I smoked you-know-what for 40+ years. Clean now 3-4 yrs. I go out on double overhead days but it's taken it's toll. Recovering my lung capacity but it's taking time. I can surf pretty strongly for my age (63) , still feel 30 yrs. younger, but that's also due to diet and never getting out of shape. It's a hard habit to break, it has a fascinating effect on the mind and is a wonderful alternative to drinking, but if you want to really surf hard after your 20's, you really need to drastically cut back or quit. One of the reasons I say this is that where I live now a paddle out is no easy task on all but the smallest days. There are times when the surf is so consistent even younger guys don't always make it out. You paddle and paddle and breath hard--you need maximum oxygen to the lungs. Hope that answers your questions- it's a little more than I wanted to "share".
i bought the expand lung for 20$ after your recommendation(my alternative to quitting ). Do you use it often? do you notice a difference? does it slow or increase your heart rate? Thanks!
it works..but I've been inconsistent in using it..usually I wait for a swell (on Swellinfo of course) to appear on the horizon and then go at it, often while driving to the beach. I don't think it increases heart rate (or decreases) but it does seem to increase lung capacity--that's what I need.. Also, if you're surfing the usual coastal beachbreak, your paddle distance is not that great. You might be able to be a chain smoker and not notice what you're missing. But if you travel to places with bigger waves and the potential for longer hold-downs you'll notice it, a lot. And the posts about being winded bear this out even more.
this is kinda unrelated but anyway, does anyone have any specific advice for duck diving a wave after its broken (the white water) versus an unbroken wave because i always end up getting pushed back by the white water but i have no problem duck diving unbroken waves
Practice underwater laps in the pool. Squeeze your nose once while deep to let some of the pressure out. Breath at each end til heart rate goes to normal. You want to practice so your heart rate is low. Learned this from Tommy Carrols big wave workout. Deeper water is better to practice in so you can swim at least 6 ft under. You actually go faster down there too. Learn to relax and also be strong. 6 to 10 laps should be good. Do it over time to build up to what you need. If you get caught under a wave find the bottom and sit there in zen until the water relases and you see a whole. Lane Beachley technique.
one thing that that helps is if u dont panic. plus get better at duck driving. only time u have to worry about that is when hurricane come around
dude last weeks rip was gnarly what i did was i figured out the current was pushing right so i walked down the beach north and paddled out at the end of a smaller breaking wave and kinda got pushed out to sea right on top of where it was breaking. the key is timing and what board you have duck diving. im smaller so i need like a potato chip board to duck dive into the wave or else ill get sucked back with the wave with a bigger board. hope this helped. cheers!
Get a batman suit and a leather belt. Loop the belt around your neck connecting the other end to something sturdy. Lean forward until there is a good amount of pressure on your neck and then right before your about to pass out, make a sex explosion. Hope this helps!
