Can't quite get air...

[IDBoating]

I've been working on getting airborne all summer. Folks on the boat say they can see my fins above the water most of the time, but it's very rare for me to actually get daylight between the tail and the water's surface.

I'm looking for suggestions on how to get higher. I'm coming in fast and launching about midway up the lip's forward edge (on the slanted part that comes up from the rear of the boat). Our wave face is glassy smooth so no loss of velocity due to froth.

I've been studying videos since our last session. Most of the videos of people getting good air seem to be riding waves that are shorter than ours, and smoother at the top. Our normal configuration has a very sharp edge at the top where the water changes from almost vertical on the face to almost horizontal on the top. I don't see that very often on the videos; instead it seems that the lip is more rounded and gentle. I would think that a sharp lip would be better, but am I wrong? And would a shorter (i.e. less tall) wave be better, perhaps because you don't have to "drive" up the wave so far before hitting the air?

I'd really appreciate some suggestions, or things to try. Thanks!

[Timmy!]

Can you do an ollie in the flats on the surfboard? If so, that's what you do right before the top edge. I am at the point now where I am doing it just a tad too early so I am only getting a little bit of air but I am working on it. I have the driver put the taps at 1 and I seem to be able to do a little better.
Here's a pic of me yesterday riding Squids Wake's Soulcraft Jetty swallow tail that he calls "the sex panther".

[Allan Kendall]

[IDBoating]

Yes, I can and do ollie in the "flats". I do them while warming up to get my rhythm going. I know to ollie at the lip, and when I get the timing right (which isn't often but you can definitely feel when you do!) is when I get the best results.

It's easy for me to just say "I need more practice" and maybe that's true, but we've put over 100 surfing hours on the boat this season and this is pretty much been my focus every time I've been on the board. It feels like I should be progressing faster, so I wonder if I'm missing something or need to change the waveshape or something.

[Timmy!]

I must be at the same point as you. I went to a clinic last week with pro Brandon Tollie and he told me that I was doing the ollie too soon, need to wait until the last second to do it and practice, practice, practice. Try it with a smaller wave, I find it much easier with a shorter wave height.

[IDBoating]

Try it with a smaller wave, I find it much easier with a shorter wave height.

Ah ha! I wondered about that. What is easier about it? Do you think it's a "start with a small wave, master it, and then bump up the wave size" sort of thing or does getting air just mean "smaller wave" all of the time?

[Timmy!]

Ah ha! I wondered about that. What is easier about it? Do you think it's a "start with a small wave, master it, and then bump up the wave size" sort of thing or does getting air just mean "smaller wave" all of the time?

I think start out with the smaller one and master it and then move up. To me it's easier because I can control my balance better. On the steeper, taller face, I feel like my balance point is shifted.

[IDBoating]

OK, I'll give a smaller wave a try next time. Great suggestion. Thank you for sharing your experiences!

[duffymahoney]

Ollie off the top is the hard part. What board are you using? How fast are you surfing?

[IDBoating]

Ollie off the top is the hard part. What board are you using? How fast are you surfing?

11.0 to 11.4 MPH, using a Ronix Carbon Thruster with two short fins installed in the forward positions. We've played with lots of fin placement options and this seems to be a good balance of speed and directional control, but I'm open to suggestions.

[Allan Kendall]

the Ollie is super important....but just as important is a board that does not scrub speed on your bottom turn to the lip..

[Fiveflat]

the Ollie is super important....but just as important is a board that does not scrub speed on your bottom turn to the lip..

this.

[duffymahoney]

Have you ever had anyone on the boat that can?

[IDBoating]

just as important is a board that does not scrub speed on your bottom turn to the lip..

That's why we got the Thruster. Our other boards are an Inland Surfer Infectious (skim style with super short fin, loses lots of speed sliding through the turn) and an Inland Surfer Yellow Loogie (surf style with two really large fins, tends to bury the nose with sharp turns).

[IDBoating]

Have you ever had anyone on the boat that can?

Not yet, you haven't driven down from Sandpoint.