I went out at Big Left at Flinders yesterday for my first session in sizable surf.

First a question to the wave experts. During the power strokes when catching a wave I sometimes have to swap sides and can miss the handle of the paddle or otherwise ending up doing a few limp little paddles. Is this a sign of a too long paddle or just lack of hard paddling skill?

Big Left is a deep water reef so the swells jack up from nothing as they hit the reef then thicken out as they pass by. It was quite difficult to catch the waves. The offshore breeze would push me back as I tried to stroke in. I had to sit well inside and paddle onto the breaking wave.

I was very careful to not freak out the surfers. Big Left is a pretty serious break and a long paddle out so you don't normally get beginners out there. Paddling a surfboard out there is usually a bit of a marathon but on the SUP I could launch from the beach car park and casually cruise out.

I was concious of being a bit of a gumby on a paddle board but the surfers were all cool and friendly so I was able to get amongst it and go for waves.

There are lots of reefs at Flinders so you get lots of short swells coming in all directions. At first it's a little embarrasing to be standing there waiting for a wave and have a sneaky cross-swell knock you off the board. It's a great antidote the the master-of-the-ocean-universe feeling you get when standing scanning the horizon for approaching swells. It's even worse if you hit the paddle with your head. Ouch!

I only really caught one good wave in 90 minutes but that ride was easily 200 metres. I gave myself heaps of hoots and found myself waving the paddle in the air riding out the last reform. Even the surfers commented on what a good ride it was.

On the small waves I rode in the past the Starboard 11'2" felt very immobile and hard to turn. On a bigger wave it felt quite nimble and I could comfortably turn back on the face. I am always surprised by the force on the paddle when I dig it into the wave face. So far all the SUP surfing I have done is foot steering. Paddle steering is not as easy as it looks.

My wave catching technique is to stand side on and wait for an approaching swell. As it approaches I start to paddle and use the natural turning effect to turn the board onto the wave. I give a few late acceleration strokes and away we go. My fast paddling side is on the left. ie. holding the paddle with my left hand and pushing with my stronger right hand.

Riding the white water back to the beach is fun but when a SUP hits a back wash it can stop dead. The result is a quick, involuntary run to the nose, until you reach the end of the leash and face plant off the front on the board.

I have the Starboard carbon paddle. I've cut an inch off it and the plan is to use it for a good while before I start hacking more length off it. I'm fairly tall at 185cm and it feels fine on flat water.

In smaller more curling surf I found the late take-off quite difficult but at Big Left the late drops were much easier. There seems to be a fine line between being caught slow on the inside and getting the power strokes in at the right time and place. Many surfers were taking the drop and staying prone until after the drop. At least on the SUP when I caught waves I was already standing.

The surfers suggested I kneel down and paddle to get out of the wind, but I was out there to SUP so SUP was what I was going to do. I wasn't all that keen on taking the paddle back to the car or trying to stand up after catching a wave with a paddle in my hand.

I have bent down and paddled holding the paddle well down the shaft and that has worked but it doesn't feel as good as a strong full-lenth paddle stroke.

Regards

Greg

I also fly paragliders. Friday was awesome for flying and I had a SUP surf at the Pines on the way home.

Saturday was pretty crappy and I did not have my board but the surf looked ok. Rule 1. Always have all your toys handy.

Sunday was lovely once the evening glass-off came. I have had several SUP sessions in the waves and wind from any direction makes it hard work. Each time the late glass conditions have come and it has ended up magic.

Hey Gorgo good on you for having a crack mate. I have surfed big left a few times and think it is very well suited for an sup ( dont rate it hugely for normal surfing, like cyrills better, but would be awesome for sup) Yep suping on outer reefs in over head high offshore days is always gunna be a problem getting over the edge and taking the drop in stiff offshores, i find the best thing to do is just commit and go exta hard, paddle hard knowing your going to catch the wave and make the drop, helps with the mindset ! Would never consider kneeling I also had the side chop knock me off but have caught so many awesome, long over head high waves it makes up for the funny stuff. I like to paddle parrallel to the break and when i see a good one coming i start turning that way and paddling hard.

Gorgo said...

Cyrils was really crowded and I was worried about being the kook on the SUP so I chose the least crowded spot.

The vibe from the surfers was very positive. I think it's because SUP is not a lie down sport like boogie boards or skis. The crew at Big Left was a little older so that would help too.

Big Left was the first place I thought of when I first saw SUP and Ivan at SHQ has a story of catching a big wave and riding all the way into the beach. It's actually quite easy and the swell doesn't have to be all that big.

Just wonderig..Do you still have to walk down that long track through the trees to get to Cyrils?...That'd be quite a walk carrying a big SUP.

DJ

Hi Gorgo, it sounds as is you are facing many of the same problems I have been facing on my 11'6" Naish. Here are some thoughts based on my limited experience.

I would keep your paddle length for now, it is probably just a matter of more practice. My favorite spot to miss the handle is while paddling hard to get ouside a big set. You go from just going to make it, to going to get it on the head.

An offshore breeze is difficult to handle, it seem to magnify any flaws in your technique. Try and get close to the break so that you don't need to change hands as you paddle in. A suggestion I saw on a forum, which has helped me, is to practice paddling for a wave, on flat water. I keep all my strokes on one side for as long as possible while paddling flat out.

You need to use your paddle in the turns to be able to turn a big board quickly. If I am travelling slowly, I usually paddle hard on the outside of the turn to turn quickly. Once I get some speed up, I am usually just using the blade as an outrigger, with the blade parallel to the edge of the board.

A face plant off the front of the board, is always preferable to a face plant on the front of the board. I have tried both.

Keep having fun.

Steve