Wave Count - What Satisfies You?

General Discussion
21

Not meaning to be unkind, as I hope you understand....

You ask:

My true interest was really figuring out if I need to improve my wave count or just focus on surfing better when I am up and riding.

Which is an important question. A quick preamble, if you don't mind....

I do surf beachbreak, most of the time, and I like it. When it's on, it's fast, hollow, crunchy, pick whatever you like. And when it isn't, it's slop. When you get stormy slop, it's a peak and a kickout and that's it. Please don't get me going on the oxymoron of 'wind swell': it ain't, unless the wind is far, far away.

Besides that, well, this summer I'm gonna be 56, and it's definitely the downhill slide for me. My chances of getting seriously better than I am now are fat and slim.

But, back to the main thing here, I found that good days were a lot different than slop days. When you're in a good beachbreak wave, well, it happens fast. It's not something you can plan, things change and your plan turns into a pumpkin. And so you're surfing by what i think of as conditioned reflex. Reacting to the wave.

But the conditioned reflexes you need for a good wave are very different from a slop wave. What works in slop won't necessarily work when it's quick and hollow. Nor vice versa.

And I found that slop was giving me the wrong set of reflexes. When it got good, it was a lot of 'oops' followed by that darned ol' rinse cycle thing again.

Besides which, it was freakin' boring, me and several hundred of not-my-best-friends out there grovelling in the ankle biters. You ever see somebody else get a really good wave and do something really cool with it, and let out a hoot? Something that kinda clicks on the stoke-o-rama for you? It don't happen in slop. Grovelling doesn't produce something you see, get excited by and want to try yourself. It's freakin' depressing is all it is.

So, I became picky. A wave gourmet, selective, one of high standards, an elitist pr!ck if you like. I don't waste my time in slop. Why get frustrated or depressed or just plain p!ssed off?

I have a seven footer for the small or crowded days. It has a nice Penn spinning reel on it, 12 lb test line and I kinda like live bait. I'd rather go fishing than play the wave count game. And, in truth, if it's slop, that is about the only thing you can do, play the wave count game.

But on the good days....ah. The ones that are out, and that can make it out ( beach break, remember), they know what they're doing. They do it well, they are a pleasure to watch, and hoot for when they do something well. And yes, I try my damndest to do something that might deserve a hoot too. There's a challenge to it, it's harder. It's me versus wave, not how-many-of-these-can-I-catch. It's how well can I surf this, can I make it, can I tuck under and get some shade. Can I crank this turn, not can-I-turn-at-all-without-stalling-in-this-slop.

Put it another way: you and I have prolly eaten a lot of crummy hamburgers in our lives. But do you remember( or want to remember) those or do you want to remember a really good steak, cooked just right.

That's what floats my....okay, board. Might not be that way for you, we're all different. But, if you want to improve how you surf and the enjoyment you get out of it, then maybe you want to concentrate on the 'what I do when the board is moving' thing, not wave count.

hope that's of use

doc...

 

 

22

 

Malizoo and Topanga can be maddening to surf when they’re crowded! (I only surf Malibu at night - even then there’s usually a few guys out!)

My local point (a bit North of Malibu) gets incredibly crowded (30 - 40 people in the water) and has a very small rocky take of zone. On a consistent head high day I can usually pick off 6 - 10 waves an hour, long or shortboard. But as others have mentioned - satisfaction is dependent on my attitude. Somedays it only takes one - somedays 30 aren’t enough.

 

23

Hey No Leash. I’ve been out at Leo Carillo when three guys are a crowd, seeing as it has such a tight defined take off spot. Possibly the best session of my life was the 2006 “Big Wdnesday” swell. I was with a friend on our way to Rincon but when we passed Surfrider it was clean and 6-10 foot faces with about half the crowd such waves would attract in the summer. I caught so many waves that day. I’d run back up the point paddle out and hope for a rest but then a wave would come and there’d be no one else around. When a perfect head high wave a First Point comes to you, you don’t say no.

I disagree with Doc about the need to get wet. There is something healing about being in the Ocean that a shower, standing in the rain or swimming in a lake just can’t replace. Also, as you know, if you don’t go out when it’s slop or there’s idiots in the water, you wouldn’t be surfing very much in Southern California!

24

I’ve never heard that before but that’s awesome… certainly helps me feel better about the mediocre session I had yesterday.

In the movie Believe during the Fitzgerald section there’s another one I like that something to the effect of:

For most people surfing is two turns and a wipeout and that’s what they have to get them through the week

 

And on the matter of ‘getting wet’ - that’s always a factor and when it too small to surf I pull out my bark paddleboard, or if it’s too windy I go rig up my laser sailboat.  There’s something special about being out on/in the ocean than really gets me going.

25

Doc, I don't disagree with anything you said, and I didn't think it sounded unkind.  I agree that there's very little correlation between slop days and good days.  For example, I surfed Gas Chambers on the North Shore a few weeks ago while visiting my in-laws, and there was nothing about that wave on an overhead day that had anything to do with Topanga on any day, much less a two-foot day.  But still, because of all the sessions out here, I: 1) was fit enough to paddle out and get waves; 2) was confident enough to set my rail and take some drops; and 3) had sufficient reflexes not to get worked.

My point was that while slop days may not be very helpful to developing skills in good surf, I think I'm better off with them under my belt to stay in shape and stay in sync.  I think your point was that I'd be better off without them.  I'm not sure I can agree with that.  I see a lot of guys who only show up when it's head high or better.  Many of them rip, but a lot of them end up getting worked.  I can't imagine surfing once or twice a month in barreling beach break.  I think I'd get my ass handed to me.

26

Gotta disagree with you on this Doc. At least for me, I just change my outlook on the session. Fins, mat, handplane, alaia, logs, fishes, thrusters. They’ve all got their place. Two winters ago we had a run of perfect conditions, offshores all the time, but no surf for about a month. I spent a month surfing the alaia by myself and just getting shacked on one footers with not a soul around. Of course some days I don’t paddle out, but I’m in the gotta get in the ocean camp. Beats the hell out of drugs or therapy. 

27

I’m with noleash. I’d rather be out on a glassy 2 foot day with 2 friends than a 4-6 day with everyone in the county. I dread it in the evening when the TV weather guys call a high surf advisory. Guaranteed 50 guys I’ve never seen before in the line up. I had a fun session this morning, only three of us out swapping 1-2 foot glass. I only got three that held up at all, but the sunrise was magic. I can only think of one better way to spend and an hour and a half.

28

the question you asked begs another question:are you frustrated with your last few surf sessions?If they are not satisfying you,you could change something,wether it’s attitude,equipment,surf spot,etc…anything to be stoked.when the surf is junk and crowded,and you paddle out anyway,think of it as a workout to stay in paddling/surfing shape,and that you are out there and not working! crowds and junk conditions have been responsible for a bunch of new ocean sports:kiting,windsurfing,downwind surfing the wind waves and chop on a one man outrigger canoe(that’s a blast),F-16 stand up boards also now riding the downwind waves and chop.Anything you do on the ocean makes you a better waterman,keeps you stoked,and positive.Aloha.    P.s check out youtube videos of Maliko Maui downwind runs .

29

MikeB - SWEET photos!  I'd like to try the Great Lakes just to do it.  I surfed the UK in 40 F water temp and it was sleeting out when I put my wetsuit on...but that's probably light duty compared to MN.

I fight SoCal crowds every week but I go early and mix up the spots...  if you go early, or go to spots that are exposed, or require a hike down, the crowds start thinning.  I hear you, tho!!!

30

I like to keep my heart rate up…I hate sitting there and getting cold and I have a bad habit of getting all crabby and hating.

BUt I try not to be that way and keep it positive…It’s better to just take it as it comes and enjoy your thallasotherapy.

31

Well said, Kava, well said indeed.

"Anything you do on the ocean makes you a better waterman,keeps you stoked,and positive."

Being out there on a surfboard is, done right, just a part of the whole and not necessarily the best part. And, especially with crowds or slop, there are so many alternatives.

As has been said: http://www2.swaylocks.com/forums/days-iron-men-wooden-boards - Bill has the right of it, as do you. Thanks for putting it better than I did.

Best regards

doc...

32

I didn’t read everyone else’s answers… but for me – about 25 waves a day, I’d reckon.  Unless it’s big, like triple overhead, then less will do. 

YMMV.

33

thank you for changing my outlook! hehe mat & handplane becoming part of the travel quiver certainly helps in getting stoked no matter the surf conditions

cheers,

34

MikeB - that’s awesome. It’s one of my goals to surf the Great Lakes, everybody keeps asking “why”. It just looks so cool. 

NJSurfer’s got it right. On the east coast it’s not hard at all to get uncrowded waves. We’ve got a couple things going for us on the Right Coast. 

Beach breaks - shifting sandbars equal shifting peaks. Sure, there’s jetty’s and piers that break better but if you want to get away, paddle north or south and you’ll find something that’ll work. Also, those shifting peaks spreads the crowd out. There have been multiple times I’ll catch a set, kick out of the wave, paddle straight out (not to where I just was) and catch a set there; moving farther down the beach. It acts as a filter, to move the beginners or weaker paddlers out of the crowded areas.

Cold Winters - I know a lot of guys that say “once I have to wear booties, I don’t surf”. I give them a hard time but really I’m thinking “that’s fine, more for me. See you in 4 months”. And surfing all winter long puts me in better shape when it does start to warm up.

I’ve gotten into a habit of counting my waves. I can see both plusses and minuses to this. I usually catch about 20 waves per 1-1.5 hours. Sometimes I’m out there by myself and want to go home so I tell myself “I’ll catch 10 more”. Almost every single time I get to number 10, I say to myself “that was fun, I’ll catch some more” and I stay out longer. This keeps me in better shape and helps me improve on my surfing; and I have more fun. When I count my waves, I work on trying new things too, it helps me get better.

3 years ago I made a personal goal to catch 50 waves in one session and I completed it with nobody else around. Granted, they were thigh to waist, but glassy, easy to catch little tubes. I was longboarding. I would go switch for 10 waves then try something else for another 10. I was proud of completing my goal for myself. Since then, my goal is to catch 100 in one day and I’ve yet to complete it (maybe this summer). I figure if I can break it into a couple sessions in that day, it’s do-able.

I’ve never been one of those guys that sits outside waiting for the bomb set to come rolling in. My friend does that while I catch all the medium sized ones. He has fun doing it his way (I guess) and I have fun my way. It’s the argument of quantity or quality. But what’s funny is - and I bet NJSurfer would agree - sometimes those bomb sets closeout and the medium waves break in a line. On days like that, my method of picking the medium ones gives me quantity AND quality. And then I’m laughing all the way to the shore. 

35

Good session this morning.  Small scale surf, but clean conditions, two other guys out.  Got a clean little peeler right off the bat and set up a good count for the day (10+).  More or less a perfect session.

36

sometimes all it takes-for me anyway- is one wave, especially on crowded days, or days when conditions aren't too good. if i can get one 300 yard burner in either case, i am satisfied knowing it can't get any better than that on that particular day...

37

Couldn’t sleep last night,  through anticipation of surfing today. Just woke up late…Now! my wave count will be right down cause I got shit to do taday, and i’ll be tired…Damn surfing, it sux!

38

"One, if it's good enough."

Hi Doc -

I'm with ya on that.  Plenty of times I've sat outside and waited for a good one.  On more than one occasion that was it for me and I was happy.

My son even took to calling me "The one wave wonder."   I could only counter that my one wave was better than all of his combined.

 

 

39

as many as i can get without having to drop in on people on purpose.  sometimes happens by accident. 5 waves is my warmup...i don't count after that.

monkstart has it right about the east coast.  there's not the quality or length, usually, of a southern california point break, but i can get a ton of waves on the beachbreaks. i also have a friend who sits outside and only takes the largest wave of the largest sets.  i like surfing with him.  he gets his wave, i get all the leftovers.

here on the spacecoast, we have 3 jetty breaks, 72 miles of beach, 95% of which is open to the general public either free or for a small parking meter or park entry fee, and, many of those sandy looking beaches actually have worm rock reefs which help hold sand in.  there's also an pier break with a city ordinance that gives surfing the priority over bathers and fishermen.

 this last winter was the coldest water ever, for the longest period, ever that i can remember, since 1963, when i started surfing.  still didn't need booties.

and doc is right.  why go out on a crap day?  go make some money. so when its good, u can afford to go out all day.

we just finished up a period of i think 2 weeks with offshores in the AM and waves ranging from ankle snappers to well overhead the last several days.  yesterday, i rode my local rockbottom beach with an incoming hightide chest to head high on the log.  max # out was maybe 12.  today it looks like the wind is on it from the wrong direction.  so i think i'll put the fin system in the new board.

this surfing is a hard life, but somebody's gotta do it.