Duck diving and turtle rolling

Duck diving (small to mid boards)

Timing is everything. Push too early and you surface right into the wave. Push too late and it grabs you before you are under. Push deep, because the turbulence is near the surface, so halfway is not enough. The bigger the wave, the deeper you dive.

Duck diving takes many sessions to feel natural. Expect to get pushed back plenty while you learn the timing. That is normal, not a sign you are bad.

• ·As the wave approaches, paddle hard toward it to build speed.
• ·Just before it hits, grab the rails and push the nose of the board underwater, pressing down and forward.
• ·Push the tail under with a knee or a foot, the duck motion, so the whole board is submerged.
• ·Let the wave pass over the top of you.
• ·Come up on the other side with upward momentum, and start paddling immediately.

Turtle rolling (longboards and foamies)

The whole trick is holding on hard. The wave will try to rip the board out of your hands, so grip the rails firmly and keep your arms strong. On bigger waves, pull the nose down slightly as the wave hits to reduce the drag.

Turtle rolling is less efficient than duck diving, which is one reason people move to smaller boards as they progress, but for a beginner on a foamie it is exactly the right tool. Very on brand for us, too.

• ·As the wave approaches, grab the rails firmly on both sides, near your chest.
• ·Flip the board completely upside down, rolling yourself under with it.
• ·Hang from the rails and hold on tight while the wave passes over the flat bottom of the board.
• ·Once the wave has passed, flip the board back over, climb on, and resume paddling.

When it's too big for either

Sometimes the wave is way overhead, the sets keep coming, and you are getting worked and dragged in no matter what you do. In that situation, the smart, experienced choice is often not to battle out through the impact zone at all. It is to swim or paddle back to the beach, walk down the shore to where there is a channel or a calmer entry, and paddle out through the easy water.

That is not giving up. It is reading the ocean and choosing the smart path instead of the macho one. Even very good surfers do this. And it beats getting stuck in the washing machine, that tumbling, disorienting spin of being rolled underwater by wave after wave. If you do get caught inside and worked, relax, protect your head, hold your breath, and let the wave finish. Panicking burns the oxygen you need. It always ends.