Punching whitewater

[surfpainter]

Good on ya Snappy !! Nate's right when he says its way easier to get thru whitewater standing instead of kneeling. This is where the addiction of this sport kicks in, you love the challenge if simply paddling out in waves..

[Nate Burgoyne]

Good on you Snappy! I'm with you too Surfpainter. Getting blasted in the chest while paddling through a wave, and then coming out on top is sweeet. Sometimes you make it through, and sometimes you don't, but you went for it and the thrill is the same. (Just be sure that nobody is behind you when you make the charge.) Thinking about these things brings to mind the admiration I have for the surfing pioneers who charged into the unknown, riding bigger waves and taking nastier wipeouts.... and the joy didn't necessarily come from making the wave every  time, it came simply because, "you went." 

Snappy made an excellent point about cheering himself on. You gotta' do it! It makes life so much more fun when you can celebrate your little victories with yourself. You become sort of like your own superhero and you don't care if others see it or not...like, you just freakin' turned your board around in two strokes, or something...and that's awesome! When you do it, those around you could probably care less, but that doesn't  matter because you know, and you'll have that silly grin on your face all day  just thinking about it.

[snappy]

Big improvement today I got through 3 waves today in crap surf,but at least I acheived something to make the next surf in better conditions that bit more enjoyable.
The real buzz today was when a humback whale breached 500 metres out wide and being the only SUB I was the only one who could paddle out and see the mother and calf on there way down south, just magic.
Cheers.

[wavewrangler]

Greetings.  Just found this site and am loving feeling the sup love.  I can't stop grinning reading this thread and thinking about how so many of us are experiencing the same trial and error eureka moments, and digging the process.

One thought for anyone who finds themselves in over their head when they're coming in over your head, you don't have the game yet to get through on your feet, the zone is crowded, and there are potential victims of your flying beast of a board around you:  drop to your belly pinning the paddle underneath you, paddle end between your legs, and turtle dive like you would with a long board.  Not nearly as fun as charging over, but everyone lives to ride another day.

Paddle peaceful........

[Paddle-Plappe]

As I get through waves, sometimes, i paddle out take off. May be not on purpose.

[Blane Chambers]

Today there were some nice waves to punch through....



Aloha,
Blane


www.paddlesurfhawaii.com

[Paddle-Plappe]

ouf! what a day!
This one on the left is paddling out take off? may be...

[river]

Punching the foam piles can be as much fun as riding the wave IMO.

My technique is this:

Stay on your feet at all times, get used to going straight from the water up to your feet on the board in one fluid powerful motion.

When the foam is coming try to get a few good strokes to increase your board speed even if its half a stroke any forward speed you can get will help.

Step back with back foot into a surf stance but not too far back on the board.  Make sure to get the nose up and over the leading edge of the foam.  I try not to trim back too far but to really weight the back foot as wave hits the board as soon as your sure the board is on top and not diving step back forward with back foot.  WHile doing this I keep my paddle out to side and flip it over so I can low brace off the backside of the blade as waves goes under my board.

If the wave is pitching and you find yourself about to get hit by the lip heres a technique  I have been trying. I try pushing the nose down through the lip and keeping the board very flat.  This has mixed results but I have had it work about 50-60% of the time and it feels rad.  The water hits your body but the board slices right through.

Keep in mind I ride a 9'6" board with a pulled in nose and this makes a HUGE difference for busting through waves.  Now If I could find the same techniques to work as well in the rapids...  I have some new stuff I have been working on though.  Like 540 jump spins in the air while roosting over a peaky swell (while paddling out) and then landing on the board backwards-I landed it once so far but I have been practicing weird crap like that and thats why this sports rocks. IMHO

[PonoBill]

I've been trying something a little different in the short period  (ten seconds and less) waves we get in Oregon. I noticed that when I was trying to get out that I was getting kicked back on the board and I was always falling off backwards. So instead of opening into a surfing stance by stepping backwards, I step forwards. The nose stays flatter and it's easier to get over the peak. Speed, of course, is essential, but it also helps to place your paddle at the peak or the back of the wave as you're trying to pull over.

If you have to bail, go in to the side of your board towards the front and try to grab the nose of the board as if you don't have a leash. You probably won't be able to hang on every time, but sometimes it works and it almost always slows the board down before the wave hauls you backwards back to a tidepool.

When you're my size (6'2" 250#) and condition (busted up and old) you need to figure out these things if you're going to keep playing.

[river]

Yea just be careful about grabbing your board when the wave hits it.  I have had it about rip my arm off.  So grabbing the nose with just your hand would be alright but dont try to get it under your arm(can you say shoulder dislocation?)  One time I tried to jump over the front of the board as the peaking wave hit me and my board went vert and SMASHED me like a brick wall-that hurt  I always jump to the side now if I am going to get creamed, but usually I will just dig hard and try to bust over it.  Because trying to bust it almost always gets you farther out than just ditching.

[CB1]

Great advice River!  I hate to say it, but I learned the hard way regarding trying to hold the board under the arm.  I was even on a smallish wave, not only did I think it was going to rip my arm off, but I pulled the muscles across my chest.  My chest was super sore for a week!

[supguam]

i tried to jump over  the front of my board as well on a breaking wave..not a good idea i  gashed my knee

[Big Island Mike]

I had a "breakthru" the other day on punching thru larger waves. There does seem to be a limit for sure, but going into a surfing stance, hitting it straight on, then shifting the weight forward to get over the top, then using the paddle as a crutch on the other side while you get back to paddling...  it works.

[river]

Today would be agreat day to see how BIG a foam pile your willing to try to get through here on Oahu/  Its looking quite LARGE.

[Nate Burgoyne]

Ooh there's an idea.... The First Annual XXL SUP Foam-Pile Shootout! Sweeet.
I had an awakening today paddling through whitewater. I'll tell you, the more I learn, the less I know. Today was my second day out on a 9'6" PSH ripper with a pulled in flipped up nose, etc... It's totally different from punching through with the full nose 10'0" I am used to. As it walled up in front of me, I figured I'd paddle half way up the face then punch the nose through the wall and take the rest with my body the way I'm used to...not with the rocker on the ripper model. I paddled half way up, and slid straight back down backwards until it pushed me over and closed out over me. I'm surprised how long it held me under. In the words of the legendary Fat Albert, "Na na na...gonna have a good time!" Stoked as ever. -Nate