New to Surfing

[PatrickC]

Hi all,

im new to surfing having had my first ever session on saturday

i currenly am abble to stand quite comfortably and ride in the whitewaters all the way to the beach, but i am yet to tackle the unbroken waves

my questions are:

What do i do differently on an unbroken wave compared to a broken whitewater wave
How should i be paddleing through the water i cant stand in (im having a little trouble getting past the waves when paddleing - im using an 8'6" board and im only 5'7")
Is it normal to wax the rails to give added grip for when popping up


Cheers

Patrick

[wanto]

Anybody who started surfing AFTER the year 2000 (*unless they were under the age of 16 when they started) should be forced to hand in all surfing equipment

[PatrickC]

im only 15 at the moment

[mustkillmulloway]

What do i do differently on an unbroken wave compared to a broken whitewater wave

look sideways and paddle into the wave on the angle your going


basicly...where u look is where u will go

ingnore the hard old locals who have posted above

who where never learners once

have fun...

[g_u_m_b_y]

you guys **** if he is serious

my tip?
paddling in to an unbroken wave is a lot easier to nose dive.
paddle a hard and commit, to avoid
a)missing it
b)getting pitched

hesiatation is the worst, cost me a brand new board and a big hold down

also, maybe you should ask TMC about how to paddle out?
he rang me the other day all excited cause he had managed to "crack the breakers".

he also said he "shot the curl", but i didnt believe him.

[wanto]

only 15? ok then ...

you'll have to work on your timing a bit for unbroken waves, there's only a short window of opportunity to work with - between missing it and getting sucked over the falls. persistence is the key (as with everything surfing), you'll figure it out if you put the time in. if you're constantly missing waves when you feel you should be able to catch them, it's possible you're hanging too far back on your board, make sure you put your head down and bring your weight onto your chest. once you feel the wave take you, pop up. again, timing is everything and with persistence, you'll get it.

wax on the rails is generally not a good idea - wax is for your feet not your hands. make sure only your fingers are going over the rail and that the palm of your hands are firmly flat on the deck.

your board might be a bit big too.

[PatrickC]

ohhk, thanks everyone for the tips, ill take them into consideration when i next go in a fortnight for the weekend(bloodey parents wont let me go till all my assignments are submitted lol)

Cheers

Patrick

p.s. the board is very big and wide, but its all i could get my hands on that was suitable for a newbie and its stable enough to learn the basics so when i switch to shortboards i will be A O'K

[betty boop]

only 15? ok then ...

you'll have to work on your timing a bit for unbroken waves, there's only a short window of opportunity to work with - between missing it and getting sucked over the falls. persistence is the key (as with everything surfing), you'll figure it out if you put the time in. if you're constantly missing waves when you feel you should be able to catch them, it's possible you're hanging too far back on your board, make sure you put your head down and bring your weight onto your chest. once you feel the wave take you, pop up. again, timing is everything and with persistence, you'll get it.

wax on the rails is generally not a good idea - wax is for your feet not your hands. make sure only your fingers are going over the rail and that the palm of your hands are firmly flat on the deck.

your board might be a bit big too.

Wanto, that was almost a NICE post. I didn't know you had it in you.

Perhaps there is hope for you after all.

I might add; when you are paddling for a wave, then you have to really PADDLE. When you feel that shove, it means that you have caught the wave, take 2 extra paddles for luck and jump up.

First time out back, you should pick a fat wave day, not a hollow closing out day. Also, a bit smaller would be better to start; waist high or smaller would be nice. But beggars can't be choosers.

Enjoy!!

[g_u_m_b_y]

only 15? ok then ...

you'll have to work on your timing a bit for unbroken waves, there's only a short window of opportunity to work with - between missing it and getting sucked over the falls. persistence is the key (as with everything surfing), you'll figure it out if you put the time in. if you're constantly missing waves when you feel you should be able to catch them, it's possible you're hanging too far back on your board, make sure you put your head down and bring your weight onto your chest. once you feel the wave take you, pop up. again, timing is everything and with persistence, you'll get it.

wax on the rails is generally not a good idea - wax is for your feet not your hands. make sure only your fingers are going over the rail and that the palm of your hands are firmly flat on the deck.

your board might be a bit big too.

Wanto, that was almost a NICE post. I didn't know you had it in you.

Perhaps there is hope for you after all.

I might add; when you are paddling for a wave, then you have to really PADDLE. When you feel that shove, it means that you have caught the wave, take 2 extra paddles for luck and jump up.

First time out back, you should pick a fat wave day, not a hollow closing out day. Also, a bit smaller would be better to start; waist high or smaller would be nice. But beggars can't be choosers.

Enjoy!!

would have been good for a learner today.

[bumfluff]

Is it normal to wax the rails to give added grip for when popping up


Cheers

Patrick

You dont know how lucky you are...... Think a rotweiller (90% of the Realsurf forum) with a kitten (you) in its mouth.

The difference between your entry to this forum and mine is summed up by the fact that I paddled in on essentially a girl's board and you did on an 8' mal and your 15.

Why dont yas just roll out the f*cken red carpet for him?? I was 15 once too ya now!......c*nts.

[wanto]

Perhaps there is hope for you after all.

sorry, who are you again?

[Surfin Turf]

Wanto, that was almost a NICE post. I didn't know you had it in you.

he doesn't ... he employs a specialist writer every now and then to give the impression he can be "nice" ...

[Grooter]

Don't forget correct paddle technique is key as well.

I used the wrong technique for years until NC posted about it in the Shortboarders forum - take a look there the thread should be up the top. Made me over work my shoulders too much for too long meaning I'd tire too fast.

You need to be able to get maximum power out of your arms and upper back when going for the unbroken wave because, unlike white water, there won't be as much 'push' in the wave. The key thing here though is timing, you need to time it right so you get the right mix of power without busting a valve and tiring out before you get to your feet. The only way you learn that is practice.

[Surfin Turf]

Is it normal to wax the rails to give added grip for when popping up


Cheers

Patrick

You dont know how lucky you are...... Think a rotweiller (90% of the Realsurf forum) with a kitten (you) in its mouth.

The difference between your entry to this forum and mine is summed up by the fact that I paddled in on essentially a girl's board and you did on an 8' mal and your 15.

Why dont yas just roll out the f*cken red carpet for him?? I was 15 once too ya now!......c*nts.

psychiatric assistance required .... paging Dr Kreepy ...

[marcus_h]

On the paddling thing: Paddle with your arms not with your hands if that makes sense.

I use a technique similar to that of doing freestyle, I get elbows up high and really drive down hard on each stroke up to my elbow. Without sounding like a w@nker (cough cough) I find I catch probably 95% of the waves I paddle for.

Far too often I see newbies flapping their arms at a rate of notes but only getting their hands wet and going no-where

Just a thought.

[Surfin Turf]

On the paddling thing: Paddle with your arms not with your hands if that makes sense. .

I used an wacky new advanced paddling technique where I use my arms and my hands together ... I know it sounds totally weird but if you concentrate really hard you'll find that your hands are attached to ends of your arms and can be brought into play and can assist bridging that last 5% gap ...










(sorry marcus_h, I simply couldn't resist ... )

[marcus_h]

On the paddling thing: Paddle with your arms not with your hands if that makes sense. .

I used an wacky new advanced paddling technique where I use my arms and my hands together ... I know it sounds totally weird but if you concentrate really hard you'll find that your hands are attached to ends of your arms and can be brought into play and can assist bridging that last 5% gap ...










(sorry marcus_h, I simply couldn't resist ... )

Fark fair play left myself open to that!

You know i mean...right? right?

[pinhead]

All this advice is good, however before you start you need to be sure that the area you will be surfing in isn’t oversurfed.

Go down to your local break on a weekend when conditions are good and count how many good waves go unridden in an hour. If you see less than 10, then your area is oversurfed and you should not attempt surfing there. Some areas - typically small coastal towns within 100 km a major centre - are only oversurfed on weekends, in which case, if you can surf on weekdays you’ll be ok.

Oversurfing is a major problem in some parts of coastal Australia where wave resources cannot keep up with increasing surfer populations. Oversurfing results in a low overall session wave counts which make it difficult for surfers to improve their skills and for learners to develop basic skills – the long term result of continued oversurfing will be a kookification of major surfing centres and a loss of Australian competitiveness in professional surfing. If you care about surfing sustainability don’t surf in already oversurfed areas.