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Dealing with nasty rollers on a touring SUP

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RideTheGlide:
Next spring through fall, I will be doing some offshore fishing 1-3 miles out and some nearshore touring. In some cases when touring I may have a stretch of a few miles where landing will be difficult if waves kick up. For those who know NC, one place in particular is AB to CLO paddling in front of Shackleford banks, which is very popular with shell collectors because of the pounding shore breaks it gets when the waves kick up. So I could get caught in a pop up squall and have some distance left to cover before I can get to land. I got a board that is supposed to be able to handle it (within reason), a 2016 Naish Glide 14x30. Naish says:

The Glide 14’0” X30 GTW is the ideal choice for riders who want exceptional stability for touring, enjoying downwind ocean runs, recreational racing and fitness training. Its newly developed rocker and bottom shape easily adapt to flatwater conditions while the tail rocker still allows for outstanding open ocean performance. It features a penetrating V nose and a flat rocker for phenomenal gliding performance and has ample thickness and width for stability and early planing on the open ocean in any conditions.

No, I don't take the part at the end - "in any condition" - literally, but I think the board is capable of dealing with a hell of a lot more than I am (yet). I am really looking forward to gliding phenomenally. I would think that most of the time I will either be going with them or sideways to them though in some rare circumstances I might be trying to go into them. By them I mean big swell/rollers, possibly breaking on top, probably wind driven. Any tips and/or links to videos/blogs/articles would be appreciated.

addapost:
In those conditions your problem isn't going to be the swell, it's going to be the wind. You basically have one choice- you will be paddling with it at your back. Plan launch and landings (primary and emergency) accordingly.

RideTheGlide:
So I need to learn to DW, but also to know when the waves are too big/rough for that and what to do then. Looking forward to learning to DW and it is easy to find info on that.

PonoBill:
The hardest thing to learn, I think, is that when conditions get tough you have to charge into them. Timidity is what screws you up. Today's downwinder was a good example. Strong winds--30 to 40 mph and very crossed up with big swells and little stuff coming from every direction. the wind was generally a bit offshore, but the gusts (some probably up to 50mph) were strongly offshore. If you're standing in 30 mph wind and resultant swell just trying to stay upright, being tentative and going slow, you'll be hit by 30 mph wind and 15 mph waves--full force. If you paddle hard for every wave and maximize your speed, ignoring the conditions, you minimize the effect they have on you. If you're going 15 mph and a 30 mph wind hits you, it's a 15 mph wind. If a 15 mph wave hits you it's going the same speed you are.

You need practice and water time. Your board will handle that. Now you just need to learn to let it do all it can.

RideTheGlide:
I ran a lot of whitewater when I was younger. A lot younger; I was a professional raft guide and kayaked the Grand Canyon in the 80s. Powering through holes was a lot like that; if you commit to a line that takes you through a hole then accelerate as much as you can down the tongue and don't slow up until you are through it. I made a similar choice in water craft back then; I paddled a Prijon T Slalom, which was known as one of the more stable whitewater kayaks. But it was actively stable, not passively. If you drifted into a hole without a blade in the water pulling hard when you hit the wall you were done for. I am not quite as fearless as I was in my late 20s. That's not true - I am not nearly as fearless. I guess I need to get out there a few times and learn to fear what's behind me more than what's in front of me.

If the swell gets really big, do you always keep paddling with it? I know it probably won't really be as big as I will think it is, but i will still think it is. Do you start quartering instead of going down the face if the waves get steeper?

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