Huge waves, Glassy conditions

Yesterday, Wednesday had some nice glassy conditions and big waves, some bigger than last Tuesday. You could see the larger sets coming in from a distance, and they really hit hard. I used the same sandbar that I've used for the past several days, it is really essential, especially for boards that don't float the best. It also helps to go out in between sets. Probably the most fun part of the day was being able to catch the wave then cut sideways to ride the wave. Bigger waves give you a lot more flexibility on what you can do on the wave.

Stormy Tuesday

I went out to the Cross and did something I've never done before. When looking at the crosscam, I couldn't decide which board I should bring, so I brought both. The waves were getting continuously bigger the whole time I was out there, so there is a good chance that they'll be huge tomorrow. There was a period of time with a good chop caused by wind blowing to the east while the waves were traveling west. I found a good sandbar that let me walk out and get in a good position to catch the waves. This turned out to be essential for using the fish. It was just too deep to either side of the sandbar to get past the breaking waves. In the past several days, I've been watching some surfing films such as Billabong Odyssey and Hollow Days. I found that it is possible to surf a longer board in big waves, and I tried it with some success today. I didn't have to much success with the fish, it was just rode so different from the longer board, that I switched back. Good times. We'll see if I can get out tomorrow.

Smooth, glassy waves

After yesterday's huge waves, the size has dropped of significantly. The air temp was a little cooler, so I rocked my shorty wetsuit, even though it probably wasn't necessary. The waves were coming in about every 5 minutes in decent sets, it made for some nice longboarding after riding the fish so much lately. The waves were breaking in nice clean lines, and you could ride the waves pretty far, unless you bottomed out on one of the sandbars. I was surfing the area between the Cross and the Holiday in. I followed some of the advice from the link I posted the last entry, and looked for the foam that was created as the waves broke. This really helped me catch and ride the waves better. I've also found that I have the tendency to rush when a wave is coming - such as when I'm standing in the water next to my board so I can get a better view of the waves - that when I hop back on my board, if I don't allow the nose to stabilize and get above the surface, I'll pearl for sure. When I gave myself that extra second to stabilize the board, then start paddling, everything worked out much better. The sandbars today were pretty pronounced. It was really necessary to wait for the sets to come in as opposed to try to ride the smaller waves that broke over the sandbar. I also found that the sandbars extend out like a "V" into the water, I was most successful when I would position myself the either the left or the right of where the wave first broke (during big sets of course), and could avoid the sandbar. There were part of the breaking waves that didn't barrel, but just sort of folded and foamed over; I found that I could catch a wave when it was barreling, and then ride it sideways away from the sandbar and still be able to ride the wave when it was foaming but not barreling. I also found that standing up as soon as you can without falling/lagging behind the wave works better than waiting until you are well established in the wave to stand up. Waiting too long results in being to far ahead of the wave and you loose thrust. Also, I tried out Ms. Palmers Cool Weather wax. It worked well, I stayed out the whole time without coming in so I ended up rubbing a bunch of the wax off. I still had the warmer temp wax on the board below the cool water wax, so I had to use my finger nails to make more traction in the wax. My other leash has a mini wax comb that would've been handy for today.

First Red Flag

Today was the first red flag out at Pensacola Beach since I started surfing back in the middle of June. I broke out my Yancy Spencer 7'6" fish, I've been learning to surf this board since August. I was using a longboard before this, but it lacks the maneuverability to ride down the pipe. I was out between the Cross and the Holiday Inn. I was able to catch some smaller waves that were breaking after hitting the sandbar (Pensacola Beach tends to have 2 sets of waves - there is a sandbar off the shore that can make the water pretty shallow, sometimes 6 inches or less! - and the waves crashes and rolls at the beginning of the sandbar, then dies down, then breaks again closer to the shore) These shore waves usually aren't all that ride able (you risk grounding on the beach), but these were breaking further out and were pretty large. I spent a good amount of time trying to get out past the break, but I was unable. The waves were way to big and were constantly crashing, as opposed to coming in sets. I did find a sandbar in front of the Holiday Inn that did allow me to get out to the waves. I did some research after I got back, because I've been out with the big waves before, and I wind up spending most of my time trying to get out past the break. Here's the site that really has some good info for getting out to the break. I also found that my wax (I used to be a fan of Bubblegum, but I found that Ms. Palmers is easier to apply and stays on better) was to hard and didn't provide enough traction. I purchased some cooler water wax the next day I went out, and it worked much better. I improvised by using my wax comb to put a good 6 or more directional crosshatch pattern in the wax where I needed the most traction. A wax comb is an essential piece of gear for roughing up your wax after it is applied, and for stripping wax of the board when you need to clean it. And no, you don't apply the wax to the bottom of the board! Every time I teach someone to surf, I have to stop them before the start waxing the bottom of the board. Surfing is probably the only activity where you use wax for traction and friction, as opposed to making things smooth or sleek. Also, there is not need to wave past the part of the board which you'll be standing on. As for my progression on the fish board, it is still much more difficult to catch a wave than on my longboard, and I find the board is much more sensitive to rider position as well. Too far back and you won't be able to catch any waves. I'm yet to use the traction pad, I've been told the traction pad is used for sharp turns and I have found that you shouldn't stand on it during regular rides.

Welcome Friends!

Hey ya'll; I've been surfing as much as possible here down in Pensacola, Florida. I've been surfing since June '09 and I absolutely love it. The purpose of the blog is to share my experiences of learning to and improving my surfing technique. I'll be talking about the weather and waves, the gear, and the techniques and lessons I've learned. I look forward to sharing my love of surfing with you. -Steven