progressed enough to start making or at least attempting turns, paddling out through the whitewater standing, and really trying to find my rails and develop power.  The waves have not necessarily cooperated though, which is a different issue!

My last thought is to look back through this forum and through Seabreeze for posts by a gentleman named Colas.  He rides a variety of really short Gong boards, and has been a great "mentor from afar" to me.  He and the moderators here had some kind of falling out, but he still contributes regularly at Seabreeze I think.

Best of luck and please keep us up to date on your progression!

Logan

[surfcowboy]

Rock on man. I love that you are surfing and enjoying it.

I also hope you stay around, anyone who includes a head high drainer in their first few waves probably has a lot of surf knowledge to share. Respect.

[stoneaxe]

Holy shit! Starting out on a 6-10....has ANYBODY else ever done that except maybe a 10 year old? Mad props for sure. I can't even imagine doing that (probably because I couldn't).
Your chop workout is exactly how I worked on getting better and learning to control my board instead of having it control me. The crazier it gets the better the workout.
Like others have said, stick around, sounds like you must have some great stories to tell.

[magentawave]

Hey Feral, you mentioned catching a head high wave this morning and it's only 1-2 feet in north SD county (which means it's probably totally flat in SD). It's amazing how it can be flat up here in the summer but cross the border and you're into chest to head high waves. Do you live just south of the border around the Punta Baja area?

[FeralInBaja]

Hey everyone! Thought I'd throw in the couple of existing pics, I think the wave is from my 10th or 11th time out or something like that. Ugly pic, sorry. I thought I caught my first wave on my 5th day, but I read something I wrote that said it was the 8th day. The pic of me on the beach is my second day! perfect learning conditions... right board, smooth water, no waves. Haha! And yeah, that is a modded kayak paddle with no handle on the end. I broke that and am using another modded kayak paddle that's giant and is killing my shoulders. Told you I was a broke 50 y.o. When these jerks pay me for some graphics work I did 6 weeks ago, a paddle is 1st thing! (O.K., second after milk, bread, haha!) I can tell you are cool people and will still like me even though I's poor. That's my point, too. If you love the ocean and your back and knees are all screwed up (Gracias, Maverick's...) and you're broke like me, you can still make this work. Peace and love to all who look in their garage and see A: a car; and B: a quiver of boards. Count your blessings, kiss your loved ones and live it up! That's what I'm doing here, albeit without a car and with my 6' 10" 1 board quiver (not counting my San Miguel normal surfboard). Got more (small or tiny) good waves this morning, too. I've been trying to catch a wave paddling left-handed, I haven't pulled that off yet, partly cause the giant kayak paddle is a beast to go straight with left-handed. I'd be lying if I didn't admit learning on this board was/is crazy hard and sometimes frustrating. But I've had some great go-outs lately, 2 1/2 weeks in, I think and I'm catching 5 or 6 waves every morning without hurting my back. Thanks again for the moral support, camaraderie, and good humor! See ya's soon.
Feral

[freetobeme]

Hot dang Feral! Good 4 u. 

I was wondering what kind of paddle you are using. And now that i see the pic you might want to cut that baby down a bit. 

[southwesterly]

That's rad Feral. I love Baja and have been exploring it for 30 years. What a perfect place to run feral in.

Most of us here on the Zone can remember when Laird would yell at anybody trying to learn anything shorter than 12 feet.

[magentawave]

Oh yeah, that paddle is waaaaay too long there guy! To start, I'd cut it down to maybe 2" over your head, or considering how small your board is, even head high. There are threads on this forum about how to do it.

Hot dang Feral! Good 4 u. 

I was wondering what kind of paddle you are using. And now that i see the pic you might want to cut that baby down a bit. 

[eastbound]

how wide is dat thang?

and yeah cut that paddle to no more than 4" over head, and glue so you can cut another 2 if (when) you decide to.

[magentawave]

I have a couple paddles where the joint between the shaft and the handle is so tight that all I need to join the two together is electricians tape. Of course both of those paddles have shafts that are elliptical in shape so that won't work with round shafts.

[SlatchJim]

I've had kneeboards that were just barely smaller than what you're learning on.  Very impressive.  That water doesn't look like it's giving anyone a break on the way out.  I have to remember that you're much better suited to ride that board at your size than I would be.  A ratio of pounds to inches of length puts you at 1.8, and I started at 2 (this doesn't take into account width and volume but it's a rough comparison that gets the point across). 

I think you'll see a huge benefit at the other end of the learning curve, where a 6-10 board will seem very natural for you and the type of surf your in. Way to accept the challenge. 

[FeralInBaja]

O.K., I'm new here still, some people expressed interest and much support in the continuing saga of my learning. Thank you all, especially Rob. Yesterday, I was paddling hard for a good little waist-high wave, a size which this GIANT board surfs really well! I was thinking: "Oh, yeah, style's good, paddle vertical, paddling straight, arms straight, using core, hogging down, pulling HARD!" And SNAP! The modded kayak paddle with the giant blade busts in half in my hands, I fall on the board (no pressure dings, thank God, I love this board) and realize: "...man, these flat-water kayak paddles aren't made for this!" Duh... So I ran back up the beach, sawed 6 inches off the leg of my wife's ironing board (only steel tube available in perfect size) and shimmed it in the broken tube. (Note to self: get down to garage and saw off other 3 legs of ironing board to match before she notices... Jajaja!) Rob from Blue Planet Surf is sending me a paddle, thank you millions again Rob if you see this, I'd be stressing if not. The new fix is holding for now (went back out for 3 or 4 more waves before wind came up), but I'm afraid to really hog down paddling it after this (second time I've busted one this way). Gambling right now that Surfline is correct with wind model, says glassy till 8 at least, and high tide helps a bunch here. O.K., gonna suit up.
Feral

[surfinJ]

You're our hero Feral, good deal on your future paddle.  A good paddle you can count on to not crack under pressure is the deal! 

Trust me that your board is not so BIG, I'm gonna grab my big 11' & 200l choppy water beater and get the low tide I've been waiting for all afternoon. 

[blueplanetsurf]

O.K., I'm new here still, some people expressed interest and much support in the continuing saga of my learning. Thank you all, especially Rob. Yesterday, I was paddling hard for a good little waist-high wave, a size which this GIANT board surfs really well! I was thinking: "Oh, yeah, style's good, paddle vertical, paddling straight, arms straight, using core, hogging down, pulling HARD!" And SNAP! The modded kayak paddle with the giant blade busts in half in my hands, I fall on the board (no pressure dings, thank God, I love this board) and realize: "...man, these flat-water kayak paddles aren't made for this!" Duh... So I ran back up the beach, sawed 6 inches off the leg of my wife's ironing board (only steel tube available in perfect size) and shimmed it in the broken tube. (Note to self: get down to garage and saw off other 3 legs of ironing board to match before she notices... Jajaja!) Rob from Blue Planet Surf is sending me a paddle, thank you millions again Rob if you see this, I'd be stressing if not. The new fix is holding for now (went back out for 3 or 4 more waves before wind came up), but I'm afraid to really hog down paddling it after this (second time I've busted one this way). Gambling right now that Surfline is correct with wind model, says glassy till 8 at least, and high tide helps a bunch here. O.K., gonna suit up.
Feral

Hi Feral, the paddle is on the way to California, we shipped it on Wednesday.  I'm looking forward to see what you can do with it.