Surfing Thread

[Nords]

Funny thing that happened was this young diving sea bird (Murrelet?) swims over while I'm waiting for waves.  Wants to get on the board, so I pick it up and hold it for a while.  It's perfectly happy, looking around, not scared at all.

I bet it could hang ten, too-- that would've been a picture!

 

[TargaDave]

My earlier comments about close encounters were a little too prescient-- my longboard got its first serious ding.

I've had this nine-foot Keola Rapoza board for 3½ years. It's survived parking lots, high winds, and our kid's careless attempts to carry it. However it couldn't survive a kook.

We had great surf a couple weekends ago and our kid was a monster on her 7'9" molded board. She'll be 14 in two months, and she seems to have grown into her shoulder muscles while perfecting the art of the lazy no-paddle takeoff. She must have caught 15 rides in an hour and we were having a wonderful time catching father-daughter party waves.

The guy who hit my board was paddling out through the weekend crowds about 30 feet in front of us when he decided that he just had to have the next wave. He managed to turn around and paddle his longboard into a nice right, but for some reason he decided to go left. We had already turned in that direction but we kept going while expecting him to turn back to the right. However he never turned and, when he finally saw us, he never even popped up. It was like a slow-motion train board wreck as he first narrowly missed my kid and then headed straight for me. I bailed at the last second (in disbelief) under my board and felt his fin crunch to a halt in my rail.

He got off his board, I surfaced and asked him if he was all right, he said he was OK, and he paddled back out. Not even an "Eh, sorry brah", let alone something like "Gee, I'm an idiot, let me give you $50 for the damage and inconvenience I've caused."

We paddled in and brought the board home to dry out. It took over two ounces of UV-cure resin to fill the hole. I still have a couple dimples to smooth out but the board surfed fine today in 5-7 feet. We'll have another good swell this weekend, and I'm going to be a much more defensive paddler!

I've also added a nose bumper and ordered a set of Proteck safety fins. I don't want to hear that crunching noise ever again.

I was also surprised to learn that UV-cure resin can harden inside the container over the course of a couple years.

Talk, talk, talk, talk, taaaaalk, and, talk, talk, talk, taaaalk,....and no action shots! You're depressing me. Any action picture is worth 5,000 words.

Just so I don't sound hypocritical (though it's not quite the same impressive sport)

 

[Nords]

Talk, talk, talk, talk, taaaaalk, and, talk, talk, talk, taaaalk,....and no action shots! You're depressing me.  Any action picture is worth 5,000 words.

Screw that-- it's easier to buy a plane ticket and I'll give you the directions to the beach.

It's been a solid 4-8 feet every day for two weeks... no way am I wasting my time playing surf photographer!

I appreciate your point, but taking pictures has just become too darn hard for me. We took a Pentax W10 "waterproof" surf camera with us on our July vacaction and shot a couple hundred priceless scenes. We came home and I didn't download anything because I was too busy with other after-vacation stuff. A day later we went surfing with my nephew the Army Ranger (his first time) and our kid appointed herself the surf photographer. We got more priceless shots but her misguided attempt to delete one picture resulted in wiping the entire card.

I'm presbyopic enough that I either have to wear prescription goggles in the surf or set the camera on shore (wearing my glasses) and then not mess with it in the water. Frankly I can't even see the #$%^ing 2"x2" LCD display clearly enough (despite its backlighting) to be confident that I've framed the shot. Either system does not make ol' surfer dudes into chick magnets.

So I've stopped trying to capture the action and decided to enjoy the conditions. If our kid wants to take more surf shots then I'll be a cooperative model. But I'd rather enjoy some parent-kid waves with her instead.

Speaking of which, our kid wants a ride to school this morning and it's 4-6 on the south shore. So I'll drop her in the parking lot and then drop the longboard in the water! Later...

 

[ronin]

bastard!!!! My mental image of you while we are grinding away at our desks:

 

[Nords]

My mental image of you while we are grinding away at our desks:

Well, if it's any consolation, I pearled one so hard I thought my eyes would be bloodshot. I managed to pull it out but later on the beach I leaned over and nearly a half-cup of water drained out of some sinus cavity... never had that happen before!

Sorry to say I haven't hung more than five yet. I'm doing it on a 9'0" and I'm 190 pounds so hanging ten will continue to be a struggle...

Hey, the stuff we've had this week should be over at your place by now!

 

[ronin]

I leaned over and nearly a half-cup of water drained out of some sinus cavity...

Was taking a zoology lab exam in college and leaned over the lab bench and spilled a half cup or so and everyone jumped back in horror.  Not to worry, sinus flush is good for you.  Had some laser turbinate reduction and my ENT said surfers heal the best due to our natural, power sinus irrigation.  I think the swell is starting to back down... find out tomorrow AM.

 

[TargaDave]

Screw that-- it's easier to buy a plane ticket and I'll give you the directions to the beach.

Your on. On one of my ever so fun biz trips to the Far East I'll make a detour and bring the kites and camera with me.

It's been a solid 4-8 feet every day for two weeks... no way am I wasting my time playing surf photographer!

Your right, I'd rather be on the water and doing things rather than spending 2 hours a day posting-surfing on this site occasionally recording events with my kids. Actually, both my kids love photography (my 16 and 8 yr old took all the pic's I've been attaching) as much as participating in activities, so it's all part of the grand picture for us Different strokes for different folks.

 

[Nords]

Your right, I'd rather be on the water and doing things rather than spending 2 hours a day posting-surfing on this site occasionally recording events with my kids.

The vast majority of my posts here are done before sunrise & after sunset (when the sharks aren't feeding). In fact most evenings I can tell when Dory's server is doing its daily maintenance.

Our kid's turned into a real surf animal-- she's grown a lot of shoulder muscle in the last year, she's a much more efficient paddler, she's retired her paddling gloves, and she's starting to work on her angled takeoffs & bottom turns. I'm actually feeling a little jealous that she's discovered all these activities at her age!

 

[TromboneAl]

After two weeks off because of a pulled back muscle, I found I'd lost a lot of my paddling strength and endurance.  I found this set of excercises that I think will help me keep those muscles conditioned:

Paddling Muscle Exercises

Exercise 4 seems like the best one, since it most closely emulates the motions of paddling.  In fact, I've tried it bent over the entire time, and alternating arms, just like real paddling. 

...her paddling gloves

What's the story on these?  When my wet suit gloves wear out, I'm thinking of getting a pair of webbed wet suit gloves.

 

[HFWR]

Paddling exercises...

 

[TromboneAl]

 

[Nords]

What's the story on these?  When my wet suit gloves wear out, I'm thinking of getting a pair of webbed wet suit gloves.

They're Aquasphere swim gloves, neoprene with webbing that forces your digits apart, so you have to get used to paddling with your hands spread open like duck feet. It's like paddling with a ping pong paddle in each hand.

She had a very inefficient paddling stroke (didn't focus on cupping her fingers) so the "cool gear" factor at least kept her in the water until I could teach her a better stroke. (Now she's cupping her fingers, digging all the way in, and learning the s-curve.) The resistance of the paddling gloves may actually put more strain on your rotator cuff than you want, but it'll certainly build up your shoulder muscles. However the gloves have open fingers so I'm not sure whether there's enough neoprene to maintain bloodflow. You might find something better in freediving or triathlon gear.

We bought them in the aerobics section of Sports Authority.

 

[TromboneAl]

Yes, that's the kind of thing I'm considering.  Like these.   Anything that will help me catch more waves.

By the "S-curve" you're talking about bringing your hands somewhat under the board in the middle of the stroke, yes?

 

[donheff]

I just got back from Kiteboarding (next post) and saw the call for action shots. I don't have many since who carries a camera. But I have a couple of me (jibing) and my son Toby (crashing) while windsurfing in Aruba:

 

[Nords]

Yes, that's the kind of thing I'm considering.  Like these.

Those look much better-- but I'd hate to be a member of the North Wales Surfing Club!

By the "S-curve" you're talking about bringing your hands somewhat under the board in the middle of the stroke, yes?

Yeah, I either read about it or learned that somewhere in a swimming class. It must use different muscles than a straight shot down; I switch between the two on long paddles and can actually get the board up on plane a little.

If I surf 2x/week I can paddle well. If I surf 3x/week I can really tell the improvement in paddling strength & acceleration. Of course by then I'm starting to skip yardwork, take longer naps, and move a lot slower in tae kwon do... but I have a smile on my face!

Our kid saw a Ben Aipa stinger on the beach last weekend-- $600 three years ago, which actually seems cheap for his reputation. http://www.benaipa.com/ Nice-looking board...

 

[donheff]

Kudos to TargaDave for the link to Real Kiteboarding in Hatteras. My son and I just spent the weekend down there. For anyone thinking about it, kiteboarding is fun but it is not easy. Learning to control those big animals is a trip. And trying to control the kite while launching and riding a board is a double trip.

We spent one day with no wind learning the theory and polishing out board skills behind a jet ski. That was a lot of fun. The second day blew perfectly -- about 15mph. The morning we spent on land with a trainer kite (learning basic control) and then on the water with a real kite again just learning some control. The afternoon was back on the water doing body drags behind the kite (you learn to control the kite while being pulled through the water - and occasionally into the air), upwind drags, etc. Loads of fun. We finished off with a few attempts to get up on the board. We were unsuccessful - probably because we were doing it like you would with a wakeboard -- leaning back against the sail too much. The outer banks is perfect for this because there are miles and miles of waist deep water. You can virtually always stand up. Couple that with an instructor on a jet ski and you have the perfect learning environment.

Yesterday morning we went back out in about 20mph. The instructor got us to do a more windsurfer waterstart like approach where we rolled up onto the board. Son Toby, did great. He got right up and got some fairly long (20 seconds) runs and a few spectacular launches (fifteen feet in the air - board left behind). Sure wish I had the underwater housing and camera. I did not do as well (58 YO body vs 32). I could drag along with the board in front of me with good control of the kite. But when I dove the kite to get power and came up on the board, I quickly lost control of the kite and crashed. I too enjoyed some spectacular launches sans board. After a long morning session the wind started to climb rapidly toward 30mph. DS and I decided to call it quits. We both were sore and realized we would probably not continue learning.

We plan to return in the spring and see if we can get our skills up to the sailing back and forth level. Toby will definitely get there quickly and I am optimistic about myself. To compare this to windsurfing I would say this is just as hard but quicker. By that I mean that combing handling a kite and riding a board is a tricky combination. I would expect most people would need two to three good days on the water - surfers would probably benefit well from their twichy board muscles. The good side is that once you are up and able to sail at all, you are flying on a plane -- loads of fun. With windsurfing, in comparison, most people can get the board up and puttering along fairly quickly but it takes a long time to build skills to the point that you can get back in the straps, hooked in and planing which is where the fun really begins.

TargaDave - I am curious about your take on doing this without the support of an instructor and shallow water. I have a house on the water but we are talking only 100 yards of shallow water and then you are over your head. My take on this sport is that you need to build some pretty good skills before you take your own gear out in deep water. We figure we will stick with Hatteras and see if we can get good enough to be comfortable back home. At that point we can consider buying a kite. It will help that I have a jet-ski so DS and I can chase each other down as we blow miles down the river.

 

[TromboneAl]

Here are some shots of my home break. Wave height today: 3.5 feet. Got three good rides.

 

[TromboneAl]

-

 

[ronin]

That's a beautiful beach.

 

[TromboneAl]

Help Me With My Shark-itis

I'm starting to think too much about sharks. There were some great white sightings reported in the paper 20 miles north of my surfing spot, and I almost didn't go surfing today 'cause I knew I'd be the only one out there.

I'll be out there all by myself, and be very conscious of my legs dangling down. I know I'm more likely to be injured driving to the surf spot, but can't help looking around...

Sure had a good day surfing, though -- got about six really fine rides, which is good for me. Walked around on the board a bit.

 

[REWahoo]

Help Me With My Shark-itis

I'm starting to think too much about sharks. There were some great white sightings reported in the paper 20 miles north of my surfing spot, and I almost didn't go surfing today 'cause I knew I'd be the only one out there.

I'll be out there all by myself, and be very conscious of my legs dangling down. I know I'm more likely to be injured driving to the surf spot, but can't help looking around...

Candygram...

 

[TromboneAl]

 

[ronin]

That's a tough one. Even though it's unlikely, it's a legit concern for you. I can empathize with you. Face it, the only sure cure is to stay out of the water, and are you going to do that? Have you ever had the tingles in your shark detector while out there? Do you listen to it? If so you know what I mean. I have gotten out many a time because my radar was going off in sharky waters. I'll never know if it was just nerves. I know guys say they never had a clue before the attack, but....?

 

[Nords]

That's a tough one. Even though it's unlikely, it's a legit concern for you. I can empathize with you.

Never had that feeling either, and when a monk seal buzzed through our lineup we never had a clue until we saw it 20 feet away heading for the beach.

FWIW the shallower areas (shallower than 10 feet) kick up a lot of sand that sharks don't care for. But that's an intellectual, logical approach to telling a primal atavistic instinct to calm down-- never a wise idea.

If I had that sharky feeling then I'd paddle in. If I had it more than once a year then I'd try to pay attention to whatever might be triggering the feeling to figure out what's going on, but I'd still listen to my instincts. Since you're wearing a wetsuit, I might also consider investing in one of the electronic shark-repellent gizmos sold in dive shops.

Two other comments--
1. Bethany Hamilton was imitating dolphin calls with a friend when the shark attacked her, but no one's attempted to make any causality of it.
2. If I was cut, bruised, or bleeding then I'd paddle in smartly.

Surf sucks this week and what timing-- the kid's on break. We're considering either taking her up to Haleiwa Ali'i to see how rude some surfers can be (and for some of the world's most arduous toilet-bowl paddling) or else cruising Waialua/Mokuleia with FrankO's surf map to see what's up. And maybe it's time to e-mail an old work buddy to see if he'll introduce me around Makaha.

 

[ronin]

How big is big ?