Agreed I agree with pretty much everything Zach said, with one addition and one exception. Addition: Visualize that sh!t man. In your own private place, every damn day, lie on your stomach on the floor (or a messed up board if you have one), move your arms like ur paddling, imagine the wave starting to steepen and push you, then pop up. Pop up as fast and smoothly as you can and shift your weight, visualizing the wave face changing beneath you. It sounds ridiculous, but it helped me A TON, especially when I was living on the boat (navy) and couldn't surf sometimes for weeks on end. Think about it when you go to sleep. Imagine yourself getting blown out of the barrel at Pipe and cranking some ridiculous turns. Watch surf movies, doodle when you're bored. Live surf. Exception: Once you are confident that you can not drown in head high surf and know how to fall without going headfirst and panicking when you get held down for a few seconds....you're really ready for just about anything the mid-atlantic can throw at you (minus some of those really big days in Hatteras, etc.). The difference between surfing head high and double overhead is pretty small. It's about (1) timing and (2) sheer will and commitment. You need to get thrown around to learn how to be comfortable in big surf, and you can't do that sitting on the beach. I'm not saying paddle out into a crowded lineup on a big day, but find a relatively empty spot and just try your best. Learn how to find a good way past the impact zone; it's one of the hardest things on a big day, much harder than actually catching a wave and sometimes damn-near impossible. Watching and talking to the more experienced guys, especially older guys, will go a long way. Then go over the falls, take your beatings, and realize that it's really not a big deal. My two cents (ummm...literally, I guess!) Happy flat spell everyone! -Matt
I can definitely relate to getting thrown around in the big surf and struggling to get out (especially with these last few storms), but it was a good experience. I still paddle out in less crowded areas and won't go into a lineup yet, so I stay away from 1st for now. Thanks
Yes!!! That's why it's best done in private hahaha. I had a REALLY hard time learning the basics though, and I credit my (finally!) nailing it to this sort of thing. Seven years have come and gone, and I still look back and think it helped.
One thing you've learned already, Kuono, is that everyone who surfs is a friggin expert. A legend in their own mind. Ugh. The old line in re: opinions are like arseholes, everyone has one...yeah, that one, well, it applies to this surfn gig more than many others. For example, this chump (above) who writes about do not paddle into the lineup. I'm calling BS here. Another expert ego with a keyboard. This isn't point breaks in Ventura County. This isn't reef breaks in Barbados. The east coast is beach break & that's ALL it is. Ergo, the waves are coming but they are shifting all over the place. Ergo, people paddle back out through the waves all the time. It (almost) can't be helped. It's the EAST COAST, dumbass. I've experienced ALL types of abilities, from pro to novice, paddling back out through 'the lineup.' Because the beach break is always shifting the wave....wtf, Francis, lighten up on the 'rules of the ocean' crap when you're just cutting & pasting from some SoCal website. Gimme a break here with the 'expert opinions.'
yea... Word. You just do what you gotta do to stay out of the way of a guy riding the wave...it ain't that complicated.
yep precisely...i don't see the point of surfing around a crowd after labor day anyway. if there's a slightly-less-than-stellar peak 200 yds down from a perfect one, then I'll take it. common sense should tell anyone, especially if you just started surfing, that you'll have better luck at an uncrowded spot.
Yeah. I don't get that 'lemming complex' that most newbs exhibit. So many times in the offseason (if there is such a thing) I'm out with my friends and there is literally nobody around for a mile on either side of us. Then all the sudden you see a few people walking up the beach with boards, getting closer and closer, then finally they see you out and paddle out right where we are!!
I think what he meant was that unless you know where the channels are, have paddling strength, know how to duck dive, won't panic and let go of your board if you get cleaned up, you should not paddle out through the takeoff zone of the main peaks at a given spot.
For the east coast For the guy who originally posted, know etiquette for that rare time you paddle out next to those who actually follow it, and so you know when someones being a D*ck. The most important item you will need when surfing w/ others is a backbone, most groups of friends are gonna be following whatever rules they want until someone else comes along and there gonna break etiquette on you first chance they get..to see where your at, And when they do it'll be decision time, stand up for yourself or paddle further away from the pier or jetty(but really do whatever the f*ck you want, your either gonna get punched in the mouth or have a good time surfin). If you have the skill to get in there...then get in there, Real motherf*ckers like seein waves get ripped almost as much as they like rippin em' Waves dont break nice everywhere, you have to surf with people you dont know, be respectful and accept only that in return... If your good (like someone else told you you were good, not just you and your mom) then none of this sh*t pertains to you and newbs should be the least of your concerns.
