How can i ride a wave?

[winged surfer]

Good afternoon,
Yesterday it was my first time on a 1 minute wave riding with total depowered wing, what a feeling!!! i was laughing alone in the ocean thinking how crazy is that!
As i mentioned in my other comment i can clearly see the essence of this sport now, at least in my opinion.
So what i do to ride a wave is taking some speed and when i'm at the section of the wave where a feel its power i depower the wing and start to surf the wave only with the power of the foil.
At this point or i go straight down but i reach a lot of speed so i am faster than the wave behind me and most of the time i stall because of that (by the time the wave reach me i lost the power of the foil). Or i follow the diagonal curve of the wave especially with the steeper wave.
In the videos on youtube i see instead that rippers curve with their foil (instead of going just straight) actually to maintain that energy in  that pocket of the wave. Is it correct? The only positive thing i noticed  is that when i ride a wave i don't think about the wing, it just sit there without moving (i have a 4mt Unit) and i also don't have to think about the foil that is super fast but always so in control and never breaches (Armstrong 1250HS). At this point what should i try to do? Turn my chest like a surfers do and try to stay on the top end of the wave? or what?
I'm sorry it might sound like a stupid question but i really need an advice from wave riders in order to progress.
Thank you all. 

[Hdip]

I don't downwind. I prone surf, but, Stay high on the mast. Stay high on the peak of the wave. If you get in front of the wave you'll lose the power. Angle along the face, or cut back/turn to get back to the power in the wave.

Apparently downwinding sometimes you have to bear off the wave you're on, go over the back of it, let it pass you so you can get the wave behind the one you're on.

[Phils]

The wing makes wave foiling accessible to the average human.  My favorite aspect of winging also.  In general, the idea is to milk the wave energy as long as possible, so you want to ride down the line and try and stay where the energy is.