Foundations · 5 min read · Board: Any. A longer, floatier board gives you more time.
Choosing a wave, paddling at the right angle, and committing. Where most missed waves are lost.
You catch a wave when your speed matches the wave's speed as it lifts you. Everything about the take-off is about arriving at that moment with enough speed and the right angle.
Spot the wave early. Watch the swell line. Position yourself near the peak, where the wave first starts to rise.
Turn the board toward the beach before the wave arrives, and start paddling hard.
Look over your shoulder once, to see where the wave is going to break. Then look forward again and keep paddling.
Feel the lift. When the tail lifts and the board starts to slide, take two more hard strokes, then pop up.
Angle. Take off at a slight angle along the wave, not straight at the beach. Straight on makes you fall over the front.
Mistakes
Hesitating. If you are not committed to the paddle, you will not catch it. Paddle two strokes more than you think you need.
Pulling your head back or watching the wave. The board slows down, the wave goes.
Taking off too late on a steep wave, so the nose falls. If the wave is steep, lean back slightly with your weight on the tail until you are down the face.
Dropping in. Look both ways before you go: the person closer to the peak has the wave.
Drills
For one session, paddle for every wave, even the ones you do not think you will catch. You learn the timing.
In whitewater, practise the angle: pointing a little left or right as you pop up.
A guide is not a coach. If you can, take a lesson or surf with someone better than you.