Topics

31

Sessions / Last Day of TS Danas

« on: July 20, 2019, 08:38:21 PM »

Yesterday was the last day of tropical storm Danas. Wind was brutal at 20-30kts, making most of the normal spots on the west side unsurfable. This spot faces just enough north to be side-off at mostly side. Very short video with not very good clips...but I do my best. I originally went out at a spot just down from here. A couple of other guys were out on SUP, but were struggling badly with the wind. They were paddling in as I was paddling out. It was solid double overhead, breaking fat with the lip landing about 1/3 down the face, and long crumbling right shoulder. I caught three bombs there, and then it went flat... So I paddled back in to put on a hat and pants (UV protection), changed the GoPro battery, and paddled out to a junky spot (this video), where it was at least shallow enough to break.

Then I noticed that the GoPro was sitting at 1 video... Something happened when I swapped batteries, and the card formatted or something. All previous footage was gone...sigh. Probably the best footage I've shot to date.

Anyway, the spot in the video peaks up on the outside where you can catch it on a SUP, mostly on the knees this day due to the wind. When the tide dropped, it then doubles on the inside reef. One of the clips shows this well, and there's an air drop into the head-high double up. The reef is short and goes deep again on the inside, dissipating energy quickly and making for a short ride. Not a good spot, but better than not surfing. Got a lot of waves, just not very long ones. Met new friends, Japanese paddle surfers down from mainland Japan

When the tide dropped, the original peak I was at started working (but much smaller), but 8 surfers had already taken up residence, so I called it a day. My jaw muscles hurt today from clinching the bite-mount so much...LOL

Anyway, enjoy the wind noise. Not long enough to add music. Thanks for watching

32

Sessions / Spring Small Wave Blues

« on: June 30, 2019, 06:15:54 AM »

This spring has been a nightmare. The westerly wind band that blows between Hawaii and here is way south, so the swell has been really small. The local wind has been south to southeast, making the coast facing east too beat up to surf, but the swell is too small to wrap into wind-protected areas...

Wind finally dropped a little and switched to SSW, so I was able to surf Friday, Saturday, and today, taking a little video today with POV. Still small at waist to chest, but took probably 35 waves, so I'm set for a few days ;-)

Just under 5 minute video. Really short rides, so actual surfing is slowed to .7 speed.

Riding the Blue Planet NP10 at 10' x 28" x 128L. Awesome board for these conditions.

33

Technique / Getting Shacked

« on: May 22, 2019, 12:12:01 AM »

...and what to do with the stupid paddle...LOL

So I've been at this SUP thing since August before last (lifetime surfer), and finally feeling confident enough to paddle into the bowl or peak in larger surf. The way the water moves across the reef on an approaching set makes it really difficult and intimidating when standing and stroking into a wave, but we're finally getting there. Our surf here is primarily shallow reef, and drains and slabs when it starts getting bigger.

This last weekend it was around double overhead on the sets, but really draining and sketchy, so I stuck with the just-overhead to head-and-a-half waves. Pulled up into the barrel three times, two of which I got blasted. Front-side, goofy-foot. In video, I find that I normally ride in a steep section with the paddle in front, lightly slicing in the wave face. The two bad ones I found that the paddle would get pulled back and up, rotating my upper body from squared-up, back to facing the wave. This, of course makes the board turn up the wave, and it goes quickly "up hill" from there. The one where I made it, I accidentally had the paddle on the outside in one hand, and my left hand on the wave face.

So I got to thinking... What do most people do with the paddle? The only real reference I see on Youtube is Jess Leedy. He seems to hold it on the outside in one hand, but man that seems like a vulnerable position where the wave can really get at it, and you're almost certain to land on it.

All tips and tricks much appreciated. Typhoon season is coming!   

34

Sessions / Drop and Pop

« on: April 18, 2019, 08:02:55 AM »

Short, fast, steep bowling wave on the east side of Okinawa (same tiny spot as last week on the race board). Steep drop, especially when it gets overhead, then empties into a channel where the wave goes flat, and you can give it a little pop with a small snap or cutback. Sets this day were double overhead on the face, but unmakable as the inside section would close out (not enough water). So a few of these are just a couple of feet overhead. Had a serious case of spaghetti-legs today...just one of those off days. Super fun, though. Hooking up with my buddy Carl (prone surfer who paddles over the wave in front of me), who I haven't seen in 20 years. Also met up with a Japanese guy I was a team rider with for a local brand...also about 20 years ago...LOL.  Three of us on the peak having a blast.

35

Sessions / Raceboard Days Are Here

« on: April 07, 2019, 05:03:12 AM »

Spring is when we go flat. Between winter storm swell from up north and typhoon swell in the summer/fall. Today was about as small as it gets on the east side (.7meters @ 8 sec.) as the Pacific does it's thing. Far away storms will push it up overhead once in a while, but for the most part...this is spring. So with the wind switching more west, out come the raceboards.

Today was about waist high, with a deep tide, which has the waves rolling across the reef mostly without breaking. Sets up for pretty long silent glides. Couple of other SUP's out, but they were struggling :-) I picked off probably 30 waves on this small peak by myself. Same wave yesterday, but I brought a 10'x28" long board SUP. Not nearly as effortless as a 12'6"x27" displacement race board. 

POV, with some annoying looking left and right... part of the challenge of surfing this stuff is staying in the wave as the peak behind you dies, and it reforms to the right or left.   

36

Sessions / Windy Bowls

« on: April 01, 2019, 09:30:45 PM »

Last Sunday at a spot on the west side of Okinawa. Blowing 20kts+ side-shore, making conditions pretty horrible (but fun). Mostly waist to shoulder, with the occasional head-high set. Sweet little bowl that drains on a shallow reef outcrop, then the wall stands up on the inside. Super short rides this day, but on a bigger day and deep tide, it really fires.  It's been interesting navigating it on a SUP, as it's really hard to fit a board in the bowl without pearling.

Farther down the coast than most surfers want to paddle, so it's almost always empty. 

I left in all the wind and heavy breathing to give the viewer a sense of how annoying the conditions really were :-)

37

Sessions / Okinawa West Side 24 March

« on: March 25, 2019, 02:51:53 AM »

Fun bowling wave I frequent in the winter on the small days. This day was waist to shoulder. Wave bowls up on a shallow reef outcrop, then goes a little fat on small days, reforming on the inside. On head-high and larger days, the bowl can get quite sketchy (you can see how it drains on these little waves), but makes for a hollow, barreling left.

Shot in POV with the GoPro bite mount, so sorry about the heavy breathing... Started getting really good as the tide was dropping, but battery ran out just as that happened...of course.

On a side note, as a prone surfer, I hated surfing long boards. Just couldn't make them work for me, and only used one to take my kids out on when they were little. I'd ride prone, and let them stand up on the nose. Once I started on SUP, I found that I really like the 10' boards, especially on the small days. The walking back and forth to turn and trim the board out. So much fun. I think I'm having more fun now than I ever have, and I've surfed my whole life. My buddy called me a "50 year old grom" today...LOL  Hope some people find the small days somewhat interesting. With typhoon season rolling in, the bigger surf firing up, and finally feeling the confidence to stand up paddle into larger hollow stuff without falling off, should have better footage. 

38

Sessions / Okinawa Zampa Morning Session

« on: March 20, 2019, 02:58:21 AM »

Quick session this morning at Zampa Misaki, or Cape Zampa. It's a headland that catches winter north swell directly. Usually surfed when the west side has almost nothing left from the swell, and the wind turns east. Today was pretty tame, but at head high, it turns into a slabbing monster that stands up really quick, and can be hard to get into. Today wasn't very clean, not very long, but still fun. Last clip, I drop in and immediately pull out of a closeout, with a good shot of the reef...LOL

Once again, really bad camera work that doesn't do the wave (or me) justice :-)

Still a bit under the weather from a cold, but great to get in the water at dawn!




Not my video, but a better shot of what the inside peak looks like at head high.






 

39

SUP General / Okinawa Intro

« on: March 18, 2019, 07:09:49 AM »

I originally posted this in the Sessions section, but was requested to post it to General, as it's an intro, and Sessions doesn't get as much traffic. Sorry for the double post.



Hello all. Enjoyed a couple of hours out by myself yesterday afternoon at a break close to the house. Only about waist to shoulder high, but clean. All I have are "me" shots, as filming myself is all new. One shot with some backdrop. Only have a GoPro 7, and still trying to figure out the best way to use it. Don't really like the nose camera, but not real happy with how POV turns out, either.  All tips and tricks welcome.

About me. Turned 50 last January... Lived in Okinawa Japan for most of my life. Surfing here for almost 40 years, and a recent convert to SUP. Same old story...painful shoulder when prone paddling, old knee injuries, etc. Been pretty inactive for the last 5 years, as far as surfing goes. Injury plus tired of the growing crowds, hassling for every wave, and hostilities I see towards less experienced surfers. So I mostly left the lineup and hitting more remote breaks by sea kayak, and by myself.

I had NO IDEA that SUP surfing was even a thing. I knew there were people on super tankers here and there, but that was it. So July before last, a friend who knows I surf, starts telling me that he's taken up "downwind sup racing," how it's a great workout, and that i should try it... First thing out of my mouth was "SUP's are for kooks." LOL. After thinking about it for a week, I called a friend who owns a large surf shop I used to ride for, and ask him what he had for "race boards." He sells me a 12'6" Kazuma displacement board for about $1,500 off of local retail, a paddle, and it's on. Used it for daily 5-10km flat water paddles, and even tried to do a few down-winders on it.

One day while out on the big bay by my house, doing my daily work out paddle, there were some small, knee-high, rollers coming in, and I thought "I wonder if you can surf this thing?" Wave after wave of 200 meter glides, and I was absolutely hooked. Started surfing it in larger and larger surf, and had so much fun, it was nuts.

But I sucked so bad at the downwind thing, I went to Youtube, and found all the Blue Planet downwind videos. Pretty quick, I ordered a 14' Bumprider from them, and the world of SUP surfing opened up to me.

A year and a half later, I've sold all of my surfboards, have the two race boards plus four surfing SUP's, four paddles, etc. Back to surfing 3-5 times a week without bad shoulder problems, and have a whole new respect for how hard it really is to paddle into waves while standing up. Especially the 99% reef break we have here. I've found the local Japanese SUP surfer community I never knew existed, and everyone is super cool.

Super stoked to have found this part of surfing, and this community. Wasn't easy getting access to this board...LOL

Cheers,
Matt

40

Sessions / Okinawa Intro

« on: March 18, 2019, 03:42:42 AM »

Hello all. Enjoyed a couple of hours out by myself yesterday afternoon at a break close to the house. Only about waist to shoulder high, but clean. All I have are "me" shots, as filming myself is all new. One shot with some backdrop. Only have a GoPro 7, and still trying to figure out the best way to use it. Don't really like the nose camera, but not real happy with how POV turns out, either.  All tips and tricks welcome.

About me. Turned 50 last January... Lived in Okinawa Japan for most of my life. Surfing here for almost 40 years, and a recent convert to SUP. Same old story...painful shoulder when prone paddling, old knee injuries, etc. Been pretty inactive for the last 5 years, as far as surfing goes. Injury plus tired of the growing crowds, hassling for every wave, and hostilities I see towards less experienced surfers. So I mostly left the lineup and hitting more remote breaks by sea kayak, and by myself.

I had NO IDEA that SUP surfing was even a thing. I knew there were people on super tankers here and there, but that was it. So July before last, a friend who knows I surf, starts telling me that he's taken up "downwind sup racing," how it's a great workout, and that i should try it... First thing out of my mouth was "SUP's are for kooks." LOL. After thinking about it for a week, I called a friend who owns a large surf shop I used to ride for, and ask him what he had for "race boards." He sells me a 12'6" Kazuma displacement board for about $1,500 off of local retail, a paddle, and it's on. Used it for daily 5-10km flat water paddles, and even tried to do a few down-winders on it.

One day while out on the big bay by my house, doing my daily work out paddle, there were some small, knee-high, rollers coming in, and I thought "I wonder if you can surf this thing?" Wave after wave of 200 meter glides, and I was absolutely hooked. Started surfing it in larger and larger surf, and had so much fun, it was nuts. 

But I sucked so bad at the downwind thing, I went to Youtube, and found all the Blue Planet downwind videos. Pretty quick, I ordered a 14' Bumprider from them, and the world of SUP surfing opened up to me.

A year and a half later, I've sold all of my surfboards, have the two race boards plus four surfing SUP's, four paddles, etc. Back to surfing 3-5 times a week without bad shoulder problems, and have a whole new respect for how hard it really is to paddle into waves while standing up. Especially the 99% reef break we have here. I've found the local Japanese SUP surfer community I never knew existed, and everyone is super cool.

Super stoked to have found this part of surfing, and this community. Wasn't easy getting access to this board...LOL

Cheers,
Matt