Show Posts

This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.


Messages - OkiWild

Pages: 1 ... 17 18 [19] 20
271
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 :-)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNjsq2p8ew4

272
Lifetime short boarder and not quite two years on a SUP. I love the larger performance shapes. My days of doing big hacks are done, but I love big, hard carves, and if the board is shaped correctly, it'll go exactly where I want it to. And it still floats you, paddles nice, gets to the outer reefs without drama. I can't find a real down side.   

Just a quick glance shows Blue Planet and Sunova both make boards in the range you're looking at. I'm a big fan of low maintenance, durable boards. Not real concerned about a few pounds. My go-to boards are the BP Ninja Warrior and Pocket Knife @ 8'8" and 8'10" respectively, 29" wide and 116L. I weigh 83kg in the buff. I've ridden the 9'2" x 32" x 140L Sweet Spot, and it's a hammer. I've also ridden the 9'4" x 32" x 148L Sunova Creek, and it's a sweet board. I'm considering adding the 8'10" to my quiver.

 

273
Sessions / Re: JL Superfrank Dawn Patrol C.3
« on: April 01, 2019, 02:35:38 AM »
Do folks who are on shorter boards use surfer stance when paddling into waves? I still am stuck in the habit of parallel stance till i get some momentum and then jump into full surfers...cant break the habit

I stand in a staggered stance, with one foot back, but not inline. As soon as I feel the board "catch," I might move the rear foot back a little, and then the front foot over. Not really a jump, like I used to do. More critical the wave (big, hollow, steep, and scary), the closer I get to true surf stance. When I first changed over to SUP a year and a half ago, I could only stand slightly staggered parallel, and had to jump to position.

I'm trying to work my way back to what I could ride on a short board. When the size picks up, our waves here are mostly draining, slabbing reef break. Paddling into that in a parallel stance is a non starter. Things happen way to fast to do a major stance change, but me paddling in a full surf stance is sure fire way to broach at the critical moment, get pitched and severely beaten. Last summer, I was really frustrated, as I'd paddle out to a normal spot I'd surf on a good typhoon swell, but be way to nervous to paddle into the bowl when a set was approaching. So on flat days, I started paddling the boards I surf, and practiced paddling in surf stance. Also practicing on longer in and out paddles to outer reefs. Start in a staggered parallel stance, and with forward movement established, switch to full surf stance, and dig as hard as I can in intervals.

I'd say it completely depends on the waves you have, and what you want to do. On soft waves and a long board, I'll stand parallel, with one foot about a foot-length back, and as soon as the wave catches, calmly walk to position. Going through some of my videos (not many now), I can see a different stance for different waves and different boards. On heavier drops, I'll start off a little staggered, and as soon as I start digging for it, I'll go to an almost full surf stance now. It takes conscious practice to do it, but not all waves and boards require it... If you're getting into what you want and not falling off, you're having fun :-)

274
Sessions / Re: JL Superfrank Dawn Patrol C.3
« on: March 30, 2019, 06:07:41 PM »
Nice vid and some great rides.

I wonder how you guys keep your Soloshot from being stolen... ;-)

275
Technique / Re: Cross-Stepping/Noseriding: My Personal Quest
« on: March 28, 2019, 05:19:53 PM »
This is a great thread Whats^.

I've been a short boarder all my life, and never really clicked with long boards, other than to take my kids out when they were little. Now that I ride SUP, I think the long boards are my favorite board to ride, even in heavier stuff. Going down the same path, learning to nose ride and cross step. So much fin.

276
SUP General / Re: SUP racing growing ? Uhm.....
« on: March 28, 2019, 05:16:24 PM »
It's definitely growing here. Nothing like the big events, but more and more races, with people coming from all over Japan to compete. There looks to be two 30km island-hop down winders this year, and more than a few flat water races.

I'm not a competitor. I do DW for fun, and flat water for exercise. But I find it wonderful how fast the sport is still growing.   

277
Gear Talk / Re: board pad or wax?
« on: March 28, 2019, 05:11:16 PM »
For me, one of the unforeseen nice parts of transitioning to SUP, was elimination of everything wax...

Live in the sub-tropics for a while. Wax in my bags, in my car, on my clothes...

Personally, I don't' want a board that sinks. I like to paddle around. I like to be be able to stand there while waiting for a set, and not have to fight to stay upright when it's a little choppy. I'm finding that I like about 1.3x my weight in volume. I'll often be out for 3-6 hours, and this means the pad rules. The hard deck that comes with wax and wax-mat like products is hard on the feet. So it's the EVA pad in the back, and if needed, wax-mat up front.     

278
Random / Re: Is FM radio dying?
« on: March 27, 2019, 04:27:54 PM »
I can't remember the last time I had the radio on. It's Apple Music, MP3's or downloaded podcasts.

The only good FM station here is the US Military AFN, and it plays the "news" at the top of every hour. Sometimes get "caught out," and accidentally hear... Well, you get the picture ;-)

279
SUP General / Re: SUP racing growing ? Uhm.....
« on: March 25, 2019, 05:03:31 PM »
It's funny as this is the complete opposite for me. The main reason I started in SUP was that its physical conditioning was far superior to all forms of sit down paddling. It's woefully inefficient and slow though.

Same. That and for some reason, whenever I put a sea kayak in the water, I feel naked without ten-miles of gear... And then seeing all the things I never noticed when sitting in a kayak.

280
Gear Talk / Re: Wax Mat traction pads by Surfco Hawaii
« on: March 25, 2019, 04:54:29 PM »
Anyone have enough experience with the wax mat to say how long it will last?

I can't speak to "real" longevity, but I've had it on the nose of my boards for a year and a half, with zero deterioration. I surf different boards, but 3-5 times per week, and our UV here is BRUTAL! I don't know that I would use it for the whole deck, but the forward part of a long board, or just in front of the pad on a gun, for sure. Since finding Wax-mat, I despise wax  :-)

281
Sessions / Re: Okinawa West Side 24 March
« on: March 25, 2019, 04:49:33 PM »
Nice video. I enjoyed watching it. With you and the three other surfers on the water, all of you had the entire place to yourselves for surfing.

Thanks for sharing your video.

Pretty much the only way I surf now. The other guy on SUP is a friend who got me into SUP. The two prone surfers are groms we brought with us. A couple of other SUPers showed up, but were cool, and then quickly moved to another peak. There are better waves only a short paddle away, but I got over 30 waves without having to hassle for even one! If I have to surf in "civilization," I'll pick a peak by myself (or with whoever is with me). If two prone surfers show up to that peak, and they're always friendly, I'll usually paddle down to another peak. Once you're on a SUP, there are so many easily accessible, quality peaks here, it's ridiculous. Thanks for the stoke.

282
Sessions / Re: Okinawa West Side 24 March
« on: March 25, 2019, 04:35:19 PM »

If you don’t mind I was wondering how you ended up spending your whole life on the Rock?


Thanks for the tips! The backslide thing is real. Last summer I found myself at breaks I wouldn't think twice about paddling into prone, but wouldn't dare paddle into the peak on a SUP, for fear of falling while stroking for it, and then getting drilled.

Pop was a former Marine, and we were stationed here in 1979. He retired in 1981 and then went to work  back here as a tech-rep contractor for the USMC. I graduated high school here in 1987 (Kubasaki DoDDS), and left to college in the US, but was back and forth at every break. Married a Japanese girl I went to high school with, and just ended up staying. Every time I'm fed up with it, and try to leave, something happens that keeps me anchored. Now I'm at a point where there's not really anyplace I'd rather live.   

283
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. 


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hUg6fo_rUw&t=68s

284
The Shape Shack / Re: Build a Vacuum System to Dry Boards
« on: March 21, 2019, 01:27:02 AM »
Interesting thread, for sure. Concerning damage to the foam/laminate bond, I wonder what the effect of a vacuum high enough to actually dry the moisture would be? I have the equipment to pull a 200 liter board down to 50 microns pretty quick...LOL. I see Beasho pulled it down to 25 inHg, and didn't seem to have a problem, but what of the horror stories of sealed boards after a flight. Cabin pressure kept at 10,000' is only a depression of 9.3 inHg from sea level. Maybe just a larger volume race board issue?


285
Sessions / Re: Okinawa Zampa Morning Session
« on: March 20, 2019, 11:10:11 PM »
Hi Okiwild
Nice to have videos from Okinawa. I paddle in Kansai /Shikoku area. Last time i was in Okinawa 6 or 7 years ago I couldn’t find anybody on a SUP or any rental place. As you said things change.

Yea, no straight up rental places. Only places that will take you out with a guide. Most of the main surfer places, you won't see many SUP. The SUP surfers mostly hang out at more remote breaks further out, or that you have to paddle a km or so up the coast. Even then, most of them seem quite new to it (and surfing).

There's a growing flat water and down wind race community, with semi-regular competitions.

Pages: 1 ... 17 18 [19] 20

SimplePortal 2.3.7 © 2008-2024, SimplePortal