Eanyone care to enlighten me with pros and cons of having a big board attached to your leg and wearing sets on the head.I am imagining its worse than a short board? Cheers

No different to a longboarder but duckdiving like a shortboarder is a bit difficult but it has been done.

very smart answer colas

The use of tail handles is becoming very popular for getting out under that big white stuff.
See www.standupzone.com/forum/index.php/topic,19080.0.html

Having had stitches to my head after surfacing and wondering where the board was only to be smashed on my head as it shot back downward on a windy day I now make sure I keep my head protected.

I cant bring myself to use a helmet so my hands protect my head and I take my time coming up on windy days.

I also find the greatest hits seem to come late in a surf when I am trying for that last good wave - in other words stuffed but still wanting one more wave.

All part of it - I had one of the best surfs I have had on a SUP on Thursday afternoon - zero wind, glassy 4' waves, 3 of us out and wave after wave until the sun disappeared - perfection.

Wave timing is critical, I don't think it can be done after the white water bounces.

Jungleman said...

Someone came up with this. Easy to make, should be helpful.

Looks like a nice way to break your wrist as the tail lifts or rotates in the whitewater

russh said..

Jungleman said...

Someone came up with this. Easy to make, should be helpful.

Looks like a nice way to break your wrist as the tail lifts or rotates in the whitewater

That's my photo from about 4 or 5 years ago and my very ordinary attempt at a tail handle. You don't use it when the board is right way up. The idea is when you get knocked off in the impact zone and you can't get back on the board before the next wave hits, you flip the board upside down and grab the tail handle. As the wave is about to hit you duck under water and pull the tail slightly under the water. This serves several purposes; It stops the tail of the board getting lifted by the wave, it keeps the board close to you so you can get back on quicker, the buoyancy of the board stops you from getting driven deep under water by the wave (this allows more time to take a breath before the next wave hits and to get back on the board quicker) and last but possibly most important if you surf a crowded break, it keeps you in control of the board so you don't have your SUP swinging wildly on the end of your leggy while your busy getting pummelled. I'll admit I have seen some injuries from using these handles and there not for everyone or every situation. As with most equipment, you have to know when and when not to use them. I don't use them anymore. These days I am a bit better at getting through the shorebreak without losing my board. I also ride smaller boards and use much shorter leggies than I did back then. Still I did find them useful and believe they do have a place in certain situations.

My two cents, hanging on to a handle is a good way to get damaged. There's way too much shock and leverage on your hand and arm.

The best things you can do is:

If the wave is not too big, hang right of the back of the board and ride back in. Once you're moving you can jump to your feet and angle towards the shoulder (or channel) if there is one. Wait for a lull then paddle like fluck and get out the back.

Or, dive off the board and dive deep under the wave. If you're deep enough the end of the board will submerge and go under the wave. When you feel the shock in the leg rope, keep your arms in and your body straight and allow the wave to pull you backwards. That reduces the strain on the leggy and the shock to your body. As the strain eases push your arms out and resist the pull. You can also angle your paddle to take you to the surface.

Once back at the surface you can jump up and paddle out, or prone in and try again in a lull.

I just try to relax and enjoy pounding (prefer board upside down and holding initially to leash board Velcro link but perfectly happy to let board go)
Its only on the occasions when you get only one breath before the next wave hits you that I wonder why I am not wearing a flotation vest

Climbing up the leggie gets you up top a bit quicker especially when you don't know which way is up

Hey Mort
If I'm caught inside on a bigger day and off my board I dive ahead of the board to get the leash tight Safer for others and less pull on you. You will get dragged but apart from enjoying the ride it is also really effective to hold the paddle in the deeper water and create as much drag as you can which shortens the time under water and distance travelled.

Not sure about the handles but seems like they could work.

Better to try and stay on... Never tried to duck dive it Kai's board looks very low in the water which would help. I find it best to hit the whitewater with some speed in a surfing stance (or diagonal) lift the nose a little and get the weight onto the front foot really quickly before the wave tries to flip the board.

This works for a board with a broader nose that doesn't pierce through very well Eg my Allwave. If it is too big... again diving forward off the board is about the only option.

Never tried the kind of hard core shallow reef surfing that you are talking about though

On the pro side... Way easier to power out with a paddle or get to the channel with far less aerobic effort. Also easier to paddle out to a tantalising peak that is sitting up enough for a SUP to pull onto.

Cheers

mort69 said..

Climbing up the leggie gets you up top a bit quicker especially when you don't know which way is up

Now that brings back some lovely memories.....haven't climbed up a leggie in years.

Mort, anything up to 6ft and you'll be fine. The smaller boards aren't much worse than a mal. I notice my carbon boards (7'10 and 8'5") dont pull anywhere near as much as the heavier makes, too. I also attach my leggie above my knee to avoid knee cartilage issues.

The other thing to do is just surf reefs and points beachies are too hard.