I've been SUP for a few weeks now. Fell in love from day 1. Pretty comfortable in the open water even when it's choppy/windy and think my balance is improving daily. Really want to start trying some waves and spending a fair amount of time just out of the line up, watching and looking at technique.
How long did you wait before you dropped in, and if there was one tip you could pass on what would it be? And is there a specific skill set I should try and master before doing this?
I'm realistic about what I would be trying to catch (small...very small) and also being away from anyone else who's day I could mess with!
Since you only asked for one tip:
1. Wear your leash.
1. Realize that you trim the board by moving around front-to-back. Moving fwd will speed the board up but also bury the nose if you're not careful. Moving back will slow the board, and it also keeps the nose from burying during takeoff. So, wave-riding is about getting comfortable moving around on your board -- you don't stand flat-footed like you do while flatwater paddling. Took me awhile to figure this out. Wish someone had told me. :)
1. Quit wasting time just watching. Go try a wave!! ;)
I was 12 when I caught my first wave. First wave was around 3 foot and I did a bottom turn. I was hooked for life.
You are ready. Just do it! Don't worry about being a kook just have fun.
One tip is to go off by yourself till you get some basics and wear a leash. Ok two tips.
Just go for it in a spot where you can be safe. Spook already gave you the most important piece...learn to walk around and trim your board.
Stay away from others while learning... it's hard to concentrate on what you want to do when you are having to avoid hitting or being hit by others....
Quote from: spookini on October 02, 2013, 05:48:11 AM
Since you only asked for one tip:
1. Wear your leash.
1. Realize that you trim the board by moving around front-to-back. Moving fwd will speed the board up but also bury the nose if you're not careful. Moving back will slow the board, and it also keeps the nose from burying during takeoff. So, wave-riding is about getting comfortable moving around on your board -- you don't stand flat-footed like you do while flatwater paddling. Took me awhile to figure this out. Wish someone had told me. :)
1. Quit wasting time just watching. Go try a wave!! ;)
Got the leash - very good suggestion.
Quote from: crtraveler on October 02, 2013, 08:07:26 AM
Stay away from others while learning... it's hard to concentrate on what you want to do when you are having to avoid hitting or being hit by others....
My local break has a point with a lot of prone surfers, but there is a more relaxed spot just off to the side so going to try there, well out of their way.
Quote from: 1tuberider on October 02, 2013, 06:47:13 AM
I was 12 when I caught my first wave. First wave was around 3 foot and I did a bottom turn. I was hooked for life.
You are ready. Just do it! Don't worry about being a kook just have fun.
One tip is to go off by yourself till you get some basics and wear a leash. Ok two tips.
You're very lucky to have been in a situation you could do that at 12! I've loved watching surfing since I was a kid, but was land locked until a couple of years ago.
Thanks for the advice.
Quote from: Rudyard on October 02, 2013, 08:10:54 AM
Quote from: crtraveler on October 02, 2013, 08:07:26 AM
Stay away from others while learning... it's hard to concentrate on what you want to do when you are having to avoid hitting or being hit by others....
My local break has a point with a lot of prone surfers, but there is a more relaxed spot just off to the side so going to try there, well out of their way.
Initial Question: I went out and caught waves on my first day with a rental Laird Softtop. It was only 3 or 4 ankle to knee high rollers, and it helped to have a longboarding background.
The quoted tip is the one I would go with as primary, but since that was made, here is my second choice. Find a buddy that has done it a while and take him with you to coach you. A second set of eyes sometimes catches the missing piece to a successful effort.
Quote from: SlatchJim on October 02, 2013, 08:24:49 AM
Quote from: Rudyard on October 02, 2013, 08:10:54 AM
Quote from: crtraveler on October 02, 2013, 08:07:26 AM
Stay away from others while learning... it's hard to concentrate on what you want to do when you are having to avoid hitting or being hit by others....
My local break has a point with a lot of prone surfers, but there is a more relaxed spot just off to the side so going to try there, well out of their way.
Initial Question: I went out and caught waves on my first day with a rental Laird Softtop. It was only 3 or 4 ankle to knee high rollers, and it helped to have a longboarding background.
The quoted tip is the one I would go with as primary, but since that was made, here is my second choice. Find a buddy that has done it a while and take him with you to coach you. A second set of eyes sometimes catches the missing piece to a successful effort.
Thats a good idea. I actually really love the quiet I get when go out, so normally paddle alone, but I am sure this would help things alone.
After 2 flat water sessions I got aw wave. Couldn't take the boredom of flat water.
Not having any idea what I was doing, I took a lesson the first time out in the surf (a few weeks after I got my first board) and caught a few waves that time. Today I probably could have figured it out myself just by watching all the other SUP surfers out there and trying and failing a lot, but in this case, the instructor showed me where to line up (way out before the waves were breaking), told me to start in parallel stance, lean forward, and dig hard as the wave approached. That was enough to get me into waves on my cruiser. After that, trial and error has slowly improved my ability, and tips from Zoners are accelerating that too.
I practiced about a week on totally flat water on an 11 foot all arounder. On my first surf sesh , I caught nothing,2nd- half a ride, 3rd- my first full ride. There is no specific skill set to master before you SUS. You have to SUS to master that skill set.
Spookini gave the best tip about footwork. Working your way to the front of the board will get you off the crest and down the face. Stoneaxe gave me some good advice a couple of weeks ago... don't just walk towards the front, pump it. Jump up and down on the front to get you going and drop back when your in.
Remember this as I did when I learned a couple of summers ago: once you start accelerating on a wave, the board is much more stable, therefore, all this advice will become much clearer.
One tip? Learn proper etiquette and don't hog waves.
The first time I surfed, I was 7. We took a trip down Baja in the family wagon with a bunch of long boards (my older brother and cousins). My little brother and I spent a week in ankle high surf, surfing tandem on an 11' Jacks. We got pretty good combining efforts to steer this huge board. We could hang 20 by the end of the week. The next year I traded a friend one of my skate boards (that had polyurethane 'metaflex' wheels) for a 6'2 'Tom Southerland' surfboard. I surfed that board to death.
Forward almost 40 years. I'm out on my 1st owned SUP, a 16' Infinity. I'm paddling in the harbor with the shaper Steve Boehne and friends. He says lets go down to Boneyard and surf. I'm thinking "how do you surf a 16' board?" Plus there are shallow rocks! And it's my new board. Peer pressure to say the least. He yells at me to take that wave, and I paddled like I was trying to beat the wave. That big board caught the wave no problem. I dropped down low and dragged my paddle. At that moment I felt like I was 7 years old and I could surf this big thing. I did, and made it till it got shallow, then bailed. About 6 months later I picked up an 11'6 Naish Nalu and started SUS'g. Then a shorter board and shorter...... Some much fun.
Flat water for awhile to get the strokes down and learn to move around on the board and turn it while paddling it. You'll have a much better learning curve once in the waves if you hammer out some technique issues before taking on all the surf variables. Once you're out there stay clear and off on the side for awhile. You don't want to be a menace out there
What really helped me learn turning, balancing and getting getting the nose up to stop pearling was doing 360's in flat water. Out in flat water, move your back foot all the way to the rear of your board, so you sink it and the nose is out of the water, and do wide strokes. Do a 360 and drop the nose down and walk back to the center of the board and then go back and do a 360 the other way. You can see videos of this on youtube for learning how to turn.
For me, this helped me turn to start paddling to drop into a wave when out SUS'ing, and although much more exaggerated it helped me from pearling to get the feel of the nose going up and down. And I also got used to walking back and forth on the board.
Start in small waves, you'll have fun especially on an SUP. Knee high or less for beginners is fun all day with virtually little risk of getting hurt. The bigger the waves get, the more power behind them, so be careful. Once you get comfortable in small waves, you can start to venture out into bigger waves. Bigger is more fun only when you can handle it, otherwise it can be downright painful.
Quote from: TallDude on October 02, 2013, 08:34:40 PM
The first time I surfed, I was 7. We took a trip down Baja in the family wagon with a bunch of long boards (my older brother and cousins). My little brother and I spent a week in ankle high surf, surfing tandem on an 11' Jacks. We got pretty good combining efforts to steer this huge board. We could hang 20 by the end of the week. The next year I traded a friend one of my skate boards (that had polyurethane 'metaflex' wheels) for a 6'2 'Tom Southerland' surfboard. I surfed that board to death.
Forward almost 40 years. I'm out on my 1st owned SUP, a 16' Infinity. I'm paddling in the harbor with the shaper Steve Boehne and friends. He says lets go down to Boneyard and surf. I'm thinking "how do you surf a 16' board?" Plus there are shallow rocks! And it's my new board. Peer pressure to say the least. He yells at me to take that wave, and I paddled like I was trying to beat the wave. That big board caught the wave no problem. I dropped down low and dragged my paddle. At that moment I felt like I was 7 years old and I could surf this big thing. I did, and made it till it got shallow, then bailed. About 6 months later I picked up an 11'6 Naish Nalu and started SUS'g. Then a shorter board and shorter...... Some much fun.
thats a great story
Quote from: Deadbait on October 03, 2013, 03:43:31 PM
What really helped me learn turning, balancing and getting getting the nose up to stop pearling was doing 360's in flat water. Out in flat water, move your back foot all the way to the rear of your board, so you sink it and the nose is out of the water, and do wide strokes. Do a 360 and drop the nose down and walk back to the center of the board and then go back and do a 360 the other way. You can see videos of this on youtube for learning how to turn.
For me, this helped me turn to start paddling to drop into a wave when out SUS'ing, and although much more exaggerated it helped me from pearling to get the feel of the nose going up and down. And I also got used to walking back and forth on the board.
Start in small waves, you'll have fun especially on an SUP. Knee high or less for beginners is fun all day with virtually little risk of getting hurt. The bigger the waves get, the more power behind them, so be careful. Once you get comfortable in small waves, you can start to venture out into bigger waves. Bigger is more fun only when you can handle it, otherwise it can be downright painful.
thanks for that, was hoping for some flat today to practice, but it was really choppy with a big wind. a lot of fun paddling through it, really starting to feel at ease on my new board. maybe the weekend will be flatter...
Just out of interest, do any of you paddle around Topanga/Malibu?
I've been surfing for nearly 40 years . Started on a mat then short boards and longboards but injured my back a fees years back and got into SUP. started out in the surf a few weeks ago and despite all those years surfing I'm a bit wobbly but am catching waves. I just paddle right up the end of the beach away from everyone else just to be safe. I'm loving it though as I'm able to surf again although I'm trying
G to get the hang of turning a 10'6 board. I've discovered that its a lot harder than it looks but I'm stoked just the same. I'm about to get a 14 foot board for ocean paddling and training. :)
I've been surfing for about a year. My first time was in choppy 3ft shore dump. I'm a stubborn b*stard and I paddled out and refused to come in until I'd caught a few "good" waves. Needless to say, I didn't really start learning until I allowed myself some breathing space in smaller waves.
Here's a few tips I picked up from bitter experience.
1. When getting to your feet, slide your top hand to the paddle handle as soon as your hands leave the deck and before you straighten up. This enables you to use your paddle for stability as soon as you're up, instead of wobbling around trying to get a grip.
2. When heading out through waves, practice jumping into surf stance even for the smallest wave. Bend your legs and sink your paddle deep for stability and traction. When you get into bigger waves it will be second nature. Even if you wipe out, taking the wave in surf stance is best because you generally push the board over or through the wave so you don't lose much ground to the wave and the board is pointing in the right direction when you surface.
3. If you're standing in the waves waiting for a good moment to head out make sure that your paddle blade is on the opposite side of the board to you. A blade to the head is quite painful when it's got wave power behind it :'(
4. Wear a helmet. Even in small surf your board can pop out of the water and land on your head. The heavier the board, the worse the damage. I've been hit twice by my 9'5 Mana and it hurts. Luckily I changed my rear fin for a blunt plastic one otherwise I would likely have needed stitches :o
Rudyard do yourself a big favor and don't limit yourself to flatwater and good conditions for practice. Flatwater practice is fine, especially to try specific things the 1st time (as deadbait suggested) but it's too limiting. Go out in the wind blown slop, crazy chop, fight your way through it...learn to love it for the workout that it is. Fall a lot....until you don't. I use conditions that most would call bad to workout in, I have to. I started SUP as balance therapy and it was those kind of workouts that changed everything for me. You get a burn from paddling into the wind and chop, you get full blown balance workout turning side on to it, you have blast catching glides on the way back and learn to catch waves to boot. Its also a big plus that there is nobody else around in those conditions. When I 1st started I fell every 5 minutes in flatwater...today I was hair dry (or at least head dry...:) ) for the 1st hour in knee to waist wind blown slop. Flatwater won't get you there. It's also not as much fun.
I grew up 200 miles from the ocean, but summered on Cape Cod... 50 miles from surf.
At 16 years old, my brother & I decided to hitchhike 50 miles to the ocean beach and go surfing. I made a sign that said "Nauset Beach or Bust" ...my brother took a picture of day one, before I had ever touched a surfboard... a surf virgin, on his way to a lifelong obsession!
Got to a rental stand, rented a board and hitched another mile to the beach.
No one knew anything. My first wave I stood up and rode it to the beach. Didn't get another ride for 2 weeks... but I was hooked for life.
Overweight and bad shoulders prompted me to buy a SUP 3 years ago... for the small days.
Day 1 - Paddled into the lineup... caught 1 wave on my knees. Fell over 100 times. So much for surfing experience making it easier.
Day 2 - got 3 waves
Day 3 - I figured it out (how to stay upright while taking off)
Never rode a prone board again. :D
Tips:
-Stand in a "semi- surf" stance.... Your back foot slightly further back (3 or 4") and turned slightly to the rail. This will help you with front to back stability, which is hardest just as the wave lifts the tail and you begin to pick up speed.
-Keep the nose up a few inches from the water.
-Paddle smoothly when a wave approaches.
-When you feel the tail of the board lift.... Keep paddling till you feel the board "release" and begin to drop down the face of the wave.
- When you fall:
......avoid the board
......keep your paddle away from the board
......do NOT dive head first
......come up SLOWLY, with your hand over your head.
.....look immediately out to sea.... Danger comes from THAT direction.
Repeat.
Remember how simple your life was before your first wave.
Great story 'Creek
Was that the Fox Shop? Next to Fancy's, when Fancy's was just a stand?
Laying around waiting for a car to go by at the end of Rt 151 ( corner of rt 28) in North Falmouth. Long way to go to get to Larry and Scoot McKinney's Rental stand in the parking lot of the East Orleans deli on the Rd to Nauset Beach. I bought my rental from them after 2 weeks.....a beat up 9'6 Newporter pop-out. I called it "the Sheik"
My first wave was in Hawaii on a mat when I was three. Got a fifty-fifty Cardiff by the Sea with a huge Doyle fin in 65 and learned to surf in Ocean City, Md. Had a brief stint as an ESA contest groveler in the 80's. Switched to sup this year and caught nothing for a while. Wear a kook kord (big boy sups are heavy) and just go for it. Go out in crap. Don't be afraid to fall! And always take One More Paddle. And don't go too short on board length like Mr. Big the numbskull. Sup has a bit of the old stoke aloha vibe. Mo bettah!
I Caught my first wave wayyy back...winter 1983, I was 12 and on some random blue 5'8" with a huge single orange fin....Christchurch in the South Island of New Zealand.
Still remember the absolute buzz I felt even though i couldn't feel my extremities because of the cold!
Surfed ever since (with a few big gaps from not having the time...damn kids ;) )
Ruptured my ACL late last year on a skateboard so start SUP....
The Stoke is back!
I learned to surf after I turned 50 years old. I grew up in the Midwest and saw the ocean for the first time when I was 21 years old. I moved to San Diego in my twenties and took up windsurfing in the mid-80s when I was in my 30s.
I spent a lot of time in Baja with ex-surfers that took up windsurfing at a wave sailing spot called San Carlos. I became a pretty competent wave sailor, but never tried surfing. I didn't need to because I had guaranteed wind and waves in Baja. For some reason, there was a period of time that I was constantly getting skunked and without wind, there is very little to do at San Carlos if you don't surf. I would just mope around watching my surfing buddies who were having a great time.
I was sitting on a rock at the surf point watching my buddies when it occurred to me, how hard could surfing be. My friends make it look easy so I decided I'd learn to surf for the only reason that I'd have something to do I San Carlos when there wasn't any wind. Five years later I was able to finally ride waves at the point. Best decision I ever made.
Here's a picture of my on a SUP at the point that motivated me to learn to surf.
(http://i42.tinypic.com/33c6l2d.jpg)
Quote from: Tom on October 16, 2013, 10:52:06 AM
I learned to surf after I turned 50 years old. I grew up in the Midwest and saw the ocean for the first time when I was 21 years old. I moved to San Diego in my twenties and took up windsurfing in the mid-80s when I was in my 30s.
I spent a lot of time in Baja with ex-surfers that took up windsurfing at a wave sailing spot called San Carlos. I became a pretty competent wave sailor, but never tried surfing. I didn't need to because I had guaranteed wind and waves in Baja. For some reason, there was a period of time that I was constantly getting skunked and without wind, there is very little to do at San Carlos if you don't surf. I would just mope around watching my surfing buddies who were having a great time.
I was sitting on a rock at the surf point watching my buddies when it occurred to me, how hard could surfing be. My friends make it look easy so I decided I'd learn to surf for the only reason that I'd have something to do I San Carlos when there wasn't any wind. Five years later I was able to finally ride waves at the point. Best decision I ever made.
Here's a picture of me on a SUP at the point that motivated me to learn to surf.
(http://i42.tinypic.com/33c6l2d.jpg)
Quote from: supthecreek on October 13, 2013, 07:34:15 PM
. . I grew up 200 miles from the ocean, but summered on Cape Cod... 50 miles from surf. . .
Creek: With all due respect, How is this Possible? This is like saying I grew up in Nantucket 50 miles from the surf :o
PS: I agree I never rode prone after starting SUP. In fact is proning really even surfing? More like 98% bobbing, and 2% surfing.
;D ;D ;D
Beasho.... I thought you got me on this one.... I was just guessing....if you hitchhiked like I did, you would understand. I had to walk the first 2.5 miles to where the pic was taken. Rides took me where they went. One guy says "I can take you as far as Bradlees" ... great... where's Bradley? Turns out it was a store in Chatham. Not the direct route I was hoping for.
BUT... it turns out it was EXACTLY 50 miles :D
Nice perambulation. Looks like you could paddle that route too, probably 100 miles whether you go North or South.
Quote from: Beasho on October 16, 2013, 01:55:14 PM
Creek: With all due respect, How is this Possible? This is like saying I grew up in Nantucket 50 miles from the surf :o
Beasho, you have to realize things were pretty different when Creek was a youngin'...
Back then, a lot of the continental plates hadn't separated yet. I believe Cape Cod was still part of sub-Saharan Africa? Air travel was primarily by teradactyl in those days. It was a simpler time.
:D :D
As the semi-official professional geologist of this forum, I approve of spookini's evaluation! ;D
1991 :D
on a summer weekend Rt. 28 feels about 150 miles long.
This has been a great thread for me. Never having been on boats or prone surfing, I was taken out by a neighbor on one of his boards in August 2012 at age 62. I got an inflatable Red Paddle board, and practiced in the harbor for 10 months, but it was slow learning curve for me. My priority was staying safe, I didn't want to be recovering from injuries at my age. I still had some weird experiences, as I am sure everybody does. Once, I hit my head lightly on one of the walkways in the harbor, went over backward, bounced off the rubber board and did a backward somersault into the water, with the board following me on top of my head. I looked up, there were two couples bent over laughing with one girl with her hand over her mouth. I could hear them laughing as they walked all the way down the harbor. So much for kook initiation.
I was frankly afraid for a good portion of the time at first, but had those occasional moments of liberation.
I went out on the ocean this last May 2013. The harbor practice didn't help me much on the volatile ocean, I was basically terrified again and knee paddling with interludes of standing up. Again, I was mainly trying to stay away from the breaks, and stay safe. Still, Mother Ocean battered me around a bit. I hit one wave on my knees trying to go over it. Instead, I was knocked flat on the board and was surfing prone backwards, my first big wave. I saw a Somoan? guy who was at the area coming at me on his paddle board surfing the wave. I wrenched the board sideways, and then was surfing sideways prone. As he approached me, I was terrified, and wrenched it around again to go forward where we rode in together. He seemed to think this kook display was great and gave me a high five and was laughing.
I knee surfed quite a few, just riding them in.
Finally started getting my ocean balance a few months ago, but fractured a rib while the wave shoved the board in my side. I went out the next day in spite of severe pain, and caught my first one standing up, or rather, it caught me, I was just in the way and it was carrying me in.
My balance is much improved, I can manage standing up in the surf pretty well and ride over waves back out, but my surf technique still sucks, though even in the empty wash stuff between the crowded breaks (which I avoid) I still manage to stand up on two to six per session, with some knee surfing. My current kook stunt is to get hit by the wave, fall backwards on the board, but grab it with my feet, sit upright again, and barco lounger surf in sitting down kayak style. It is a little embarrassing, but still kind of fun.
I am going to attempt the trimming forward and back tomorrow according to the suggestions. My basic balance is decent once set, but the "variable" balance and dancing is still a bit beyond my grasp, but I can really visualize the trimming thing.
?? error, sorry.
Quote from: supthecreek on October 13, 2013, 07:34:15 PM
I grew up 200 miles from the ocean, but summered on Cape Cod... 50 miles from surf.
At 16 years old, my brother & I decided to hitchhike 50 miles to the ocean beach and go surfing. I made a sign that said "Nauset Beach or Bust" ...my brother took a picture of day one, before I had ever touched a surfboard... a surf virgin, on his way to a lifelong obsession!
Got to a rental stand, rented a board and hitched another mile to the beach.
No one knew anything. My first wave I stood up and rode it to the beach. Didn't get another ride for 2 weeks... but I was hooked for life.
Overweight and bad shoulders prompted me to buy a SUP 3 years ago... for the small days.
Day 1 - Paddled into the lineup... caught 1 wave on my knees. Fell over 100 times. So much for surfing experience making it easier.
Day 2 - got 3 waves
Day 3 - I figured it out (how to stay upright while taking off)
Never rode a prone board again. :D
Tips:
-Stand in a "semi- surf" stance.... Your back foot slightly further back (3 or 4") and turned slightly to the rail. This will help you with front to back stability, which is hardest just as the wave lifts the tail and you begin to pick up speed.
-Keep the nose up a few inches from the water.
-Paddle smoothly when a wave approaches.
-When you feel the tail of the board lift.... Keep paddling till you feel the board "release" and begin to drop down the face of the wave.
- When you fall:
......avoid the board
......keep your paddle away from the board
......do NOT dive head first
......come up SLOWLY, with your hand over your head.
.....look immediately out to sea.... Danger comes from THAT direction.
Repeat.
Remember how simple your life was before your first wave.
Really good advice, thank you. Especially the "fall" section.
Quote from: SUPcheat on November 16, 2013, 05:49:23 PM
This has been a great thread for me. Never having been on boats or prone surfing, I was taken out by a neighbor on one of his boards in August 2012 at age 62. I got an inflatable Red Paddle board, and practiced in the harbor for 10 months, but it was slow learning curve for me. My priority was staying safe, I didn't want to be recovering from injuries at my age. I still had some weird experiences, as I am sure everybody does. Once, I hit my head lightly on one of the walkways in the harbor, went over backward, bounced off the rubber board and did a backward somersault into the water, with the board following me on top of my head. I looked up, there were two couples bent over laughing with one girl with her hand over her mouth. I could hear them laughing as they walked all the way down the harbor. So much for kook initiation.
I was frankly afraid for a good portion of the time at first, but had those occasional moments of liberation.
I went out on the ocean this last May 2013. The harbor practice didn't help me much on the volatile ocean, I was basically terrified again and knee paddling with interludes of standing up. Again, I was mainly trying to stay away from the breaks, and stay safe. Still, Mother Ocean battered me around a bit. I hit one wave on my knees trying to go over it. Instead, I was knocked flat on the board and was surfing prone backwards, my first big wave. I saw a Somoan? guy who was at the area coming at me on his paddle board surfing the wave. I wrenched the board sideways, and then was surfing sideways prone. As he approached me, I was terrified, and wrenched it around again to go forward where we rode in together. He seemed to think this kook display was great and gave me a high five and was laughing.
I knee surfed quite a few, just riding them in.
Finally started getting my ocean balance a few months ago, but fractured a rib while the wave shoved the board in my side. I went out the next day in spite of severe pain, and caught my first one standing up, or rather, it caught me, I was just in the way and it was carrying me in.
My balance is much improved, I can manage standing up in the surf pretty well and ride over waves back out, but my surf technique still sucks, though even in the empty wash stuff between the crowded breaks (which I avoid) I still manage to stand up on two to six per session, with some knee surfing. My current kook stunt is to get hit by the wave, fall backwards on the board, but grab it with my feet, sit upright again, and barco lounger surf in sitting down kayak style. It is a little embarrassing, but still kind of fun.
I am going to attempt the trimming forward and back tomorrow according to the suggestions. My basic balance is decent once set, but the "variable" balance and dancing is still a bit beyond my grasp, but I can really visualize the trimming thing.
I recently got the ribs smacked by the board. May consider one of my kitesurf impact vests. Bunch of rib injuries from kiting and they are no fun waiting for them to heal.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2
I am routinely wearing an impact vest now. I was wearing a standard life jacket, but when I broke my rib (or crunched my rib cage since it also wound up hurting on the other side of the fracture as well), the standard life jacket padding had ridden up allowing the board to slam into my wet suit. I wouldn't have gone out the day after if I had known it was fractured, I just made it worse, but se la vie. Two weeks off then painful re-entry with caution.
I am also wearing a helmet on select days, but can take it off and attach it to a harness on the board.
I tried some pumping and trimming today. The pumping is pretty effective, more than I thought, and seems to help locate a balance spot on the wave, but I can tell that trimming is going to take a lot of practice but i think I can see where it is headed.
SUPcheat
Was that you out there yesterday at privates/sharks on the inflatable and wearing an impact vest?
We meandered through about 2 or so... I am still recovering from surgery so just kelp farming, no waves just yet.
Will stop and say hi next time if that's you!
Paul
Surfed since my freshman year in high school, 38 years later I still love prone surfing. My 3 boys (ages 20-28) are all excellent surfers and it seems as if every time we visit them in SoCal, they tell me to bring the short board. I love paddling out with them and having fun. But SUS is much more fun and my wave count is exponentially better on my SUB.
First time in waves was 6 years ago, when the whole family and new daughter in law vacationed on Maui. We rented surfboards from second wind and they had some big SUP boards there too. One day we went in to trade for some longboards as the swell dropped and we ended up taking out Stand ups at Kanaha. Not easy at first. Had no instruction and felt like a spaz. My middle son took to it quick and within the hour he was spinning 360's.
It was fun, but it wasn't like dropping in on an overhead wave on a prone board.
The next year, we bought 2 Doyle SUP boards 11'6" and 12". We live on the water in the Delta and flat water paddling sounded like fun. We eventually took them to Santa Cruz and paddled out at Cowells Beach, the local lesson spot. Nobody was out surfing and knee high waves weren't really breaking yet, as the tide was high. But we were catching these swells and riding them all the way in. Some longboarders waiting for the tide to drop saw us catching waves and paddled out, thinking they could get some too. No way. Tide was too high still they tried but couldn't catch anything, while we probably caught 30 waves each. Most we rode together. Can't really call it surfing as they were really jsut bumps, but it was fun.
First real wave on an SUP happened at Boneyards by Swamis. My wife and I paddled up the coast from San Elijo Campground and there were two guys SU surfing Blairs at Boneyards. I was on a 12' Doyle. and the waves were head high+. We stayed outside and watched. It got me thinking that it looked easy, so when a bigger set came, I was in position to go and I went. Made the wave, with a very long bottom turn that I started as I dropped in. Scarred the hell out of me thinking what would have happened if I fell and that tank of a board hit me. Bought a 9'6" Blair the next year and never looked back.
Its been 4 years since then and now my wife doesn't prone anymore, and I am on an 8"10", enjoying waves up to double overhead. Even the boys have come around and paddled out and had fun, on our annual week to San Elijo.
Quote from: SCruzSUPr on November 18, 2013, 04:46:43 AM
SUPcheat
Was that you out there yesterday at privates/sharks on the inflatable and wearing an impact vest?
We meandered through about 2 or so... I am still recovering from surgery so just kelp farming, no waves just yet.
Will stop and say hi next time if that's you!
Paul
Hi, Paul. Yes, sir, that was probably me gimping around, since I spend most of my practice time around shark's/private inbetween the 41st St. trailing lineup and whatever Private's lineup there is. I try to stay by myself as much as possible and just take whatever mush occurs away from the lineup, on knees, standing, falling whatever. I was wearing a helmet, impact vest, and full wetsuit on a Red Paddle Mega. I do like to see a few people around to keep me motivated, but from a distance.
In spite of that, when some proners see me actually/accidentally catch a wave, they tend to come over closer. They would lose their surfing credentials if they knew how raw I am.
There weren't many sweepers yesterday, but I do remember around 2 PM there were two couples going in opposite directions out in the kelp.
That is my standard exercise pond until I feel better balance and skill. I come in and out at Private's. It amazes me that the naked people are still wearing skin at Private's with the colder weather.
Thanks for saying hello if you see me, I try to avoid the toxic contacts with the proners.
I had already been a longboarder for about 10 years before I got into SUP.
Before that I had bodysurfed and boogie-boarded for about 30 years. So,
I had a big advantage in knowing waves. However, I wasn't that good
of a longboarder because I was out of shape and it seemed for an hour
of "surfing" I was really only surfing about 10 minutes. I figured SUP could change
that since I'd get so much more time standing up and it did!
The first wave I SUP surfed was without a paddle. I'd bought a surf SUP
used, but not a paddle, but it looked just like a big longboard so I immediately
drove down to Doheny and surfed it prone - whoa...it was a winner - lol -
I got probably the 5 best rides of my life (up to that time) that day. Oh Boy!
Then, well I hadn't researched the paddle yet...I'd put all my time into researching
the boards - and the good paddles were $250 on up....so I bought a pine canoe
paddle for $25. I knee paddled my SUP in the surf with the pine canoe paddle..
...probably 10 sessions or maybe more. It was a great workout for my stomach..
...I found more so than regular SUP surfing - I caught a lot of waves and had
a great time. But it was time to get a real paddle which I did - carbon fiber with
a fiberglass blade (3 yeas later still using it!).
For me, catching waves standing up (with a real paddle) was quite a bit harder than
on my knees with the canoe paddle. Still I caught some standing up and then
I'd choke up on the paddle and catch some from my knees. Surfing wasn't really
an issue...it was catching the waves (and stamina) (my surfing
has improved immensely in the 3 years I've been SUPping!)
My tip (and what I did) is to go out 3 to 4 days per week. I'd go out in the harbor
if the surf was crap and/or it was too windy - about an hour to an hour and a half
per day. In the harbor I'd practice turning both directions and also cross stepping
on the board. I'd fall often...now, I almost can't fall in the harbor (same board) -
I'm a different person. I wanted to build strength, stamina, and balance and technique.
It really paid off - I love it - especially SUP Surfing! What a great sport!
Happy Holidays All, Great thread.
I have spent the past 4 months off the water, and not looking at this board much. World class salmon fishing in my back yard has kept me busy.
My first wave I ever surfed (not counting boogie) was in some shifty beach break south of the Westport, WA Jetty in about 1992. My friends and I dabbled in prone surfing throughout my ute. However, I never really found a solid surf buddy and so while my interest was high, my actual days spent surfing were minimal. I never had the right wetsuit for the job so every session here in WA ended up cold and complaining. During college and early career years, I really got into steelhead fishing and spent most of my time pursuing those silver ghosts all over the Olympic Peninsula.
In my late 20's I got into windsurfing for a bit, but then my family swelled from 3 to 5 and that hobby ended just as it was getting going. However the impulse to be on the water never left. So I started to consider SUP as an option.
My first wave was in 2010 at the Lahaina breakwall. I rented a 11' something from a kid named Jake near Ohukai street in Kihei. We were staying in Lahaina and I got up early (taking advantage of being on PST) and went down to where they teach people to surf before the schools showed up. Day one I got comfortable on the board (turning around, paddling fast, slow, and just messing about) tried paddling for a few waves. Day two I caught 4 knee high waves. Day 3 we went up to visit some friends who were staying just north of S turns. I went out with about 45 minutes of daylight left. The surf was big and I spent the most terrifying hour of my life getting dragged around by my leash and that 11' board. It was even worse for my wife and girls who stood on the cliff watching me flail around out there.
Day 4 the surf was still big but we were visiting some other friends who live Maui and I went out at Cove park, just south of where they give lessons. That day was a revelation, I had so much fun.
Days 5 through 15 spent every morning and Launiopoko (sp) and you could not wipe the smile off my face.
Now I have good quality wetsuits, an All-Wave and have lots of fun SUSing the barren shifty beach breaks of my home state.