Timing !! Try waiting where you can stand, and head off just as the last set is breaking, or shortly after, so you can be part way out when the sets pass, and hopefully finish the paddle out in a lull....

But yeah, timing, then persistence,.... If you're not getting anywhere, there's no harm coming back to shore, and reassessing your options, timing, rips, etc.

Yeah, look for the rips also!

Not aware of any websites.... did you "google" it ?? The back of the Nutri-Grain box was handy for that growing up !!

Have googled - can't find anything.

Been holdin my breath fairly well on my shorty for the last ##years.

Just wondering - cause sometimes a small tip that you havent tried before can make a huge difference

There is a short section on this in the DVD Stand up Paddle Surfing Vol 2 I think? Its better if you have a corner break gutter or rip. But the DVD shows you how to survive attempting these bigger waves. www.ExtremeSportsMovies.com most Paddle shops have a copy. Worth a look.

Its a bit like the Kenny rogers song!
Youv'e got to know when to charge em , now when to bail out , know when to prey , you can count your blessings , when the day is done.

Sorry ive had a few!

I can sympathise mate had a pretty crap day at work myself.But i did have customer who cheered me up a bit , after we got talking i told him i was originally from Tasmania so he had great delight in telling me a joke.

A Lady and Man just walked out of the Tassie divorce court , and the Lady was crying hystericly , the man said stop that dont worry your still my sister.

he thought it was very funny!

all good advice for ya russh, my piece would be, when under pressure, er gotta go hard, forget about standing up and crawl out as fast as you can, imo is quicker than standing and paddling hard. If in doubt BAIL.

My tip what not to do is after you have come off and recovering the board, don’t hold onto the leash rail saver as the next wave hits you.

I dislocated two of my fingers when the wave ripped the board out of my hand… which makes paddling for the next month very painful!

russh said...

Anyone got any good websites etc for some good bigger wave / beach break paddling out tips??

The only thing that sometimes holds you back in non reef / channel wave locations and not being able to duck dive - getting snotted early in the piece is pretty taxing - probably just timing and persist persist persist is gonna be the message

Thanks for any tips in advance.

Hi Russh,

How big is big??? height in ft from water to top of white water???

Do you have a pointy or straight nosed board?

What lenght board do you ride?

Regards

Phill

teatrea said...

Its a bit like the Kenny rogers song!
Youv'e got to know when to charge em , now when to bail out , know when to prey , you can count your blessings , when the day is done.

Sorry ive had a few!

thats gold

i just practice headbutting stuff 24/7

it seams to work

I reckon it's all about 'managing' your session on a SUP. By that I mean having a strategy based on the surf you are going out in.

My biggest worry is injuring someone else via a loose board so I factor in the crowd and whether it's even sensible to surf a particular spot. We are lucky in Sydney in that when it is big there are lots of options with big channels. If it's shutting down in the channel at my local point I will hang inside a bit and try and 'jump' the whitewater, then sprint wide when there is a break in the sets.

If it's a bigger beachie you obviously look for a break that has a distinct rip/channel and only catch waves large enough to take you back into the channel.

The old laydown paddle technique is good for getting out of tricky situations fast, where you have to paddle wide quickly to avoid one on the head. I can't do whitewater that way though so always stand for it. If I have guys behind me and I don't think I can 'jump' it, I will kick the board up over it - I read that on the zone forums and it works really well.

I reckon smaller lighter SUPs are easier in general when it comes to getting out and mixing it with the crowd though. I reckon SUPs and crowded, larger beachbreaks are not a good mix unless there are very deep channels.

PS As stated, a shorter leggie in crowded conditions is a good idea.

You may have already worked most of this out so forgive me if I say stuff you already know.

1. Wait for a lull then paddle like flock to get out.
2. Go over the white water standing. Your feet and legs have much less drag than your body so you are much less likely to get pulled back.
3. If you think you're going to get hit by the white water then turn and ride it back in and wait for a lull.
4. If you're almost going to make it then dive over or under the wave on an angle away from your board. Actively kick the board sideways so it doesn't flick up and get you.
5. If there's nobody behind you then swim with the board behind you on the leash and duck dive under the wave. Don't fight the pull as the board tugs you. Keeps your arms in, relax and go with it.
6. Swimming beside the board with your arm wrapped around the nose then duck diving can sometimes work fairly well.
7. Never ever grab the leash, rail saver or fin. It's guaranteed to hurt and you can break your fingers.
8. Turning turtle can work but I've never had much luck with that.
9. Relax and learn to love getting worked. There is no way you can fight a wave and expect to win.

If you minimise damage to yourself and conserve your energy you will get out eventually. The worst thing you can do is stress out about being caught on the inside and waste energy paddling hard trying to get over waves that are going to clobber you.

Think like a seal lolling about in the white water and it can be kind of fun.

It can get very cold spending a lot of time ducking under waves so think about using a better wetsuit.

I think what your refering to is the Corban Fusion?

The fusion was designed on more a longboard templace to allow Ivan to nose ride etc and its a great board to do that with. The fuller volume though works against you in the white wash as it wants to go up and over and pitch you of the back not through the wave IMHO.

The sharper nose boards in my experiece tend to penitrate the white water far better and allow you to punch through the white wash.

The longer 10ft plus gun style boards do it better again as they allow you to take on much higher white wash.

This may only work for bigger guys with more weight but have tried the same thing on 2 different 9'6 boards one round nose and one pointy low volume nose from the same manufacturer on the same day in the same conditions I can say its chaulk and cheese.

The pointy nose low volume wins every time for me.

As you hit the white water lower your rear knee onto the board, lowering your weight and center of gravity slap the water with the paddle to add stability and up and through you go. You will be surprised what you can make it over.

It you stay in a higher stance your history, if you dont brace with the paddle again your history.

laugh as much as you like but try it before you do!

Phill.