So, are ya still proning much ?

[RATbeachrider]

I proned few times per week given that I'm in the water everyday.  Bought a 5'6 CI Mini three months ago and about to get a 5'9 CI Peregrine.  Just last week I proned the 10'2 long board for two hours in waist plus waves.  I like to mix it up!

[surfinJ]

Maybe if I was lucky like you to be in the water every day....nah I'd just sus more.  I love the advantages of it. I have a whole prone quiver that my daughters and boyfriends use, I don't even consider touching them. I started standup late in life and don't want to miss a possible further session.

This summer switched out with a buddy for a while, super small and thin shortboard. I could still catch waves but felt bogged and anchored down.

I did love the smallness duck diving the sets. Sat on the inside and felt like a fish.

[baddog]

I don't "prone", I surf.

[PonoBill]

I'm with you, dog. I don't "snow ski", I ski. I didn't "prone surf", I surfed. It disturbs me to have to make the distinction "prone surfer" here for clarity, but people won't know what I mean if I talk about surfers and SUP surfers, which I completely agree are the appropriate terms. In the lineup I use the distinction "longboarder, shortboarder, SUP surfer, sponger" and never say prone or even crawler (which I kind of like in a vicious way).  Kalama calls us all sweepers, which is a great idea.  Embrace the janitorial.

[Portugal]

Hi guys,

First post here in the zone for me, from a far away place

I still love to take my mini mal 7'0 out for a spin. The drop and pop in the face of a wave is a different rush from the SUS feeling. Sure, you have to paddle a lot, turtle roll a lot, and even take less waves, but a classic day in a mini mal ou malibu board is still fun as hell!

Also, bought a 6'4 shortboard last week and tried to give it a go for the first time. I never ride a short before. It's hard....really hard..... really really hard.....

Peace!

[baddog]

...Embrace the janitorial.

I enjoy sweeping as well

[balance_fit]

Just curious. I think I'm into my eighth year of Sup.  I stopped prone surfing after about the second year of it.  I've tried it a couple times since but only short boards.  I could catch the waves,  but was pretty hopeless with my once capable skill set.  Clearly a case of you lose it if you don't use it. However,  I seem to do just fine on my 8'2'' SUP.

Are you still proning?  How often ? what size / type boards ?

A very interesting theme, no doubt. Thanks for bringing it up. Some thoughts on the matter....

As stated, skills not used are lost. The skills necessary for surfing, say, a 40-50 Liter short board are completely different to those used for surfing an 8'0 SUP that has more than double the flotation of said short board.  Probably, because of this, wave count goes up after a short board surfer switches to SUP, just because of flotation and paddle power make it easier to catch a wave on an SUP, than on a short board. This fact, among other reasons, such as visibility, ease of patrolling lineups, good vibes, etc has caused many short board, mal, even longboard quivers to gather dust, or a spot on Craig's. And we see that once a surfer switches to SUP, they never look back, or, for instance, down. Then, definitely, the skills involved in surfing a low volume short board will definitely be lost due to lack of practice.

Reading the replies to this thread it seems there's other types of benefit involved in the non SUP surfing realm or "proning". Descriptors with positive meaning toward short board surfing, used by the Zoners who replied, like "drop", "pop", "duck dive", "sitting in the water", "real surfing", "barrel riding", "definitely better in certain waves", "rush of dropping in", "eccentric repertoire", etc, suggest that, indeed, there's a positive experience in short board, or mal/longboard surfing...so, it might be worth while not to let go of the required skill set to "prone", or even learn it, for those who started in SUP surfing from scratch.

Then, there's the "prone" word. Which mainly suggests that the short board involved in such way of surfing can't be paddled in any other way, than laying on it. Not even knee paddling. This word pretends to describe the short board surfer as exclusively "proner" and the SUP surfer as "standup" only. In my opinion, concurring with Pono's view, the word "proner" is a misnomer. Both types of surfing are mostly done standing up, with the exception of spongers and knee boards. But, back to the "proner": where do we now place the long board surfer who executes a two arm stroke on his knees, and the small SUP surfer who prone/knee paddles back into the lineup?

In my opinion, "proning" shouldn't be placed in the back seat, and forgotten as archaic, bad vibed, hard, slow, etc, way of paddling, and surfing, a particular surfboard. From the Zoners who posted their points of view, seems it's still a very useful approach to surfing, for a different thrill, for the right wave, particular conditions, as mix up, to share with peers, etc. 
In the other hand, i feel it should be practiced, before a lost/broken paddle or leash, wipe out/hold down, upwind grind, or even a leg cramp forces the SUP surfer to practice a lost, de-conditioned or never exposed to, skill set, with possible detrimental consequences.

In my case, to answer the OP's question, i surf a small (8'0/28"/108 L) SUP-without paddle-, and a floaty (9'6/24.5"/112L) longboard, both of which i paddle prone and on knees and surf standing up or on my knees.
If asked, i would add, to the already posted positive descriptors: ease of handling hold downs and wipe outs, less pull on the leash, less sail effect on windy days, less energy spent on choppy days by balancing on smaller less stable SUP.
No, i'm not against SUP, and yes, i surf with a group of SUP / traditional longboard surfers who know each other and share positive vibes most of the time. Why no paddle? Ask my shoulders.

The stoke is in surfing, no matter the tool or the approach, each has it's pros and cons.

As a last note, i also ride a cromoly singlespeed mountain bike with a coil fork, among a group of riders on carbon fiber, multi gear, full suspension air sprung, uber light bikes....go figure.

May all be well.

[Old School 213]

Yes I do. Friday I SUP'd and then rode my 6'8" a little. Good lunch time session. Good times!

[SD Surfer]

Yes, if there's waves prone surfing is still my first choice. SUP surfing is fun but I only do it when it's small.

I'm 53, and most days I ride a 5' 10" Mini-Simmons or a 6' 2" Quad.

[PonoBill]

The fun starts when you stand up. the only difference is how you get there.

[surfercook]

Excellent topic. I started sup surfing out of necessity in fall of 2011 due to rotator issues in both shoulders. But the first time I saw
a sup surfing video was much earlier...like maybe 2000. It was a vid of Machado riding a log and I was like "I wanna do that one day"!
It just looked sooo fun. So when I finally got on one proper that fall I vowed to not get on a "Regular/Traditional" surfboard until I
had mastered a sup in overhead surf. It wasn't until summer of 2012 that I had the confidence that I needed. But I also vowed to not give
up regular surfing mostly due to the fact that it just seemed like a tradition instilled in me. The grand sport of surfing a regular board
is where my roots layed. I will sup probably 75% of the time now mostly because of my deteriorating joints. It's just sooo much easier on my body.
It's an advantage w/out a doubt to have the skills on a sup. I tell people "You can ride twice the waves in half the time w/half the effort, ride
them twice as far and have twice the fun"!
But I will ride a regular board religiously for that 25% of water time to keep those skills. It feels cool after riding a sup for a coupla hours to
get on a regular board and switch it up. It's lighter, faster, turns easier, and has a bit more freedom w/out the paddle. Winter storm Jonas here in
New Jersey provided just such an experience. After succesfully challenging the near epic conditions on my 9'11' Ripper I put it down and grabbed a
board which I've owned for 10 yrs now. I hadn't ridden it in quite sometime and felt I'd lost touch w/it. Feeling apprehensive I paddled it out and
on the first wave the magic had returned!
PICS!

[SD Surfer]

PICS!

Now that's a good day! Nice pics.

I've had a couple of fun days surfing the 5' 10" and then SUS'ing the 9' 6".

It's nice to be well rounded and have options, but I just can't see myself giving up surfing as long as I can still do it reasonably well.

Hey Surfercook, don't look now, but there's a nice little barrel right behind you... Stall man, stall... Grab some rail and PULL IN!

[SUP Leave]

50/50 for me when conditions allow it. I love the feeling of riding a long board.  Wave count is only diminished by the time it takes to get back out compared to the SUP. I like to bring both to the beach and ride what looks like it will work best.

Unfortunately, our breaks here in WA are not set up that well for long boards. You can slide out with a short board by duck diving, and you can pound a SUP out by paddling fast between breaking waves.

[wrybread]

@pono: "the fun starts when you stand up, the only difference is how you get there"

I completely disagree. As a bunch of folks have said in this thread, the popup is a huge part of the fun of surfing, and like them I miss it. But the benefits from SUP surfing are just so immense. Taking a wave count from 6 in an average session to 20+, and being able to cover so much more ground, make it worthwhile for me.

But sometimes I'll trade with a friend on a prone board for awhile and I'm pretty amazed how much more fun the rides are. The takeoff, the drop, and the ride are all a good notch more fun. But oof the pace of having to wait for the sets and getting pushed around with the currents (at my spot) and the massive loss of mobility. Its tough to go back to.

I've only paddled out on a prone board once this season and that was when I broke my last SUP and just didn't have anything else to ride. It was fun but its hard to go back to not having super powers.

[SlatchJim]

Sometimes I leave the paddle on shore.  It's pretty easy to catch waves on a 10-6 sup, with or without a paddle, and being in the water on hot days is a nice change.  I've thought about getting a narrower log for those days but SUP is so much more enjoyable and so much less painful.