Dropping In on Big Waves

Paddle earlier and harder. If your fitness is suspect swim some laps and hit the gym. The key thing for a surfer of your level is to get in early before the wave gets too steep.

Drop in at an angle Lawsy. Watch how the pros do it on late ones, the nose of the board is very rarely pointed straight at the beach.

when I was trying to learn, I thought that watching the pros might be a good move too. But when I went to watch a DVD featuring some, almost all the footage started when they were already tucked inside a barrel.
Figured it out for myself in the end.
Stu is right, point your board in the direction you want to go. It helps for getting down the line and you will probably find that you actually end up in the right spot to make it through the whole section.
I think in another post you mentioned you were learning on Sydney's Northern beaches, so good luck with getting a wave before it gets too steep as per blindboys advice. You will probably have about 3 guys on the inside of you all the time.
When I was learning there, I used to drive up to Mid - North Palm Beach or middle of Mona Vale. Its very rare to get a crowd along the open stretches there. Good practice for taking off on steep waves too, as there are plenty of close outs.

stop surfing, its bad and bodyboard. its that simple

stop surfing, its bad and bodyboard. its that simple

By: "kieranherd"

Well I'm glad we've established that bodyboarding is not surfing.

yep, getting on early is the key, hard quick paddle strokes, a few kicks if you need to for an extra boost. You can get on at an angle or turn just as you get to your feet, but if you are not on early enough on a steep one, you'll just go over the falls sideways instead of nose first.

When you feel you have picked up the wave take one or two extra strokes before you get to your feet.

Learn how to take a drop :-P

yes it isnt surfing, but it is way better. not because its easier, its harder if you are busting tricks, also there are waves that can be ridden on bodyboards only like shallow reefs and mandurah wedge some excellent waves to bust on... :) so yeahh

e wrote:

its harder if you are busting tricks

uh huh, like an air reverse on a surfboard is easy, get over it boogie dudes...

swellnet is for surfers not lidders

swellnet is for surfers not lidders

By: "surfing-j"

are you really that stupid?

i remember hearing Andy Irons say in surf vid that he paddles for every wave like his life depends on catching it ... works for me!

esky lids (speed humps) only do it because they were not able to master the art of standup surfing, as any real surfer knows.

Lawsy I dont want to sound like a prick mate but if you are on 6'10" Fatburner you are not an intermediate surfer... Unless you are 140kg and 6'6" tall.. Also I question whether you would actually be out in a proper 6 foot swell.. As I said I'm not being nasty but just calling it as I see it...
The other guys are right though. angle your board in the direction you are going(not straight) and paddle like a bandit!!
If you are truly as advanced as you say I would look at getting a smaller board..
Good Luck!

Oh and BTW any gutsliders who actually claim that what they do is as hard as shortboard standup, give it a go and then post some footage of your efforts so that we can all have a laugh..

s my c

i bodyboard like ryan hardy and surf like all three bra boys put together

i bodyboard like ryan hardy and surf like all three bra boys put together

By: "kieranherd"

Were you born a knob or is something that you have been working on??

Gut sliding...ha ha

"jimmy" wrote:

Lawsy I dont want to sound like a prick mate but if you are on 6'10" Fatburner you are not an intermediate surfer... Unless you are 140kg and 6'6" tall..

By: "lawsyr1"

Cut me deep Jimmy (probably very true tho)... But it was 6 foot honest... It's a shame no-one had a camera... honest...

BTW - I am 6'6" after about 7 beers...

Great comeback mate!! You should try and get a go on a shorter board I reckon..Some shops will give you a trial run for a deposit.. Try a few different types and make an informed choice.. If youve got the basics down pat then you'll find you will advance a lot quicker on a smaller stick..

I've got a few mates who ride lids who are cool guys. Catch a few waves, do a couple of turns and have a smile on there face. But it's cocks like you Kieren that give your sub species a bad name. Any boogers who think there are killing with their gay fashion and stupid hair styles shit me tears. "Harder than surfing" fuck me your stupid. As my mate Condor says "How do fall off something your holding onto?"How do you get around when your on dry land? Do you lie down and flop around like a turd or do you stand up. Dumbass!!!

Lawsyr1, I also have much the same problem as you, except I am not getting much of a chance to nose dive, rather going over the falls on the bigger steep fast ones that come through. I too would class myself at a intermediate level and have been surfing for about 5 years. I ride a 6'10 but being 6'5, 90kgs and lacking flexibility, the quick pop-up under pressure has always evaded me. I have had a few good injuries because of it too.
I have no tips for you, I just thought I'd let you know you aren’t the only one out there struggling.

by 5-6 foot u mean 2-4 foot?

by the sounds of the question i doubt you've been in a real 6 foot set.

no flaming just educating :D

I've got a few mates who ride lids who are cool guys. Catch a few waves, do a couple of turns and have a smile on there face. But it's cocks like you Kieren that give your sub species a bad name. Any boogers who think there are killing with their gay fashion and stupid hair styles shit me tears. "Harder than surfing" fuck me your stupid. As my mate Condor says "How do fall off something your holding onto?"How do you get around when your on dry land? Do you lie down and flop around like a turd or do you stand up. Dumbass!!!

By: "poida"

Yeh that guy was a knob but you can mouth off as much as you want until you see first hand some of the stuff they do. Masters of closeouts no matter what you say and if you would see some of their guts in real life (like I have) you would have some respect for them.

And i've been surfing for years, got a job by the coast with more swell as soon as i finished school just to surf for a few years and progress, and i've seen more retards thinking there "killing with with their gay fashion and hair styles" that surf then boog. Half the standups I surf with these days have an attitude and deserve a smack in the face.

So kindly shutup u flipping twat.

Oh and BTW any gutsliders who actually claim that what they do is as hard as shortboard standup, give it a go and then post some footage of your efforts so that we can all have a laugh..

By: "jimmy"

liekwise u go boog a real bodyboarders wave and post it up. Also post the xrays of your back.

How high is the face of a 6 foot wave?From the base of the wave to its crest its 10 feet isnt it?Im not sure how wave hights are measured.For me its, to small, just right or lets sit & watch.My daughter allways asks how big it is I allways say its about a foot.Ha Ha

yeh make her underappreciate size so when shes a grommet ppl will be saying "whoa its huge" and shell be like yeh was about a foot yesterday. haha.

I've just judged it by listening to the older guys around the place as I was growing up, just kinda know. Ppl always seem to agree :D

I'm starting to regret signing up to these forums. It seems to be full of children and narrow minded morons. Just like most of the users on wannasurf.com

These forums are new, let's set a high standard early guys.

As for bodyboarders. When you grow up and weigh more than 70 odd kg's, you'll be looking for something more exciting to do when it's under 4ft.
I rode a lid from the age of 13 (now 28) and had quite a big break because if it wasn't big it just wasn't fun, was way too hard to get myself amped enough to get out there in the winter.
Bought a mal and surfed at a few places like South Narra and Greenhills to dodge the sydney crowds a bit. I could hit rolls and spins and got plenty of barrells at the island, but the day i first stood up on my mal and trimmed across the face of a wave was better than all the years I spent bodyboarding put together.
I'll always keep my bodyboards just in case, but i haven't gone out on one for at least 2years now.
If you lidders out there think your pros do nothing but ride lids i think you'll find you're sadly mistaken.
I know they probably aren't in the pro circuit anymore (haven't checked) but I see dudes like Ballard and Wingnut surf their shorties at Cronulla all the time. And apparently Hardy goes pretty hard on a standup too.

Each to their own. Broaden your mind.

Each to their own. Broaden your mind.

By: "jet01"

End thread.

Hi All,

Need some advise please, i am not the best surfer but I am very keen and clock up quite a few hours every week and am now what I would call intermediate...

My problem is everytime I drop in on decent waves - 5 or 6 foot I end up nose diving most of the time and I was looking for advise. I feel like I should be getting up to my feet earlier. I make it up sometimes but not with alot of control. Any tips?

I have a 6'10" Webber Fatburner...

Cheers

By: "lawsyr1"

Moons ago, when I started surfing straddie I found myself getting caught in the lip or getting up too late on bigger sets. Part of this was my mental approach to the take off.

I realised that I was not committing 100% to the wave and when I got past this I rarely missed one. Anyone who has dropped into a vert half pipe knows the principle.

"Masters of Closeouts"???????? Ummm you and your boogie board mates can have all the closeouts you want eeks. And what are you looking at other blokes guts for? Your a puzzling one eeks, very puzzling...
Kindly go fark yourself.

So what does Condor tell you to think about when it comes to the question of looking at other blokes guts?

Condor says go fark yaself too spongedick.

you should get a shorter board. i am 6'4 90kg and have a 6'3 fatburner and am annoyed i didnt get a 6'1 or even smaller however money dont grown on trees. i would recommend getting a decent set of fins for the board. the set you get when you buy the board are shit house i got fcs pc7s and the change in the board was significant. also the tail of the fatburner is huge dont be afraid to lean back.

47seals, why shorter? The 6.0 fatburner is rated for someone under 75kgs and the 6.6 is 85kg rated. For a beginner shorter wouldn't always be better.

If you lidders out there think your pros do nothing but ride lids i think you'll find you're sadly mistaken.
Each to their own. Broaden your mind.

By: "jet01"

there are no lidders flaming man, its fellow standups on here (I don't lid) talking shit and being narrow minded about bodyboarding (poida). You've got the wrong idea my friend,

your experience led from bodyboarding to standup, a close friend of mine did the opposite. each to his own

thats what we are trying to say,

and to poida dude ur pathetic.

Its a shame that a lot of these threads turn into stand-up V esky. I believe the original question concerned advice on taking 5-6ft drops on surfboards. I am an esky lid rider, love it, it's what I do, been doing it since 86. I urge fellow bodyboarders to respect this forum and refrain from trolling. Since the early days of bodyboarding, the poor old bodyboarder has had to earn respect from stand-up guys. Its trolling morons like several that have posted here and on other threads that keep the divide alive. It shouldn't be this way.

vrunston u are a moron. there is no body boarders trolling it was the other way around. And I started helping defend them. bloody read before u post, you got it wrong u aren't helping.

wtf are u reading

eeks, my comment was aimed at kieranherd, who dived into the thread proclaiming the greatness of esky in the midst of a stand-up orientated question posted by a stand-up. His posts were def troll, ie aimed at sparking outburst, steering the thread off topic and fueling animosity. I didn't want to name names, thought that a general statement suggesting that participants should keep on topic and not troll and that bodyboarders trolling in stand-up posts just further fuels the rift that some people feel necessary to maintain, that between esky and stand-up. I know what I was reading, every post on this thread....and no, I'm not a moron. The trolling was made by BB first, the stand-ups reacted, which is the aim of the troller.

I think that people should just stop all the fighting, and for all the lid riders who troll
posts about 'Dropping in on big waves' your comment will
always be off topic because the post is about surfing, why cant
lid riders use FluidZone, its a swellnet made for lids.

Moving right along...

Bilvis was spot on with making 100% commitment to the wave. Paddle as if your life depends on it.

Another thing I've found is I seem to do better if there is a strong offshore and heaps of spray coming up the face making for blind takeoffs. Usually I won't stop paddling until I'm almost halfway down the face (or so it seems) because I have to do a bit more guesswork and are not crapping myself because I can't see how steep the wave is.

sounds like your a kook

LBS mate you are right on the money, these pesky lidders are enough of a problem in the surf and now they have two cents for every comment on the forum. They should all beat it off to FluidZone and wank on over there.

You can bugger off to fluid zone too Eeks. Your a dickhead.

Hey Lawysr1,
for a stage in my surfing i had heaps of trouble with my take offs in the bigger stuff cause we had not much swell down here in SA and we had a run of some small stuff for a while and then the bigger stuff came in, i was struggling big time nose diving not quick anough over falls every retarted thing u could think off. So i read some stuff on the internet and learnt about inner core work bought a fitness ball and started training just doing all the basic inner core work, pulled out the old short sector nine started dropping into bowls and just getting use to making the action from lying down to standing up nice and strong, flexible and quick. An dropping into deep bowls at the skate park was good too keep the mind use to moving down steep faces. Dont know what level your at, an what ever but when u start moving out into bigger better stuff really to get some proper decent waves an taking off deeper instead of on the shoulder u really need to have the body fit flexible etc. Anyway each to there own an as i said dont know what level you are at but getting heaps flexible and strong helps dramaticaly even for your turns

bla bla bla instead of leanining back as you take the big drop lean foward & drive down the wave at first you wont make all of them but you will start to make more than you bury the nose sone enough . pointn the nose across the wave or straight down drive forward dont lean back & it will come to you eventally remember its only water & if you havent been smashed by the waves you havent had a good surf