Duck Dive problems, Help needed!

[jonnyw3687]

Hey all,

Having surfed my 7.2 fun board for a few months I decided to try and get this duck dive business on the go.

It seems I can sink the front a bit, but cant really get the back down to then bring my self onto it?? Do you think it is possible to duck dive this? I am a small guy, 5,6 and about 60 kgs...

Any help greatly appreciated... mega frustrating having a great day one day and the next day not being able to get out!!!

Cheers

Jonny

[Black]

Get a similar board but a foot less & you might have a chance.

[monkeystyle]

Not a chance duckdiving that beast at your weight.

Best thing you can try is when you see a wave coming, paddle at it as fast as you can and push the nose of the board down just before the foam hits you, head down and face down too so you dont get smacked in the face!

the foam will push you under a little and you'll get through the wave - hitting it with speed is the key though.

[r896neo]

if the waves aren't too mega a turtle roll would be a better bet.

[Chris F]

For a smart bot that's pretty fucking stupid.

[roberdy]

I can suggest to get a more bigger board so that you can able to dive. Try this one maybe it can work.

having realised that mr "buy houses" is probably not here for the good of the board I have banned the id and am checking the ip address in case he pops up again.

[monkeystyle]

On the turtle roll phenomenon... Well it doesn't really work and in all my time in the water the only people I've seen do it with any success are fat old expert long boarders and surf lifesavers on paddle board, and only in big waves.

The reason it doesn't work is that your board gets ripped out of your hands or it takes 10 seconds to get back up and paddling, both situations mean that you have lost momentum and are about to spend even more time in the impact zone...

[wjp1]

The reason it doesn't work is that your board gets ripped out of your hands or it takes 10 seconds to get back up and paddling, both situations mean that you have lost momentum and are about to spend even more time in the impact zone...

Thing is if you're on a longish board you don't have any other option (at a beach break) - at least you can make up the time spent getting back on top of your board with the extra speed you have paddling. Works ok if the period is long enough between waves I found in the past. There really isn't any other option no? if you want to get out back on a big ish day.

edited to say that yeah its not ideal though!

[monkeystyle]

true - I've never really ridden a longboard in bigger waves... not sure what you are meant to do except choose your spot carefully and paddle fast!

How bad was the surf onthe weekend at Manly? Terrible!!

And for you northern hemisphere lot, it was 34 degrees at 8pm in Sydney last night

[wjp1]

How bad was the surf onthe weekend at Manly? Terrible!!

Yeah it looked flat. I cannot surf anyhow for another 3->6 months so it can stay like that for me!!

[monkeystyle]

Jeez, that bad is it? I'd go nuts... 30 degrees this weekend but bugger all swell, so at least you can get in the water even if you can't surf?

[wjp1]

its weird really. Its tendonitis/tendonitis with bursitis (impinged shoulder) - I got it end of June and surfed through it until a month ago, but it was just getting more and more chronic (ie aching all the time). So I've basically been told (and have read in plenty of places) that the only way for the tendons to heal is rest until they stop hurting and then training - but the key is to train slowly. They are guessimating it will be at least another 3 to 6 months before I can do any overhead activity/surfing.
Sucks big time. I'm am going INSANE! but what can I do? if I carry on it just going to get worse and worse until I cannot use it anymore,and then it will be truly be f**ked. So as much as it kills me I have to stop. I just hope after all this, once I do start surfing again it does come back.

The only bright side is thats its the summer so not missing the good swells, but that's about it. I can get in the water, but cannot use that arm - I jumped in after work on Monday when it was 35 to cool down, but it did ache after so I'm a bit cautious now.

[Tubeasaurus]

That board will be more challenging to duck dive with. However despite what some of the previous posters have mentioned you SHOULD be able to do this. However it will come down to your paddling speed and the leverage that is applied to your duck dive.

First off: Timing is crucial in a duck dive. You'll need to get your timing down to know when to start getting under the wave. If not: Put some goggles on, leave the board on the beach and go flop around in the white wash and SWIM under the waves that come in....be sure to look.....this will help immensely on timing.

One your timing is down you have to focus on leveraging your board, since you can get the nose to go down fairly well focus on putting one of your legs straight up in the air right as you duck dive. This will ensure you go as deep as possible. Another technique is almost do a full pushup on the board to raise yourself above the surface of the water while holding your leg straight up vertically. This will create more momentum to dive deeper......getting deeper is key....the bigger the wave...the deeper you need to go.

If you're still having problems, make sure you're getting enough speed going into the duck dive. This will also helps with momentum of traveling through the water and can help you get under it. If this is a problem your board might be taking water in. Fix your dings, keep it in a board bag when you're out checking the surf and when you get home put it in a surf rack Like I said before the board you are using does have a lot of foam so it will be challenging. But when I was learning I truly learned how to duck dive on a 7'2" thruster that was a MONSTER. it really allows you to work on your technique to get it. You will thank yourself later on when, it's 15 foot and an outside beast comes reeling in and you get under it unscathed. Good luck and stay postive about it, remember it's a real learning process for all of us!

[seekersurfcamp]

Good advice Tubeasaurus! Will try that without board method to check on my timing!

[Leven]

Also, If you're struggling to sink the nose, try it by pushing down on one side first, a split second before the other side. It'll just make the board go under the water at a very slight angle, as opposed to having to displace the whole water underneath it. I've seen quite a few long boarders do that.

[slappywagish]

I often ride a 7'6 and I'd say just forget about duck diving it. It's just not worth the effort. Just turtle your way out if its big or paddle straight through the foam if it's small. sometimes depending on the swell you might get it but you really have to horse down the tail with your foot.