Hello all,

I've just aquired my first SUP, the 11' NSP. I took it out in a lake first time and found it quite easy to paddle around, even put the kids on the front with no probs. Feeling confidant, I headed for the surf only to find it's a totally different game when there's waves moving the board around all over the place. I can paddle around in the surf, a bit wobbly but not to bad. But when I try to get the board moving fast enough to catch a wave, my balance deserts me. My question is.. Should I put more time in on the flat water and work on paddle technique before going back in the surf or should I just do my time in the surf and try to improve. My ultimate goal is to use the sup mainly for surfing. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Cheers

Th0m0

One day you will look down and realise you have the best ever sun tan on your feet. When that day comes...you will be ready!
Jason from Jervis Bay

a few things i learned the hard way,
1. dont bail when the nose goes under , hang in there you will often motor thru and maintain momentum and catch the wave.
2. it takes time and falling off is the part of what you need to practise, bail far from the board and keep paddle clear of booard and body
3. and most importantly be in a space where you present no danger to anyone and wont be embaressed by your shortcomings.

good luck im sure you will be surfing soon, i started in a creek for fitness and now surf 80% of time and though a shortboard surfer of 25 years am still learning.

Hi Th0m0,

The post about the suntanned feet was my husband cause he thinks my black feet are an absolute hoot!

I had never surfed a day in my life but when I saw all the fun he was having on his sup, I had to give it a go. (he has surfed short boards for 30+ years so had a little advantage over me). I basically went at least 3 (and often 6) times a week over winter when there was not many others in the water (in fact at our little river mouth there was noone else in the water).

Husband had watched nearly every video going on the sport & had taken a lesson so he was able to coach me with the basics. I think it is a bit like snow skiing: you can fall down the mountain for weeks & never really get it happening, but if you get a lesson, you are skiing that day!

I started out on the flat water for the first few weeks learning how to turn, handle the board, deal with boat wake etc. I then moved onto little one to two foot waves & within about 2 months I had the basics. I went out in 3-4 foot fairly early on in the piece but just got through and hung out the back watching (only catching the one wave to get back in). Terrifying but good experience. The next time we got bigger swell I was a lot more confident & caught a few. By this stage I also knew the spot really well and had a good idea what the wave was going to be like.

I have the luxury of a wave all to myself so have never really found it crucial to be able to do the quick turns to catch a wave: When you are standing up, you can see the sets coming and pick which one you want and plan the turn. I was exactly like you describe at the start, I would get the wobbles up every time I really went hard to catch a wave. I have now learned that you don't actually have to paddle that hard & fast if you are in the right take-off spot (another advantage of surfing the same wave every day). If I am not in position in time, then I just take the next wave! Heaven help me when I have to share my little surf spot!!

I agree that the flatwater paddling is important. We usually paddle from our home to the river mouth which is about 2.7km & that way we are nicely warmed up before we get out in the waves. Sometimes when the swell is really on, we put the boards on the car and drive up so we conserve all our energy for surfing, but I learned the hard way that this is not ideal. Paddling out over big waves straight away, I ended up pulling a muscle in my chest. Now, even if we drive to the river mouth, we always do a quick flat paddle a few hundred metres up the river before heading out.

And about the pride thing: I had to have none at all!!!! Our little surf spot is directly below the pub & the RSL club. You can imagine how much falling I did having never ever surfed before, but if you think this is bad, we went to the club for dinner one night and discovered they have a public binocular set on the balcony!!!!! It is a very small town & apparently I was the topic of conversation over many beers!

Good Luck & enjoy the whole process. Get the family to take video so that you can look back and laugh once you have mastered it!

Lucky you if you have some surf!!! We have been flat as a tack for 2 weeks!!!
Good luck & enjoy

I don't use the Crocs that much now.. I was getting little brown dots on the top of my feet from where the sun shines through the holes in the Crocs..

My feet have never been browner..

DJ