Timing is everything.. .. or find a point break.. .. Sometimes you've just gotta bail.. ..see pic bellow.

Welcome to The Breeze..

DJ

By the time its getting between waist and chest high I'm bailing out of waves rather than try to go over them. Depends on the wave a bit as well. I'm 6'.

I generally get in the surfing position and get the nose pointing 45 deg and push through the wave. The aim is to get you and the board on the other side of the wave. Doesn't matter if you stay on the board or not. This doesn't work for the bigger waves, overhead, and can be dangerous as the board will bounce off the wave and into you. To do this safely is to ditch board and dive under wave.

Welcome to the breeze

I would like to know what size board your riding, how tall and approx your weight and the fin configuration and size. Also what shape the nose is and amount of volume that is in the nose of the board ie is it round / fuller nose an is it thick or thin in the nose? Heavy or light board?

Why you may ask?

On a DC 9.4 or PSH 12fter with a pointy low volume nose it will to some degree penitrate the white water and spear through making it significantly easier to get out through white water. A rounder fuller thicker nose board will want to go up and over the white wash and will pitch you off the back more.

In those conditions you may want a deeper center fin if its a thruster or 2 +1 to give you more stability to punch through.

Ensure to lower your center of gravity, even get your back knee onto the board drop knee style for stability if you can as you hit the white water and slap the paddle hard and flat on the water to brace yourself.

A pic of the board would be nice so we can see whats going on!

Watching the C4 volume one SUP VID will help.

Phill

WINDY MILLER said...

interesting topic......can be dangerous activity.


Yes I can assure you it is! I broke my toe (the one next to the little one) because I got too cocky trying to go over the whitewash on a bigger one.....it hurt like hell! I should have bailed mid way through but tried to hang on and the wave just smashed the board back into me crunching my toe. Apparently it looked really funny - although not to me!!!!! Anyway after 5 weeks out of water i am back in and loving it.....courtesy of a much shorter board. I found my 11'6" a nightmare to get over the whitewater on but with the new 9'5" its an absolute dream.

When its hollow and breaking in front of me now I make sure no one is within reach and bail. I am not keen to do any more damage. I am also prepared to hang back in the calmer water and wait for an oppotunity to arise before heading back out. Sometimes this works and other times it just annoys me. Just depends on the day really. I think the key is to be flexible in yr approach and be ready to race out the back at a moments notice.

Dive through the wave and let the board stream out on the leash behind you (obviously you don't do this with others in the impact zone).

Sometimes the board will come through with you.

If you get dragged go with it. Stay slim and stream lined and don't resist the pull. Fighting just makes everything worse and you risk breaking your leash.

It's kind of fun once you relax.

As you are gliding along backwards you can push down with your arms or paddle to steer yourself up to the surface. (I've done this a few times and seen it in videos. It seemed to work when I did it. I haven't had that many mega-draggings so I'm not very practiced at it.)

I would not try to kick the board over a sizable wave. It's never good to be between the beach and your board. It's likely to come back and clobber you.

Found it. Maybe interesting to some of you?

www.standupzone.com/forum/index.php?topic=2607.0

One thing to absolutely NOT do, is jump forwards over the front of your board while pushing through a wave, as your board is highly likely to come up nose first and smash you. Have heard a few painful stories...