Surfing Great Lake waves

[bobtany]

Having a bit of a challenge learning to stand in lake waves. I know I need to put time in but I can't conceive standing on the board in the lake waves.
Unlike nice rolling ocean waves ( which I am sure is still very challenging to learn) , the Great Lake waves  are disorganized , break everywhere and come at you every couple seconds .
I have seen a few videos from the Huron guys , at first glance no big deal until I tried ... now a big deal and very impressive .

Time on the water, keep center of gravity low, bend the knees and lean slightly forward , use my paddle for leverage , don't get discouraged, keep at it .. anything else ? 

Any special tips for these kind of waves ?

[surfnpoppy]

I want to say that my experience on the ocean is similar to your Great Lake waves. Rarely have I seen nice rolling waves on a glassy bump free surface. Most of the time in So. Cal thare are several swells going of different sizes and from varying directions. The water surface mostly has constant pitch and roll and at times it can be a challenge just to stand. You must concentrate on the approaching set of waves and make a decision within a second or two as to either paddling over into position or to make a quick 180 turn to catch a wave. It is mostly disorganized and challenging just to pick the right wave.

You do however already have the answer in your post. #1 Time on the water #2 don't get discouraged.

[J-Bird]

A wide wave board will help out greatly.

[bean]

Other than that, I've tried different foot positions, slighly narrower, slightly forward, slighly back, staggered etc.  This could help you find your optimal center of gravity and at the same time give you a genuine reason to fall a bit.   

Once I'm up and standing, I try not to look too much at my feet and board, I try to slow down my reaction to every little bump and allow the board to move under me.  Hope this helps but it sounds like you are already well on your way.

[endlessfight]

i'm probably the Huron surfer you're referring too.

the best suggestion i can give is just straight ol' practice. when i first started SUPing on the lakes, i'd go out for 'flat paddles' in really crappy windy chop. if you live on the great lakes you know how gnarly the chop can get here. not only is it an incredible workout in these conditions, it builds up your balance and comfort level in the shlt conditions pretty quick. so the next time there's waves and you're a bit out the back waiting for the sets to come, you're already comfortable with those conditions.

as far as riding the actual waves themselves, it's not a whole lot different honestly then onshore ocean waves. there's less power in the waves, but other then that it's like any other typical onshore beachbreak. any of my gulf of mexico friends from FL or Texas reading this knows what im talking about!

really practice on moving your feet up and down the board, further forward when paddling for a wave, then back once you feel you've caught it.

and yes a wider board will help, i'd never go under 29" wide for the lakes.

good luck man and post some sessions in the forum once you get some good ones in! try coming on down to kincardine on the next good north blow (which unfortunately won't be for a couple months since summer is here)

cheers

[XLR8]

You've gotten great advice and encouragement and started out with the answer yourself.  Keep after it.

I'll echo staying at 29 or above.  30 has worked well for me.  I've also had better luck with boards 10' or longer.  I learned on an 11'2 Starboard Blend and have tried a few boards, mostly shorter.  I think my next will be a 10'10" pintail custom from Great Lakes shaper Matt Campbell of BlkBox Surf.  He built a sweet 9'4 for a guy a bit smaller than me and that guy rips, though, so time on the water helps of course.   That board is 30 7/8" wide.

The other thing I'd say is to avoid paddling on your knees.  Once you decide you are going to stand up and paddle out, even over big breakers it just becomes the mindset.  For me, that is linked to my perception of doability.  Keep going out in all conditions.

[bobtany]

Thanks for advice and encouragement.
My board is 30 by 10'6' laird/pearson arrow and I weight 155lbs . Getting a fair amount of flatwater practice .Starting to question if I should have purchased more of distance board but  need to remember my real dream was to take advantage of the lake waves

I did resort to paddling on my knees on Sunday ...  will put an immediate stop to that . Guessing the few times I did go out in the waves they were probably not the best learning conditions but I am listening to your 'paddle in all conditions' tip.

[XLR8]

I think that is a great board to learn to surf on the lakes. 

A Naish Glide 14 would be an excellent compliment, much better on flatter days, a great fitness board and, of course, an awesome downwinder board.  On the eastern shore of Lake Michigan I get many more downwinder distance paddles than I do surf days.

[gr8laker]

I was out that sunday not far from Sauble actually.  Pretty standard wind swell with the wind still blowing onshore.  You'll still be able to get rides in waves half or a third that size, so get out there and practice..  and don't worry about spending time on your knees or sitting..  as long as it gets you out in position to ride waves.  Takes a summer or two to get comfortable, and you'll never master it..  you'll just want a smaller board as soon as you get too comfortable on that one.

I might be up near 6th Ave on a NW, probably on my orange/white oxbow.  See you out there.

[gr8laker]

a final piece of motivation for you..

[endlessfight]

a final piece of motivation for you..

looks like such a nice day out there.

too bad you missed it up here last wednesday man. was a good time and the water is really warming up.

[eldorado]

bobtany - I was in the same boat as you, I purchased a 10'6 Laird Pearson Arrow this summer to use up at my lake house near South Haven, Michigan. Learning on the Great Lakes can be a real challenge, especially trying to surf the chaotic waves it produces. Nevertheless, after practicing all summer (since June) I can stand up easily on the board on the choppiest days. (I'm 6'2, 180lbs) being tall did NOT help my cause out there at first. As your equilibrium adjusts, taking your board out on the choppiest/waviest days won't be intimidating.

Catching waves took a few days of practice too, but when you do the board gets some great speed and control (particularly with the quad-fin setup). After getting my ass kicked, when I took my board out on the first wavy day (didn't catch a single wave), I started to practice switching my footing from the traditional "SUP stance" to the "surfer stance" and learning how to (re)balance myself, essentially using only the surfer stance while paddling. It was awkward at first, but I knew that getting used to that feeling would help in the waves. I did this for a few days on flat water, choppy water, semi-wavy water until I got the hang of it. As I expected, catching waves after that came pretty easily

One tip that I can offer you is to switch to the surfer stance a few seconds BEFORE you catch the wave (as it's coming toward you) and paddle hard as feel yourself get sucked in, and then propelled forward as the wave breaks. It's a cheap and easy way catch those waves. I think a lot of people are taught to let the wave catch you first (standing in your traditional SUP stance), and then switch to the surfer stance as you gain speed; I have found this technique awkward and difficult to achieve, though it may be more practical in the ideal peeling-wave ocean setting. Unfortunately, Lake Michigan waves aren't as generous. Also the nose on the 10'6 pearson arrow seems to submerge pretty fast if you try to surf that way. Make sure to keep your back foot pretty far back on that tail when you catch those waves.

Would love to hear a progress report from you, we had some great waves this past Sunday, I was out surfing them for 6 hours, my legs are jello right now.

[colas]

I have never surfed lakes, but here in the mediterranean, we often surf waves that I think can compare: waves from a very short fetch with a short period (4s).
As other said, go wide. Narrow boards will not "capture" enough power from the gutless waves, and you want the stability in chop.
Then, work on your paddling technique and speed. Short period waves means they travel slowly and with some technique you will be able to paddle at the same speed as the wave, making takeoffs easier.

eldorado trick of the surfing stance is a good one. You may want to actually use the technique for ShortSUPs detailed at: http://www.gongsup.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1623 to give you more balance and faster "entry" in the waves.

Once you can catch lake waves easily, I would advise trying short and wide SUPs. Slow waves are still catchable easily by short boards (which can be tricky on fast oceanic swells due to their lack of paddling speed), but are very fun once on the wave as they fit better in the limited space of the short period waves.

[lakesurfer]

Nothing can replace a lot of practice.  Unfortunately, you don't get that much surf in the great lakes.  It's all about getting out there when you can.  A bit of a bigger board will help.  I've seen guys here on 11' 6" Naish catch little six inch waves.  Not the best, but you still get some stoke.   

[bobtany]

Eldorado ? I was sidelined due to lower back injury , just getting back into it despite the back problem ( seems to help ).   My balance is improving in smaller waves do to time on the water like everybody suggested . Things just start to click .
I weight about 155lbs  but feel like I don't have another power . Just did my first short 30 minute  race and was normally paddling  about  4.5 mph  in flat water  .

How big are the waves your surfing ? I have been practicing the surf stance a lot while paddling but not sure if I am standing too far fwd or back once I start paddling hard to catch the waves , my assumption was to  stand further back . When your in  the surf stance paddling hard just before the surge , how far is you front foot from the carrying handle ?