I notice there have been recent posts seeking guidance on how to catch a wave. The way to do this properly can vary so I offer this as help to all newcomers. Catching a wave is not as easy as it would seem on the surface. Using a net would appear the easiest way and it is initially but most of the wave will just pass through only slowing it down momentarily. Other means that would seem effective in other disciplines are useless with waves. For instance catching a bus is as easy as placing an orange pole beside the road and wallah you have caught your bus. This is next to useless with waves as the wave will approach the pole then swiftly pass around it escaping back to the deep. (As an observation the same can be said about nets and buses. The bus will just crash through the net if you don’t have the orange pole.) The only effective way really to catch a wave is probably with a plastic bag. Some of the wave will get away invariably but you can still catch a substantial amount this way. However once the wave is caught it will exhibit all the characteristics of a lake. Still calm etc. Prodding it will elicit some wave like activity but generally it will revert to flat stillness when captured. The only way to get any real activity is to free it back in to its natural environment where it will quickly blend back into its natural state and return to its normal behaviour. I recommend the catch and release method for this reason. If you are a newcomer to surfing and still have doubts about how to catch a wave I suggest you seek out old timers from your local beach and watch how they go about it. Hoping this is helpful
What's next in the series? How to turn?
