Churning Froth

[Admin]

Lots of good tips about getting up and over whitewater.  How bout a sub-topic?

Whitewater situations are all different.  Some recently broken waves have a new-impact, steep block that you need to get over, but once over you are on a clean backside.  You either get them or you fail; pretty clear cut.  To me the toughest ones are the bigger rumblers that have been broken for a while, still have some of that tough first foam block to climb, but then have a long and broad churning wash behind them.  Those are frustrating to me, because the fins feel useless in that wash, so its stay low and brace and try to get in strokes as soon as possible to reconnect the fins.  In the worst cases the water has so much air in it that strokes feel pretty gutless.  It sucks to get up and over well, only to start slipping 180 in a sea of wash.  Plus the longer you take to recover the worse off you are to deal with the next one.

How bout sharing your tips for coping with the frothy aftermath?

[PonoBill]

My technique is fall early.

[Marcelo]

I usually just paddle as fast and as much as i can and if i start to turn the wrong way i just go with it and try to straighten up as soon as possible...no real secret or trick...sucks when theres more waves comming behind.

[1tuberider]

I think our only solution is to keep pulling hard on the paddle.  Hit the wave with as much as you can give it, keep the paddle wet and pull hard.  I have had to reverse my paddle stroke when I felt I was falling back, which seems weird. But by keeping the paddle in the water I was able to get thru it.

In the world of boating, you would add more power to maintain control at least as long as the props are not sucking air.

What break are you referring to?   

[DavidJohn]

I don't think it's even worth paddling till the water settles down and I regain control while holding the paddle out like a third leg.

Also the board becomes more sinky in those conditions when the water is aerated.

DJ

[808sup]

My technique is fall early.