Positioning to Avoid a Takeoff

[petulance]

Apologies in advance if this turns out to be one of those "how long is a piece of string" questions.


I was out in the surf this morning minding my own business, away from other people when a wave comes my way. I get ready to take off but see another surfer already on the wave in a left hand turn. So I back off and don't paddle / stand up but the wave pushes me forward anyway and both of us collide.

Obviously the guy already on the wave wasn't happy but I had no intention of getting on the wave once I saw he was already on it. Luckily he accepted my apology and he encouraged me to keep practicing.


Was it a case of being in the wrong spot at the wrong time or could slightly better positioning have helped avoid the collision?



The more time I spend in the water the more I realise how little I know. I also find out I am nosediving quite a bit but that is another story.

[wanto]

i think i've said it before, but give up now.

[SAsurfa]

Was it a case of being in the wrong spot at the wrong time or could slightly better positioning have helped avoid the collision?

You were in the wrong.

If you are paddling for a wave it is your responsability to check your inside to see if anyone else is on it or about to get on it. You did this, which is great but once you realise there is someone already on the wave you have to have the control to pull off the wave without getting sucked over.

With experience you will be able to pull back easily and not get in the way of the incoming surfer but as you are still relatively inexperienced by the sound of it, only more time out in the water is going to give you more experience with controlling your board, both when your up and surfing, or moving around the lineup

So at this stage if it looks like someone is going to get on the wave or already is, don't bother paddling for it, just wait for another empty one

[grazza]

The wrongest thing is that you had to ask whether you were wrong.

[g_u_m_b_y]

i think i've said it before, but give up now.

i can imagine your kids.
knocked in boardriders and dads like
"give up...youll never get good"

[g_u_m_b_y]

That's the kind of total koodom that discorages me from surfing at Bondi.

It's pretty simple... if you can't fucking control your board when you're not even riding a wave then stay the fuck in the white water. And DON'T paddle for a wave if someone else (who, incidently, can surf) is paddling for the same wave.

fair go we all start somewhere, at least hes acknowledged he did wrong.
id rather a learner with a good attitude get in my way.
the amount of times i bailed when i was a grom

the more he practices the more he will improve.
hell, if he is out, its probably not that good anyway, (no offence meant, but its not like he would be out at 4-6 foot).

[longbum]

in a left hand turn..

Did he have his blinker on ?

Seriously just always look on the inside mate......
If your that that confident in controlling your board, just try and surf where no one is before ya start surfing in a crowd.

[gav]

salty wrote:
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That's the kind of total koodom that discorages me from surfing at Bondi.

It's pretty simple... if you can't fucking control your board when you're not even riding a wave then stay the fuck in the white water. And DON'T paddle for a wave if someone else (who, incidently, can surf) is paddling for the same wave.
...............................................................

Salty,
You sound like the exact type of angry, frustrated pea-brain that no-one wants out in the surf! Chill out mate. Maybe if you didn't surf Bondi, everyone would be better off.
At least the young fella is attempting to work out what's right and wrong, and how to enjoy surfing for what it is. Good on him.

[bumfluff]

It sounds to me like you need to play around in some smaller surf, preferably where theres nothing and no-one to hit. Learn what the waves are doing, the current and learn how to get around on your board if your unsure of yourself around other people.

If your nose diving your prolly leaning too far forward when your catching the wave. (Both when your still laying down and when you stand up)

[Surfin Turf]

At least the young fella is attempting to work out what's right and wrong, and how to enjoy surfing for what it is. Good on him.

he got sucked over on top of someone , that's very dangerous and could've ended up a lot worse ... salty is right, stay out of there and get some decent advice before going out ... we started as little kids on the shore and worked our way up ... so should adults ....

[WANDERER]

salty wrote:
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That's the kind of total koodom that discorages me from surfing at Bondi.

It's pretty simple... if you can't **** control your board when you're not even riding a wave then stay the **** in the white water. And DON'T paddle for a wave if someone else (who, incidently, can surf) is paddling for the same wave.
...............................................................

Salty,
You sound like the exact type of angry, frustrated pea-brain that no-one wants out in the surf! Chill out mate. Maybe if you didn't surf Bondi, everyone would be better off.
At least the young fella is attempting to work out what's right and wrong, and how to enjoy surfing for what it is. Good on him.

hmmm

now, when I learnt to surf, i was a kook, especially in that I grew up on the western fringe of the north shore, I went to school way out in the sticks past Galston at a place called Arcadia, or to be even more specific 'Fiddletown'. I almost never surfed at any other time other than school holidays or long weekends, the people I went to school with had even less knowledge than me when it came to surfing, none of my family surfed so they were no help, so I was basicly the most highest kook risk possible and yet, yet I still managed to get my head round the basic knowledge and skills required to avoid the sort of incident that is described above, its not that hard, so please excuse the likes of salty and myself if we don't roll out the red carpet for noobs and become all apologetic and helpful. Whilst I wish no ill on the fella, simply by reading his post its clear to see that he really should be investing more time in his surf pursuits, in particular in the 'unwritten laws' before venturing out with the big boys and creating a potentially harmful and damaging situation for himself and others, for christs sake, so much of it is just basic common sense, it really is alarming.

[petulance]

Thanks for all the replies fellas. Much appreciated.

After such an event, the logical outcomes are

- Admit your mistake.
- Learn from it.
- And never repeat it.


I will say that I was very lucky today. As some have pointed out, it could have been so much worse.

So to sum up, I need
- better board control
- more time in small waves (CoastalWatch's report of the Eastern Beaches said 1-2 footers this morning)
- more awareness all the time


Btw, I wasn't out the back today ... I was closest person to the shore
(horizontally I would have been the furthest person away, not in the middle of the lineup).

[petulance]

That's the kind of total koodom that discorages me from surfing at Bondi.

It's pretty simple... if you can't <bleep> control your board when you're not even riding a wave then stay the <bleep> in the white water. And DON'T paddle for a wave if someone else (who, incidently, can surf) is paddling for the same wave.

Salty, do you want me to be your first student? I can pay you in beer and pizzas but I won't put out.




On a more serious note, see my other reply.

[Beanpole]

Keep trying petulia. I'm glad you learnt something and its good to remind the -why don't they just- crew of how little you know. Salty is just angry because he went to Byron Bay and found it was as crowded as Bondi

All of these hardcore characters still blow it occasionally even if they wont admit it.

[Thibb]

Some time ago I saw a girl walking her board out in the surf while one of the 'experienced surfers' came riding towards her along the face of a wave. She was not walking out in front of anyone before he showed up, but now she had nowhere to go and was in about waist/chest deep, so she just stopped and waited for him to go around her or get off the wave. This guy just kept going and much to my surprise rammed his board straight into her, hitting her hard in the head and chest.

She was obviously hurting and trying to get out of the water, so some other people helped her get back to the beach. I saw the guy who rammed her and asked what happened. He said he hadn't seen her because the sun was in his eyes. So much for 'kooks' being a danger to regulars...

And if 'kooks' get so little breaks while learning, shouldn't this experienced surfer at least have been shot for his mistake?

[Surfin Turf]

....in recognition of the love and good will that this thread is now churning out

hey ringmaster get stuffed .....







(unless you've got a pic of some half naked girl...)

[g_u_m_b_y]

....in recognition of the love and good will that this thread is now churning out

hey ringmaster get stuffed .....







(unless you've got a pic of some half naked girl...)

you should have seen the ones i had up there before the fuhrer came along

[mustkillmulloway]

At least the young fella is attempting to work out what's right and wrong, and how to enjoy surfing for what it is. Good on him.

he got sucked over on top of someone , that's very dangerous and could've ended up a lot worse ... salty is right, stay out of there and get some decent advice before going out ... we started as little kids on the shore and worked our way up ... so should adults ....

yeah but yeah....firstly he tried avoid droppin ( which is the biggest sin if u subscribe too nat youngs "i got bashed @ anga and made good money out it " thinkin)

secondly...when u get sucked over the falls....theres just not a hell lot u can do about it....even if your a pro or a learner

thirdly....it's not as easy being a learner now compared when we was boyz turf....bigger crowds...bigger egos...all that stuff

petulance ....the lesson i think is once committed go.....don't f.uck around in the lip....better too drop in and flick out than behead someone me thinks