Surfing Great Lake waves

[lakesurfer]

Try not to stand too far back.  That may be some of your problem.  I find, especially on the bigger boards, That if I stand too far back, the board wants to try and pull out of the wave before I can catch it.  What lake are you surfing on?

[eldorado]

bobtany - sorry to hear about your back, but glad you're getting back in the water.

The waves I got this past Sunday were about 3-5 feet high, it was right after a storm had cleared, a good day to surf as there wasn't a strong rip tide and the wind was blowing pretty straight east (towards the shore).

I typically stand with my front foot just a few inches behind the carrying handle and my back foot probably 1.5-2 feet from the tail of the board. I couldn't tell you exactly but if I get another surf day I'll try to get someone to take pictures/video. Remember though I'm 6'2-6'3 so my legs are long and have a wider-than normal stretch.

I wouldn't obsess too much over the exact position of where your feet should be. Just be aware, and take advantage of, how your body weight leans towards the front or back. Leaning slightly forward while paddling hard before you're about to catch a wave can increase your chances of catching it, and then putting more weight on the back foot as you ride the wave will prevent the nose of submerging and inhibiting your speed.

When you're practicing the surf stance on normal, non-wavy water, your body will tell you what feels right and your feet will start adjusting. When you're in flat water, you should essentially be able to stand still and balance comfortably in the surf stance, with little (if any) support from the paddle. That should be your foundation of how you surf-stand on the board. Remember it's pretty easy to "pop a wheelie" on that board with its pin-shaped tail so you'll probably know when you're standing too far back!

[robcasey]

We surf Puget Sound waves in Seattle.  Some are disorganized, some are super clean and quite good, etc.  I use different boards depending on the conditions. Longer for downwinders and small days (or small waves/boats), and shorter for big steep waves which for us can get up to 6' faces. A friend long boarded one last week.

A few videos on my youtube page.  Boards are both the Bark 14 Exped and Laird 12-1:  http://www.youtube.com/user/tugwakesurfer?feature=mhee

[bobtany]

Thanks guys

I 'try' and surf at Sauble Beach , Canadian side of Lake Huron.
From your input, I am guessing that I may be standing too far back when trying to paddle hard to catch the wave .  The waves I am trying are either too big to learn and just not strong enough to compensate for my poor technique

This is starting to shape up like my fly fishing experience to learn patience ... tried for a year and caught nothing  ...

I know it is my technique and impatience  SO logically I applied money to the problem and purchased  a 14ft Bark expedition last nigth. May  no be able to surf but should get a bit of a glide

Somebody said my board would probably surf/glide better if I took it out of the board bag ...

[gr8laker]

sauble was sick yesterday, did you get out during the clean up around noon?  there was a drowning later in the afternoon..  put a shadow on the day to say the least

[Dwight (DW)]

Be there when the sun comes up. So simple, yet often overlooked important point.

Sleepyheads surf wind blown misery.

[headmount]

DW... amen to that.  Here on Maui the mountain wind convects downhill and offshore all night until the land heats up bringing the wind machine into full gear.  Tuning into your local convection cycles will tune you into the time to go.

[Canuck34]

I just bought my first SUP and was out on Lake Ontario Saturday in flat conditions.  Sunday I wanted to go out but it was windy so I figured I should buy a leash first.  By the time all was done it was 5pm and too late for me to get out.  On my way home I decided to stop by Ashbridges anyway to see how the water looked.  The waves were perfect to try to learn on.  2-3 footers that were tailor made for a SUP.  I didn't have my board with me (and needed to be home in about 20 minutes) so I missed out.  Being such a newb I probably would have bailed alot but I have surfed before so I really regretted it.  There were a few surfers out at Ashbridges who caught a few decent waves too.

Looking forward to getting out there in the fall and hopefully catching a few waves.

[bobtany]

Just a quick update ,basically was  giving  up on surfing and been using the Bark expedition exclusively doing long paddles  when I am not kite surfing. For kicks I pulled out my Laird and gave surfing one more try .. glad I did. Caught a dozen waves . Figured out I was standing way too far back going into the waves also wasting my time trying to catch them way far out before they break . Standing a little forward and catching them at the right time did the trick

Still a long ways to go  but this has renewed my enthusiasm and given me some hope.

Thanks again for all the tips and support

[Canuck34]

bobtany,

I went out yesterday...well tried to go out is a better way of putting it.  I was at ashbridges bay and was surprised to see 3-4 foot waves!  Having done some surfing before and lots of body surfing I expected to be able to get out quite easily...was I ever humbled.  I tried paddling out on my knees as there was no way I was ready to stand up in that kind of surf and chop.  Took a while but I did get out once but could not get my balance enough to stand (to be honest i didn't even try!).  I got one great ride in...on my knees...all the way to the beach which was fun.  Tried to get out two more times but only managed to get out part way through the breakers.    It was fun anyway.  Looks like the surf will still be kicking up tonight so I'm going to try again. 

It was pretty sloppy but there were quite a few surfers out and at least two other sup guys.  One was catching a few waves.  I watched him for a while after i gave up and was relieved to see that he was falling off quite a bit...it made me feel like I shouldn't worry so much about looking bad out there.

[gr8laker]

abay was a mess yesterday...  But I've only SUPd waves there a couple times, so it was good to get a feel for the different breaks.   I'll be back out I think late afternoon as the wind dies.  I'm on the orange and white oxbow.

[XLR8]

Bobtany,

That expedition will be a.decent downwinder board if you get out in the right conditions.  I paddle a Glide 14 on downwinders on Lake MI often, sometimes I struggle with whether to surf or do a downwinder, a good problem to have.  For me, in the middle of the east shore of Lake MI, either a strong north or strong south wind creates big swells running parrallel to shore.  I'll get anywhere from a quarter mile to a full mile offshore and paddle with thebig swell, to a destination sometimes several miles, or ten or more down the shore.  You'll learn about where to position yourself on the board and how to use footwork to stay in the wave.

Great Lakes surf is well worth learning to ride.  Keep at it as long as you are having fun.

[gringo jim]

Great Lake swell advice?

Start out small, like 1 foot small. Can get plenty of rides that small.

Couple of times been at Grand Haven past summer, on 1 - 2 foot waves, worked just fine.

Plus an inland lake close by, usually hit that during heavy winds. The lake produces a small sup ridable wave.

[bobtany]

Want to thank everybody for their advice again. When I was unable to catch a wave , none of the tips  seemed to work or make much sense  .... now that I can catch some ,  it all makes a lot of sense.   Start small ( I assumed you needed big waves witch normally came with the big wind because of time of day I went out).
I also saw post some place else talking about getting back on the board and did not have any clue to stand toward the  front as I paddled in then move back once the board got going ( this was the single biggest mistake) Basically was way at the back slowing the board  down ,  so figured the waves were never big enough and kept trying in bigger waves that would trash me .  Really glad I did not sell my surf oriented SUP and looking forward to the Lake Huron and Erie this fall .

[robcasey]

when not surfing - paddling out or across chop, keep your paddle active - having in the water wil make you more stable than out.  feather the blade into wind and on your return to the nose with it, keep it low near the surface so if you need to slap the blade face on the surface as a brace, it's already there.

i surf freighter waves and wind waves all the time near Seattle. Puget Sound is essentially a big saltwater lake. it gets big on 30 kt days - confused waves, but there are fun rides if your'e not picky and come from the pov of "those aren't waves"     depending on the steepness of your waves, if they're good ol' wind waves, you need a longer board. to do a downwinder per se you need length to get speed. wind waves don't have the power of ocean waves (mostly) thus you have to work harder to get them.  that said, you'll work less with a longer board as longer is faster. try a 14' Bark Expedition or similar - a race like board with a planning (flat) hull. 

if you do have steep waves, be patient in what you choose to ride. such as in the ocean, wait for a nice set - patience - then take a steep set.  cheers