When you’re surfing, you’re going to have to get beyond the break. There are many ways to do this, but some techniques vary in difficulty from board to board.
So what is the best way to duck dive with a longboard? To duck dive on a longboard, addle on a 45 degree angle to the wave, push one rail down as the wave’s approaching, knife the board under the water towards the wave and press into your board with your knees then pull with your arms. This maneuver is difficult and requires strength and expertise.
What Else Should I Know About Duck Diving A Longboard?
Basically, the process of ducking diving a longboard can be broken down into steps. The first step is to paddle on a 45 degree angle towards the wave. The second step is to push the rail that’s closest to the wave down as the wave is approaching about 10 feet away. Then, knife the board under the water towards the wave so as the wave passes over, you are back to 90 degrees with the wave. Finally, as you feel the wave passing by press into your board with your knees and pull with your arms and you should come to the surface nose first.
However, the general rule is you should try and paddle around waves because duck diving heavier longboards will wear you out pretty fast. When trying this technique the first time I definitely suggest that you should practice on small waves at first and work your way up to bigger ones.
Why Would You Duck Dive A Longboard?
Believe it or not, pros duck dive boards up to 9 feet all the time. When done properly, duck diving a longboard is a more efficient way to get beyond the break without having to turn the board over or turtle rolling a bunch of times. Though I must mention that you must be in pretty superb cardio shape and have a good amount of strength to duck dive a heavy longboard all day. Like diving and swimming in water normally, you must practice the coordination and build up the proper strength before relying solely on the duck dive to get beyond the break on a longboard.
How Do You Duck Dive?
Like all surfing you must face towards the wave and paddle hard. While paddling at an angle might be a useful way to get around cresting waves, you will eventually have to face a wave that breaks in front of you. That’s when you can properly execute your duck dive. While you’re facing the wave, paddle towards it. Your paddle direction should be perpendicular to the lines of waves washing to shore.
The next step in executing a perfect duck dive is to use your foot. Place your foot at the tail end of your surfboard and submerge the tail of your board. Raise your tailbone to the sky as you plant your foot, shaping your body like a triangle, to engage your body weight effectively. Surfers typically use the foot that would be considered their “back foot” while surfing.
Now that your board is completely submerged underwater by three points of contact (your two hands and backfoot) you must submerge yourself. First take a deep breath, and then pull yourself underwater towards your submerged board, to allow the oncoming breaking wave room to roll over you. If your duck dive is timed correctly, you should not feel the force of the wave as it passes over you. If you are not submerged deep enough, you may be pushed around by the wave while underwater.
What’s The Best Way To Duck Dive?
To best understand a duck dive, go for a swim in the ocean. No board or nothing, just swim out toward a broken wave and dive under it. While you’re doing this, think about what you’re doing. First you go down, right? Then as the foam passes overhead, you’re almost parallel to the surface. Then once the foam has passed, you tilt up, back to the surface. It’s a very natural movement, led from the front: your arms, head and shoulders guide the way.
That’s all a duck dive is at its core. It’s a dive under a wave, same as any, except you’re taking your board with you. Just like a swimmer’s dive, a good duck dive is led from the front and is all in the timing. A duck dive should be done quickly because in order to duck dive well, you need forward momentum, which means paddling until the very last moment.
Before the wave hits, you should give yourself just enough time to push the entire board underwater, nose down and driving forward. Use both hands on the rail about two feet back from the nose, and one knee from your dominant leg braced on the deck, wherever it naturally falls. The knee lets you use some small amount of body weight to get the tail under. You shouldn’t just push the nose down because if the tail’s sticking up above the surface, it’ll take the foam’s heat and drag you backward.
As the wave passes overhead, bring your upper body weight back, letting the nose rise. The downward pressure of wave energy will be pushing on the tail at this point, which should help this happen naturally. Then, explode back to the surface using the natural buoyancy of your board to pop up. This will give yourself instant momentum as you resume paddling.
The biggest key to executing perfect duck dives is board familiarity. You should grow super familiar with how deep your board will sink, how it balances underneath the water, and the little ways to get it underwater quicker. You can experiment endlessly in perfectly still water. Paddle, drive down, resurface and repeat until you truly know your board inside and out. Ideally, this movement should be as natural as the swimmer’s dive it’s based on.
When Are Waves Too Big To Duck Dive?
Surfers who don’t use leashes will tell you war stories about holding onto their board as much as humanly possible. The rule of thumb with duck diving on bigger waves is just that: hang on tight. Some surfers will duck dive huge waves, up to 12 feet tall.
Big wave duck diving depends on a couple of things. The first thing is timing. It’s all about putting the nose in and pushing your foot down at precisely the right moment, so the water going overhead will eventually push you back up from behind. If you dive too late, the whitewater will grab you and tumble you. If you dive too early, you’ll be coming back up just as the wave is passing overhead.
Another thing you need before you try to duck dive on a big wave is to have an extensive knowledge of the break. A surfer’s ability to read the whitewater as it’s coming at them and finding the little breaks and gaps that make it easier to get under is a crucial part of duck diving to get beyond the break. You should only duck dive on a big wave is you possess sheer knowledge of the surf spot and trust in what you know is the key.
And to get that, you need lots of experience. You can perfect technique at almost any break and learn to hang on through almost anything. But it’s always “almost”. For some, three big waves in a row is the limit. There’s always going to be a wave that sends you and your buddies swimming in and your boards out to the channel. When it comes to duck diving a big wave, you must always remember know who’s really in charge. And that my friend, is the great blue sea.
What Are Some Alternatives To Duck Diving?
There are a few other techniques though the most popular one with longboards is the turtle roll. Turtle rolls are generally more associated with longer boards, which is actually how I first learned to combat waves while getting beyond the break for the first time. Grab close to the nose and try to keep your toes connected to the board for stabilization. Pull the board down as the wave hits. Alternatively you can also punch through the wave. Paddle directly at the whitewater, and before it hits you, put your hands in the pop-up position, peel your chest up, and create space between your chest and the board.
Another technique is the Push Up. In smaller waves, the push up method is best. Get a lot of paddling momentum, and as you approach the breaking wave, push up so the wave rolls over your board and underneath your chest. Make sure you’re headed directly into the wave; if you’re angled or sideways, the whitewater will probably knock you off your board.
Should I Duck Dive Or Turtle Roll?
So the first thing you should consider when you’re weighing between these two techniques to get beyond the break is your board size. It’s going to be easier to duck dive a shortboard. If you’re riding a shortboard, and you are strong enough to completely submerge the board underwater, then you should be using the duck dive to get beyond the break. If you’re riding a board (most likely a longboard) and cannot submerge the board under the water with ease, then you should turtle roll.
How Does Strength and Skill Level Affect Duck Diving?
Duck diving isn’t as big a deal and is commonplace when you’re riding a shortboard because it’s so easy to go underneath a wave with a smaller board. Still, it’s a somewhat tricky maneuver because you need to have the strength and balance to hang onto your board while you dive, especially if you’re surfing leashless. This rings even more true when you’re surfing with a longboard because they are significantly heavier than shortboards.
When it comes to duck diving a longboard, just remember to practice on small waves at first to build up your strength, endurance and familiarity with the board. Then take baby steps when you’re duck diving on larger waves and when in doubt, turtle roll. For both you and your fellow surfers it’s safer to hang onto your board when things get choppy out there. That being said, definitely experiment with duck diving on a longboard, just be prepared for potential mishaps and chasing your board to shore as you master this technique. Happy diving, ducks!