Duckdiving

[longyfreshy]

O.K. I thought I would start a thread on duck diving tips.
I have a fish style board (Miller F-Skate) and as it is thicker and more boyant I can't duck dive at all and have to do the eskimo roll
I have been told to paddle full pelt and just at the last moment push down on the board and of course I need to time it exactly right. Well being an older woman and paddling out is just effort enough how the hell when I don't have the strength to do this. Usually when I do get out I have to have a few moments to catch my breath before catching anything. Mind you I don't go out in big surf as I would still be paddling so I am a small wave surfer which suits me with my less agile abilites, so don't worry I wouldn't be in the way of you guys who like the big waves!

[scomber]

Good on you! I see some beginners in the line up who don't give a shit and let their board go whenever they get caught inside. This is particularly rude esp when the board is a bit bigger than most. Eskimo rolls are great but can get a bit nasty in pitching waves unless your timing is spot on.
Being a kneelo, I understand the wide nose/bouyancy thingy and how it can make it a bit of a headache duckdiving at first - but its all in the timing and only a bit about the forward momentum that you have when the wave approaches. Duck diving has nothing to do with strength but try to use the WAVE to push your nose down.
Everyone knows the technique when body surfing - to get under a wave; head towards China and as the energy of the wave hits your sloped back it pushes you towards the bottom. Then your natural buoyancy will pop you out the back once the wave has passed over.. Same thing applies on a board. If you get the timing right you shouldn't even have to push the back of your board down after the nose like some recommend. Don't fight Huey, learn to use his power to your advantage. Good on you for having a go and considering some etiquette.

[Thibb]

I hate duckdiving. Surfed for a year, about 3-4 times a week. I am confident at just about every part of surfing (as far as can be expected from people of my level), but i CANNOT duckdive for sh*t.

[Ahmadgeddon]

O.K. I thought I would start a thread on duck diving tips.
I have a fish style board (Miller F-Skate) and as it is thicker and more boyant I can't duck dive at all and have to do the eskimo roll
I have been told to paddle full pelt and just at the last moment push down on the board and of course I need to time it exactly right.

I'm 77kgs and I have a 6'2'' F-Skate. While it's true that they have a lot more volume than a thruster, they can be successfully duck-dived. You just need to push down further forward, and sink the tail with your foot to get under the big ones. The keys are momentum and timing. Experiment with your technique away from the waves the next time you surf.

[heefcoate]

this is obviuosly a thread for kooks maybe wanto or dinosaur would like to share there information on how to to kook it up! haha

[longyfreshy]

To heefcoate I have been surfing on and off for a few years but never mastered the art of duckdiving. Motherhood and living overseas and then raising my kids by myself on very little got in the way of me enjoying and becoming good at surfing as my children always came first. Now at the ripe old age of 50 I have started to have more time to be able to do something that I have wanted to do passionatly since riding surf mats at Northy back in the 70's. As this is suppose to be a surf discussion I thought it would be O.K. to ask questions and get some advice but I suppose I should expect some smart ass to try and make my question seem idiotic or should I say kooky.

Thanks to those who have given me their tips but not all of us have had been fortunate enough to been able to devote themselves to surfing.

Nope I haven't lost my sense of humour I can take the piss like anyone but your post just seem to be on the edge of just plain nasty.

[Kunji]

Dont worry about Heathy, he's just having a larf.

I think its about balance over your board and timming. Maybe your technique too. Are you putting your knee or your foot on the board? Explain your technique.

[bohdidontsurf]

To heefcoate I have been surfing on and off for a few years but never mastered the art of duckdiving. Motherhood and living overseas and then raising my kids by myself on very little got in the way of me enjoying and becoming good at surfing as my children always came first. Now at the ripe old age of 50 I have started to have more time to be able to do something that I have wanted to do passionatly since riding surf mats at Northy back in the 70's. As this is suppose to be a surf discussion I thought it would be O.K. to ask questions and get some advice but I suppose I should expect some smart **** to try and make my question seem idiotic or should I say kooky.

Thanks to those who have given me their tips but not all of us have had been fortunate enough to been able to devote themselves to surfing.

Nope I haven't lost my sense of humour I can take the piss like anyone but your post just seem to be on the edge of just plain nasty.

If you ask me ( and no one has) this lady is what surfing is all about, passion. Good on you for putting your family first and once they are on there way taking up the best pastime/sport/religion the planet has to offer.

[bonusbeats]

If you ask me ( and no one has) this lady is what surfing is all about, passion. Good on you for putting your family first and once they are on there way taking up the best pastime/sport/religion the planet has to offer.

heafcoat is what australian surfing is about - winding up others. the coastal strain of larrikinism is a particularly refined and delevoped form of what is our greatest national trait.

[Mr_momo_32]

ok, i have herd that when u duck dive to your usual depth, u can do this intriging process to increase your depth:

manovure your arms to get more depth ( push and pull your arms alternating each time )

[bc]

ok, i have herd that when u duck dive to your usual depth, u can do this intriging process to increase your depth:

manovure your arms to get more depth ( push and pull your arms alternating each time )

Jamie Obrien wrote about doing this,
-saying he could get down to the bottom and grab sand for disbelieving onlookers.
but you'd need a toothpick of a board for it to be able to work.
and no doubt some of his ludicrous skills too

[bc]

I'd agree with Salty about starting your duckdive early,
both because a bigger board takes some time to sink,
but also because i see plenty of beginners duckdive with their head underwater when the wave hits, but their arse still in mid air.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8WEf3q1 ... re=related
this ain't great, but it will make more sense to a beginner than a description.
and mute it before your ears bleed.

[betty boop]

I have similar problems duck diving my very floaty Mccoy nugget. I need to put on some weight, I think.

I can sometimes duckdive my board, when it is little, but mostly I just turtle. I found that putting one leg in the air, like doing a hand stand on your board helps sink the nose, better. Then, once the nose is down a bit, you need to really push down with your foot on the tail. i lean back to try to get the very very floaty tail under the wave. I don't think that I ever get the board more than half a foot uner water, but if timed well, that can be enough. Hopefully, I time the foot on the tail with the wave going over me, and pop out the other side.

It is also a balance thing with a very buoyant board. I often fall off while pushing the foot down. Think of it more like a scooping motion.

I went surfing with a slightly smaller board last week and it was much easier to duckdive. I came to the conclusion that sometimes technique is not enough and that you might just need to turtle.


PS are you going to have a go on the Fatbat?

[marcus_h]

Little variation I use for my twinny which is really thick and for my longboards - I push down more on an angle and go under "corner" first.

[bc]

I was having a beer on the Icebergs balcony at Bondi a while ago,
and noticed that guys paddling over almost breaking waves were being pulled back a fair way, while those duckdiving were making considerably more progress.
-Its not just about being able to hang onto your board, but you'll get out the back so much quicker if you make a full duckdive motion even on small waves you might otherwise punch through.