Getting out in low tide rocks with shore break

[To bad]

Hello
In Baja with low tides and shore break. Very intimidating. Looking for options on techniques. My friend lives here with more experience and tries a lot of different things and all seem sketchy. We both are talking about it. He  started attaching his wing to the front of harness for just this, I tried and don't like it there personally as it get tangled around my arms and head
The rocks make it so you cannot jump up on your board or you will high center and then a wave would kill you. Yesterday he went out and flipped his board upside down with the rear of foil in air facing out and straddled with his chest and paddled. He made it but the wing was still very close. Any tipsy or when he got off in deeper rolling water the foil was very close to wing and could have fell on it. Not to mention if a wave would have came in, it might have been messy.
I am thinking of adding a temporary kite leash to the back of my harness about 3 feet long. I can clip my wrist leash blow that and use his approach of paddling on top of board with foil in the air and wing upside down behind me. With the extra leash it should stay far enough away if foil tumbles or falls it could stay clear?
I have 5’4” Fanatic 95L, and Strikes that seem pretty floaty on back. A concern would be a wave breaks on wing and things go crazy, but for that to happen would have to be a monster wave and I should not be out in that.
Anybody try this approach or another approach?
Thanks
Todd

[surfcowboy]

This is a major limiter in my ocean time. If it's over a certain size I don't want to message with it.

Here I tend to pick low tide (easier at some of our breaks) and always under 2-3 feet. Your strategy sounds good to me. But for my part I look for points and other places to launch. For exaywe have 2-3 harbors with protective sea walls that you can launch inside of. Guys do that. There's another local spot that I want to wing and there's a launch just under a mile away where you can come out of a harbor and wing over to the spot.

In the Caribbean recently there was much less powerful shorebreak. In Hawaii guys are launching inside a reef. I think the Pacific coast has it particularly bad compared to some places we see on the website.

Finally, I think a sinker board is really going to be key. Duck diving should help most of all to my mind. And learning to launch and get up as fast as possible.

Hdip and I often discuss the expense of gear for surf winging. My long term plan is to surf swell DW and not worry so much about a break. That's old thinking, right? We are no longer limited to surfing the old spots.

Definitely curious as to who has ideas but for me it's about spot selection more than technique.

[PonoBill]

My favorite beach (ka'a) is very steep, and low tide with a strong north swell is fairly tricky. Requirement #1 is a bottom handle in my book is a bottom handle, so you can have the foil pointed away from you. On a sand beach like Ka'a that's getting constantly reshaped by waves and currents there's usually a flatter spot where the water is draining out, but that won't work for your rocky beach. Still, look for the area where water concentrates to drain out off the beach. There's always something even if it's not an obvious rip.

In mid-summer in Hood river, we need to swim our foil boards out a good distance to keep from accumulating a giant river grass salad. I keep the board flipped over, take my wing leash off and attach it to the board leash, and swim the board out with the wing trailing behind. That's a bit more difficult in beach break since the whitewater can grab the wing, but I just keep going until the timing works or a channel makes itself obvious. I've only had this fail once or twice. Cardiff Rivermouth on a big windy day, and Del Mar river mouth. The only folks who were getting out those two times were shortboarders, and most of them were getting denied.

I don't try to get on the board until I know I can flip it. I think it works better for getting through the surf and whitewater as a bogey board. If nothing else you can keep from going backward when a set comes. Once I'm out of the washing machine I sit on the board and put the wing leash back on my wrist or on my waist harness.

[Caribsurf]

I wrote a post on this earlier for my set up in the Grenadines which consist of rocks, coral, sea urchins and crashing waves . It's REALLY difficult getting in and out with both the board and wing at the same time, but I have done it.  I have a method when it's a big shore break where I go out first with either the wing or board alone and attach to a buoy which is tied to a mushroom anchor.  I then retrieve the 2nd part and it's pretty easy. I do the same coming in...I also wear booties because I have to, no way you could go barefoot.

[surfcowboy]

The mushroom anchor is a really good idea. Might add that to my kit for summer.

[PonoBill]

We sometimes do the same thing at Swell City in the Gorge, there's a semi-permanent tie-up buoy in the water, and I made my own but rarely use it. It's a much easier in and out, and if you come in to change a wing you can park your board.

[To bad]

Thanks guys. I went out today in low tide with rocks. Started to paddle to early and got high centered. Chipped foil. I did have wing on back of harness which I think helped. Here on east cape in Baja it can be really shallow rocks (sucks), but when you get out it is epic.
I want to try the anchor deal. I think it would help reduce stress.
My buddy flips foil over and swims it out with foil in the air. I may try that tomorrow. But it looks sketchy. I may try in morning to see how it feels with out wing.

[Hdip]

Guys in Oahu wax or put traction on the bottom of their board so they can paddle it upside down. Works ok.

[PonoBill]

That's a great idea. A few patches of hexatraction in the front for your chest, and maybe one in the grip area. it would have no discernable effect on how the board works when it's right-side up, but it would make paddling it easy. I've taken the opposite approach, doing everything I can to avoid paddling the board with the foil flipped up. I've found the bottom handle helps a little as a place to hang on to, but really, it's too far forward to be comfortable. I'm going to order a package from NSI.

[jondrums]

tail handle to the rescue.  I've had decent luck swimming out next to the board flipped (foil in the air) holding onto the tail handle.  When the wave comes in, it does try to flip the board, but if you've got weight on the tail handle it won't flip.   I use a long leash on the wing to my waist harness.  the only issue is that it is very slow going and hard to do in very shallow water

[bigmtn]

yup paddle the board upside down, press shoulder/head into mast to help stabilize, little wax on bottom of board helps from sliding off. wing leash connected to waist belt or to ankle if you don't have a belt.  works well in medium to small whitewash if wind is onshore.  offshore wind it becomes a nightmare, because wing wants to fly up onto your foil. 

best advice is to really study the beach before getting into water, and figure out where the water gets deepest quickest, waves are smallest/weakest, currents, and where the least amount of rocks are. Also try to time the sets, might allow you to do a quick paddle and get out hair dry.

[To bad]

bigmtn
Spot on bro. Good advice.

[SUPeter]

This scenario happens a lot in Maine and New England.  I have done the buoy and anchor technique and feel this is the easiest and safest way to get your gear in and out of the water without damaging yourself or your equipment.   Takes a little more time .  In Maine, with tides being 10-14 ft in places, make sure you let enough rope out so you can find it on the way back. 

[juandesooka]

Of all the wave and foil sports I've pursued, winging is by far the worst when it comes to getting through waves.  It is such a terrible helpless feeling once you get caught.  Gear damage is pretty much inevitable.  My favorite is the shore-pound decision of whether to sacrifice your board or your wing or your body.   

Not much to add to the advice above. 

I am a huge fan of the bottom handle, something you don't realize is a must-have until you have it.  Especially for getting back in through shore break.

Look around for an easier-in, just need a little more room -- if you can be up and standing before you hit the waves, you have a shot at riding right through it.  Benefit of winging, the upwinding is easy, so you can afford to start way downwind if you have to.

Be really careful about relying on your wing leash in breaking waves, the connection point is not designed to withstand the force of a submerged wing pulling.  I've pulled my connector out, which leads to leading edge bladder breach...major problem! In that situation, I think you'd be better off to attach the wing leash to the top handle. 

As well, for safety in a serious situation you ideally want quick release capability for both wing leash and board leash ... I use a reel leash attached to kite waist harness, and when the 2 leashes got wound up in each other in a wipeout in decent size surf, I had a worst case scenario vision of drowning potential.  That can affect both going out and coming in.

[VB_Foil]

Great advice above.  The last time i've had my foil tear my canopy I was going out with my 2M through some waist high shorebreak, in waist deep water, with 25-40MPH side-on winds, so it was kinda hectic.  I made it past the first few waves and went over the last one and released from the bottom handle when going over the wave in preparation to start paddling for the horizon. I was holding the wing downwind from the leading edge handle.  As I released my board hand, I immediately realized it was a mistake as the 60L board was lifted by the wind and launched over my head to land neatly on my waiting wing downwind. First time on my 725 and it took out a wing before I even rode it.  Took out my 3M and was way overpowered and had to call it after a short time out.  Starting was tough; could hardly stand on my board with out getting pulled airborne, leaving my board behind. 

TLDR: Don't forgot to keep the board in control with wind gusts.  Can take you and/or your wing out!