Tips for an intermediate surfer?

[Pea Pod]

As y'all know, it's summer in Australia, so I've been putting in the hours at Penrith Whitewater Stadium, practicing my surfing. I've put together some clips, and appreciate any constructive criticism on my paddling techniques, boat angle, tilt, and position both on the wave and the approach.

http://youtu.be/z54ZLwXfwng

A few notes:
- Most of the clips are my more successful attempts--who wants to see a video of stuff-ups? But I don't look this good in real life. Let's just say there's more swimming involved.
- The boats that I see staying on these waves are shorter kayaks--is it possible for a L'Edge to carve back and forth endlessly on waves of these dimensions/morphology?
- 99% of the time, I'm on the only open boater on the course, so I'm turning to the interweb for tips rather than local boaters
- Back surfing is mostly accidental for me at present. How do I master this?
- I've named the waves, where possible. For a map of the course, see here: http://www.mappery.com/map-of/Penrith-W ... Course-Map

And a warning:
- This video contains pumps. It's a hard course to take a dump on or run dry on. If pumping offends, avert thy gaze.

[busterblue]

This video has some great tips for getting on a wave: http://youtu.be/Kyjy4IYOaK0

Getting on edge can help change direction to stay on a wave. Usually you would lean opposite of the way your're trying to turn.

Personally, offside strokes don't work well for me to correct direction when I'm getting steered off a wave. The water pressure on the bow kind of locks it in place. So you need to be able to reach way back to the stern, where the correction has more effect.

Some of those waves are pretty burly! You'll be able to stay straight while you're back on the foam. (The video above has a good explanation of how to create drag, which will help you stay up on the foam). But I would expect that when you eventually slide forward into the trough you'll get spun one way or another.

[Pea Pod]

I have seen that video before, but now it's much more relevant to my experience. So thanks for reminding me of it!

[milkman]

One thing I notice right off the bat is you seem to enter with too much angle. Reduce the angle and you won't get typewritered off so much.

[Paddle Power]

I'll second Milkman recommendation. Enter with less angle and therefore more control, otherwise you enter fast and then have to gain control once on the foam pile, which is difficult.

[Pea Pod]

I agree about the angle issue, now that I've seen my paddling on video. I probably wouldn't have diagnosed this from the saddle.

Part of the issue is wanting to cross the shoulder at 90* then trying to align with the wave crest at 90*. But in moving between the shoulder and the wave crest the bow catches and the fast current results in being typewritered.

It seems that a number of these surfing attempts are better described as "jet ferries", I now realise, having read Andrew Westwood's article http://www.rapidmedia.com/skills-whitew ... nique.html

[TonyB]

I like how the boat kept surfing at the end after dumping you.

I do a lot of unsuccessful surfing in my ledge and notices couple of my mistakes.

1: surfing out on my onside edge creating to much angle and makes it harder to transition back to offside edge and just getting blown off wave.
Solution I'm working on: feed out on primary/neutral position instead of leaning on onside. Makes it easier to stay on wave and carve back and forth.
The Ledges super stable secondary edges are so forgiving its easy to sit on them to much unnecessarily.
Bad for surf control

2: too much leaning back, although it helps keep boat dry asks it harder to control the edges, a slight lean or even forward neutral helps with control. Might also help to check trim, make sure you're not too bow light.

But then, what I know?

[Pea Pod]

I like how the boat kept surfing at the end after dumping you...

It's so well-designed it doesn't need a paddler!

[yarnellboat]

Wow, you're lucky to have a facility like that where you can learn to surf!!

Don't sweat it too much, being confident in a jet ferry in those currents is a fantastic skill to have!

One thing I noticed is that when on river right, and therefore entering the wave with your onside (lefty) towards the eddy, you very often go into the current paddling offside strokes...

High cool-factor, but for surfing, as noted already, you should be trying to enter with a tighter, more parallel angle. This entry with your onside towards the eddy is usually (depending on the wave) the best cheat for surfing. Try paddling on with a narower angle and keeping you paddle on your onside.

You'll need a narrower angle and a little well-timed forward speed to pop yourself over the eddy line and carry you up & out, but most surfers most of the time probably like taking advantage of their onside stern pry to manage that angle initially and get established on the wave.

A pry has more leverage than a draw (i.e., it's easier to kill a carve away from your onside than it is a carve back towards your onside), so when you do that entry using offside strokes, you're giving up both stability and, most importantly, that stern-pry "cheat" that makes it easier to kill your angle and establish your surf. Instead of entering using offside strokes, noble as that may be, set up in the eddy for less angle, more speed as needed, and keep ready for an onside stern pry.

When I'm surfing I'm more willing to make a long, fast carve towards my offside, because I can fight it with the leverage of a stern pry. I micro-manage angles/currents that will send me jetting to my onside, because more often than not I won't be able to overcome it with a draw.

I think if you watch most OCs sitting on a wave, we are probably giving the river a bit of angle towards our offsides and sitting on a stern pry. Not a lesson in dynamic surfing, but I think it's the basics that will help you get on those waves instead of jetting across or getting blown off.

Good luck, Pat.

[Pea Pod]

Thanks for your detailed thoughts, Pat.

[milkman]

Several more tips.

1. I second TonyB's recommendations on a neutral boat. I tend to think of it as paddling into a wave with a flat boat. On boats like the Ocoee, Zoom, and Solito that's incredibly important. Drop one of their sharp chines and you're off the wave in a hurry. But this rule applies to all boats. There are ways to use the edges, particularly when you're on the wave, but it's best to first get on a wave with a flat boat and then experiment with your edges.

2. Great words of wisdom from Pat on using the stern pry. I'd add that sometimes there are waves that require draws. You can't get on them and stay with any kind of a stern pry and boat angle. For those waves, if static draws don't work, try dynamic draws, timing each draw in a rhythm that works for that particular wave to keep you in the sweet spot of the wave.

3. Some waves (particularly steep ones or those with foam piles) drive your bow into the water in front of you. When faced with that kind of wave, you can flatten your blade to use as a brake to keep your bow from diving down. By "flatten the blade," I mean hold it so the grip and blade are parallel with the water's surface, not perpendicular. Granted, you'll actually have an angle of about 45 degrees on the blade as it sits in the water behind your hips--and this is what you want. The idea is to use your non-power face to leverage the force of the water coming downstream to pull your bow back. You can use your grip hand to tilt the blade a little to one side or another to adjust the angle of your bow while you're also pulling it back.

4. Try not to make the same mistake twice. When you slide into a wave and fail to stay on it, analyze why and try a different tactic the next time you try to get on that same wave.

5. Like others have said, try NOT to enter a wave with a cross stroke. The expert surfers make it look easy to use cross and forward strokes on a wave, as well as sideslips and draws and cross draws as they execute 360 spins, but for us mere mortals, we have to rely a lot on stern strokes and that means being on your onside. You can fiddle as much with any kind of stroke as you're trying to get lined up properly to enter a wave, but when it comes time to power into it with the angle you've set, be on your onside so you can perform fast draws and pries as needed to get into the wave's sweet spot.

6. Always blame the boat. If you can't get on a wave, tell your friends that if you were in your other boat, you'd nail it. (Just kidding.)

[Pea Pod]

By neutral boat, do you mean no tilt (side to side), or, even trim (not leaning back or forth)? I have a feeling TonyB and Milkman mean the former, but please correct me if I've misunderstood.

I've had another go at these waves (especially Sweet Lips), and was consciously working on less angle to the current, and more leaning back (to get my bow out of the water). I was a little more successful, but still had trouble with pearling after I'd been on the wave a moment or two. Does this mean the waves are too steep for my boat? (Yes, I am blaming the boat, cause Sweet Lips is NOT one of those waves where the L'Edge can surf without me!). If it's too steep, should I focus on surfing the foam pile?

[milkman]

By flat (neutral) boat, I meant no tilt side to side.

As for the bow pearling, you might read my tip #3 again. Use your paddle for drag. As for foam piles, unless you're riding some point on top of them, they tend to drive your boat forward faster, causing even more bow pearling or, even worse, plowing.

Another trick to deal with pearling is to make your bow move a little back and forth. Watch a good kayaker surf. You'll see them do that to keep from plowing in.

[Paddle Power]

still had trouble with pearling after I'd been on the wave a moment or two.

as suggested, try to keep the bow or the whole boat moving, craving back and forth on the wave.

should I focus on surfing the foam pile?

I find staying up top on foam piles difficult so I usually try to surf the wave and never stop moving (never let the bow pearl).

[Pea Pod]

As for the bow pearling, you might read my tip #3 again. Use your paddle for drag.

Is this what I'm doing in the video around 1:23?

As for foam piles, unless you're riding some point on top of them, they tend to drive your boat forward faster, causing even more bow pearling or, even worse, plowing.

You're right. This is what happens soon after 1:23.