Table of Contents
The surfboard guide for green bands: how to bridle the wave
Follow your nose but not under the water!
This isn’t the first time you’re standing on the surfboard, you can balance on the surfboard deck in the white water, and have even tried larger though rare waves.
And among buddies-non-surfers you regard yourself to be a savvy boardrider with the best surfboard ever but at the line-up while in the waves, you still feel like a simpleton, especially in front of other wave riders.
What then? It’s all the fault of that damned nose diving!
Don’t confuse nose diving with other surfers’ catchwords, especially with noseriding.
Noseriding is a cool tech when you ride on the nose of your surfboard deck often with the toes hung down into the water. And nose diving is just a kind of wiping out into the waves but in the manner of an axe thrown down.
How does nose diving occur? And why?
Nose diving happens only at the line-up in the waves (I believe it’s just your case or if not, you wouldn’t consider yourself to be able to ride the waves on the surfboard nose) when you are trying to bridle a wave but your nose goes down in its wall with the back part of the surfboard deck raised high in the air, and you are driving from the surfboard into the wave heels overhead.
Not a pleasant thing even for an advanced surfer, I admit.
It is also known as pearling. This term comes back to past times to show the similarity of the nose diving process to that which hunters for pearls used to apply.
And surfers flying out of the surfboard into the wave also resemble pearl hunters.
There is another term in the surfers’ dictionary, the one nose diving or pearling is confused with – duck-diving.
There is a certain likeness between the process of how you come into the wave with your head down and the manner ducks catch small fish under the water.
But still, the word is to define a stunt of coming through waves, especially strong enough, in order to reach the desirable line-up in the wave without losing time, speed and strength, that is more important but that we’ll discuss later.
But don’t get desperate! Of course, if you can get the line-up in the waves, you’re not such a scrub.
Just more training, more attempts without any fears, and, certainly, following our tips to improve the technique of catching the wave with your surfboard riding the nose correctly, and you will manage to do that on your surfboard!
Tip #1 – Find your surfboard
Of course, you’ve already buddied up with your Malibu surfboard and don’t want to part with this stunning surfboard.
Longboards are known for their nose diving willingness. This surfboard has long been your savior at first attempts of taking off and catching a balance with its nose.
And it has a certain romantic appeal in your heart, the romanticism of being a surfer.
But still, you’d better change it for a shorter surfboard (at least for a time). A Minimal surfboard is a perfect surfboard in this case.
It’s long enough for keeping balance with its nose and searching the proper position and at the same time, it easily climbs a wave due to its short nose and lighter weight.
Tip #2 – Nosedive without your nose broken
Wiping out or pearling with the nose as its more severe variant is inevitable for all junior surfers, so you should be ready to face it and do it without any risks for your health.
First of all, jump out of the surfboard deck sidewise, otherwise, your own surfboard can hit you from above against the head.
Rather a grim business! Moreover, the wave itself can whirl you badly.
It’s no coincidence that the whole process is called ‘wiping out’ as in the case of a washing machine.
So, you should learn how to tuck yourself up without this unnecessary nose diving issue. It’s important for getting a certain position under the water and from here take on duck diving (see above) in order to get out of the mess.
Tip #3 – Tame your body
As I’ve already said the fact that you can get the line-up in the waves is undoubtedly a great success, but still reaching it no longer makes sense unless you fail to catch a wave.
Practice paddling your surfboard all the time when the sea doesn’t make you happy with green waves. It’s necessary for improving your paddling skills as well as for just being in a good physical form.
First, focus on the position you take on the surfboard. The position related to the surfboard nose should give you comfort not only for paddling in the waves but also for taking off.
Mind also the position of the nose part of your surfboard – it shouldn’t dig into the water.
Keep the nose a shade higher than the level of the waves.
You can succeed in this by means of the right body position on the surfboard using its nose for balance: there should be a distance between the edge of the nose and your chest.
Don’t move your body too far backward from the surfboard nose, otherwise, you’ll dig into the water with the tail, or, what is worse, turn upside down on your back.
Tip #4 – Paddle with tension and intention
Probably, you have already caught some small waves but larger waves meet you with nose diving.
Why does it happen? The answer is simple – your paddling is not intensive.
The higher the wave is, the more speed you need while paddling. The high speed gives your surfboard potency to climb the wave and, on the contrary, at the low speed, the surfboard sinks with the nose digging down.
Well, you are strong enough, in terms of fitness, you paddle fast, but still, you can’t catch a wave. Maybe, your instincts work against yourself.
You’ve got an instinctive dread of wiping out and you lose the moment of popping up the surfboard nose and stay lying on the deck.
You immediately turn into an ancient pearl hunter due to your weight and low speed of the surfboard.
If you’re sick and tired of nose diving, you shouldn’t capitulate in such a shameful way. You should have a strong intention to catch your wave having got to the line-up, no matter what the cost.
Otherwise, the cake isn’t worth the candle. Train quick and timely taking off.
Feel your right stand up position on the surfboard. Feel the moment of the wave intention to catch you and outride this wave with one intensive jump.
It’s you who can stop nose diving if you want to, of course.
Conclusion
You may wipe out a hundred times in the waves but all these times will remain behind and they can’t affect your future surfing.
So, stop blaming yourself and take such an unpleasant experience for granted keeping your nose high.
Or just find something pleasant in it, such as the romanticism of being captured by the sea power, the taste of salt in your mouth, and the happiness of breathing again.
Remember, it’s your surf trip, it’s your life, and it’s you who decides for yourself what they should be like!
