So you’ve been surfing for a minute now. You’re the king of the white water and have even conquered some medium-sized waves. It’s time to take the leap. You came to the beach to surf big waves and chew bubble gum. And you’re all out of gum.
So how do you surf a steep wave? You surf a steep wave by paddling out correctly, knowing when to drop in and having the experience to deal with the worst case scenarios. Riding the wave itself is like riding any other wave, except the stakes are higher, the ride faster and the weight of every decision heavier.
How Do I Start Catching Steep Waves?
The short answer is you have to ease your way into it. When you first paddle out, sit on the edge of the line up for a while to get a sense of how big the sets of waves are and how your fellow surfers are fairing in them. As you become more comfortable, begin edging your way into the action and start riding waves. When you’re first starting out, catch waves on the earlier end of the their break. Ride the edges of the wave as opposed to right where the break happens to avoid the full power of the wave. It is also recommended that you take on big waves on a longer board at first to help maintain control and balance at higher speeds.
What Is Big Wave Surfing?
Big wave surfing is a term for a particular kind of surfing where surfers paddle into or are towed into waves that are at least 20 feet high, on surfboards known as “guns” or towboards. Sizes of the board needed to successfully surf these waves vary by the size of the wave as well as the technique the surfer uses to reach the wave. Big wave surfing is often associated with the crossover sport called Tow-In Surfing, which was invented in 1992 by Laird Hamilton and Darrick Doerner.
Though the technical wave size for big wave surfing is 20 feet, most surfers consider any wave over 6 feet to be big. The biggest wave I’ve personally surfed was around 12 feet and let me just say, any wave that’s significantly taller than you truly feels like the wrath of God.
Is There A Downside of Catching Smaller Waves At First?
Though you should ease your way into surfing bigger waves, you shouldn’t always go for the smaller ones. This is because smaller waves tend to break closer to shore, meaning you’ll likely spend more time repeatedly getting beyond the break than you would if you were catching bigger waves. Smaller waves also tend to precede bigger ones, so you may find yourself in the impact zone of a bigger wave directly after riding a small one. This could tire you out before you have the chance to truly challenge yourself on a bigger wave. The goal here is find a happy medium between working your way up to a big wave and wearing yourself out on smaller ones.
Why Is Endurance Important For Surfing Big Waves?
The biggest key to surfing big waves is endurance. The shoulder endurance needed to paddle is critical. The entire process of getting from the beach to wavy deep water relies entirely on how hard and how long your muscles can work. Focus on minimizing paddling, especially through crashing waves, so your shoulders won’t turn to rubber. Be sure to pace yourself and take breaks between waves to allow yourself to recover. It is crucial that your surf muscles are in peak condition before you take on big waves.
How Do I Choose An Entry Point For Bigger Waves?
Choosing an entry point into the ocean plays a strong role in how long your shoulders will last before you need to come in. You should avoid making turns and paddling back and forth to get beyond the break. Ideally, you only ever want to be paddling toward and away from the beach. Set yourself up by choosing the spot in the ocean that you want to be for the duration of your session.
So before you paddle out, make sure you have a game plan. You don’t want to waste all your energy fighting crashing waves on your way out. Instead, be patient and wait for a major lull in the waves. This usually happens every 15 minutes or so. The ocean will look flat with no white water or waves cresting. This is exactly when you want to enter and begin your big wave journey.
Why Is Paddling Different When The Surf’s Big?
When you’re in a swell of bigger waves, the road to get beyond the break is more treacherous, will take longer and require more discipline when doing duck dives and turtle rolls. So if you’re riding a longboard, generally stick to turtle rolls unless you have vast experience duck diving with one. When shortboarding, make sure you duck dive with expert timing and hang onto the board like your life depends on it.
How Do I Paddle Into A Big Wave?
Once you’re beyond the break, paddle hard to meet the wave where the break will start. When the wave is within 40 feet of you, point your board towards the beach and begin paddling. Peek back every 5 seconds to adjust the direction so that you meet the wave where it begins to break. The closer you can get to the start of the break, the larger your margin of error will be once you pop up on the board. A wave begins breaking when the peak of the wave starts falling to the surface of the sea. Pop up on the board when the wave begins to break to get the longest ride.
When Should I Drop In On A Big Wave?
Get as high on the crest of the wave as you can. The bottom portion of a wave is where the peak of the wave will land. This area also has a greater speed since the water is being lifted up quickly. This makes it a more dangerous area to be surfing. The higher on the wave you can safely get without touching the peak of the wave, the easier it is to balance yourself and control the board.
What Are Some Safety Tips For Surfing Big Waves?
Surfing with an experienced partner can make all the difference. They can help you identify good waves and bring you to shore in the event you get injured. You should also be patient and take 10-minute breaks between waves to recover. Sit up on the board, take a deep breath, and enjoy the weather. There’s really no rush.
You should also pursue waves near the end of a close set to avoid rolling through all of them. If there are multiple waves rolling in closely behind one another, aim to enter the last or second to last wave in the set. If you wipe out on the first wave, you’ll get pummeled by the subsequent waves.
Why Is Bailing Important?
Before you take on big waves you have to make sure you can bail like a pro. Wiping out is an underappreciated skill and learning to bail properly will not only help you become a better surfer, it could end up saving your life. So don’t view a wipeout as a failure, view it as a step forward.
To bail out properly, try your best to kick out over the peak of a wave. If the wave is going to overwhelm you or you feel yourself losing balance, kick out over the top of the wave. To do this, get as high as you can on the wave. Then, intentionally kick the board out from underneath you while falling over the top of the wave. Cover your head and take a deep breath before you go underwater. When in doubt, bail early.
What Can I Do To Prepare For Surfing Big Waves?
Believe it or not, you can improve your flexibility through activities like yoga. Legendary big wave surfers like Laird Hamilton and Garrett McNamara credit a ton of their success to Yoga. Flexibility and keeping your body strong and healthy can make all the difference as the physical toll of surfing increases in correlation to the size of waves you’re surfing. Your diet is also a huge part of preparation. Many pro surfers swear by plant-based diets to keep their body light and their mind focused.
Another way to prepare yourself is to practice holding your breath. When you’re surfing big waves, you’ll need to be able to hold your breath for a decent amount of time. It is not recommended to even attempt surfing if you can’t hold your breath for at least a minute. The good news is you can practice this anywhere. Once you can hold your breath for a minute while standing still, try walking around while you do it. The ocean is an unpredictable beast. So when she takes you for a ride, be ready.
How Do I Shake My Fear Of Big Waves?
It’s perfectly ok to be fearful of big waves. Every surfer has a horror story where they were pummeled by a huge wave and got dragged by their leash for what felt like eternity. But surfing is an extreme sport, and the lows are necessary for the highs that come with it. So keep at it, know where your abilities are at and don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone and take a leap of faith.
For instance, a combination of dumb luck and chance brought a 10-foot wave to my doorstep during my very first week of surfing. I could hear the concern in my surf instructor’s voice as the blue shelf rose far higher than either of us expected. Then his tone shifted from concern to excitement. “Paddle harder!” he shouted. I did and my board began to dip past the giant cliff of water. “POP UP!” was the last sentence I heard before I was swallowed in the indomitable sound chamber of crashing water.
One of my favorite things about surfing is that once you’re in a wave, there’s no time to speculate. There’s no time to consider what could happen next. When you’re in a wave, you’re exactly that and nothing else. I popped up and actually rode through the air in a brief state of free fall like I was the Silver Surfer. I land. I’m up. God damn, I’m moving FAST. I had been a serious downhill longboarder before this and had bombed enough hills to think I had a good feel for speed. I was wrong. This was faster. Way faster. I guessed which way the wave was crashing. I was right.
I lucked out. But if I had been overthinking the situation, or even known how big the wave was going to become, I would’ve likely let fear take over and wouldn’t have ridden it. Just like legendary daredevil Robbie Maddison once said, “Who wouldn’t feel fear when they’re face to face with a wave? I feel fear in every situation and I’m mindful of it, but I also let it guide me to the potential things that could go wrong.” In other words, let fear inform but never control you. Climb the blue. Take the leap.