duck diving

General Discussion
21

I can duck dive my hull, and its super fat and wide and 6’4, and im only 5’4 and 125 pounds

22

The best duck dive I’ve seen:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWcEC5FTqhE

23

that’s great,always watch the best,mahalo

24

yeah, there’s a couple that even come up 10ft further forward…

now that’s technique!

25

hey there royal! welcome to sways, i saw some of the stuff you were doing a while back on magicseaweed or a1surf, cant remember anyhow but just wanted to say welcome from a fellow uk’er and dig some of your boards!

dog

26


I have some posts on my volume to weight ratio for shortboards in the following link:

http://www2.swaylocks.com/node/1019418?page=2

However longboards are different, I definately can’t get the press the tail method to work with them. This is what I do with my 8’ 4" longboard.

  1. Before the wave reaches me I kneel right on the nose of my longboard grabbing the rail each side of my thighs.

  2. I lean forward and tip my head into the water before the base of the wave, additionally I am pressing down the left side of the rail more than the right.

  3. In addition to the left rail press I try and twist the board in a clockwise direction and swing the tail of the board around (to the left)

  4. This puts my board in a nose down, tail in the air screwing motion which is unstable and if there wasn’t a wave coming I would tip over.

  5. Wave then slams the tail of the board (although the swinging motion means instead of hitting the deck flat the left rail should hit the wave first). So instead of tipping over the whitewater presses my tail back down and what I usually do is let myself slide off the left of the board to act as an anchor while still hanging on to the nose.

  6. When the wave has passed I climb back on having never let go of the nose.

good for up to about shoulder height.

Some of this is basic I know, but this is my shortboard technique.

  1. Get some good forward paddling speed and aim to dive into the base of the wave just before the whitewater.

  2. Raise body off the board with arms and bring the right knee/foot up the board in a one sided crouching position. Left leg stays straight.

  3. Push the nose down with my hands - if the wave is big I bring my elbows in and onto the deck and I press with my elbows - what this does is stop the board from being pushed thru my hands and into my face.

  4. Except for the really small or easy waves I always put my right foot (not my knee) into the tail pad area of the board (although I don’t use a tail pad).

  5. Sharply raise my left leg in the air while keeping it straight and simultaneously push the tail down with my right foot. The left leg moving quickly upwards provides weight and opposite reaction to help sink the tail with my right foot.

  6. Board performs an underwater arc and I try and maintain a parallel gap between my body and board and both legs will be now outstretched.

  7. If the wave is very forceful I give up all the good form of point 6 and just hope that I get sucked under while still hanging on to the board! I let go sometimes.

27

Well I failed on a 9’ - I forgot I wasn't on my short board and smacked my head real hard on the deck whist getting battered.

BUT

I have duck dove through the lip on a 9'6" - must have been more luck than judgment - just scrambled up to the nose and sunk through the peak – felt a mighty smack on the back of the board – success !

Me @ 160 lbs and 5’9” – Board 9’6” x 2.5” x 23” – Wave 8 foot face beach break.

I have tried that Eskimo roll thing – nah, dump it and swim for the sea bed when it’s big !

28

Do ducks ever turn turtle?