Having Trouble Surfing

[NICKYPOO]

If your bro is doing fine and you keep running into the back of the boat, your problem is you. I know that sounds harsh, but it could just be YOUR ballance. Get yourself an INDO board. It will help you with your ballance a ton. Wakesurfing takes constant tiny adjustments to your ballance.

Wakes will always need to be tweeked.

[loudelectronics]

Got three indo's. Love em. Can spin, flip them and hang em. Really helped my balance, but I still cant surf. I can ski on a paddle but cant get this rythm down.

[NICKYPOO]

OK, maybe I'm just a huge member. Oh yeah, I am a huge member.

Moving on. Where's your head in relation to your feet? Are you keeping your knees together? You're also way back in the pocket. Gotta hang up by the rooster tail and keep diving down the face. Kind of like compressioning down a half pipe on a skate board. I know there's only one pic of you, but you look like your trying to shoot a baby out your butt. OK, that last one was just for my personal enjoyment.

[LovinPowell]

Heres one with a floaty. Check out the wake. Does it look ok? We have a heck of a time getting dialed. Seems like it is easier when it is smaller. We can make it monstrous but it gets really soft.

We tell people, that to go faster put your weight on the toe side edge of the board and/or on the front foot. To slow down, weight on the back foot. Never lean back or weight the heel side edge. Stay in close to the face of the wave, not out in the flats. Keep the nose of the board pointed at the back of the boat. That will help with the cruising. Toes could be as close as an inch from the edge of the board. That will help with staying close to the face. Finding the "sweet spot" is the key. Once it is found, the weight just needs to be adjusted (front and back) to stay in it.

IMHO, it looks like your left foot could be a little farther forward, or at least be putting more weight on it so that you move up closer to the boat.

[dogbert]

Also, I'd try slowing the boat down. It looks like you're going a tad bit too fast. That will help shorten the pocket, make the wave steeper and more perpendicular to the direction of the boat. That way you'll get a more direct push from behind instead of having to carve down the side of the wake.

Here's an example:

[sagmanaur]

It sounds like you are a skier turned surfing... if that is the case you may have the same problem I had when I started. I was a wakeboarder, and it seems like I would never lean forward enough, my muscle memory was used to leaning back against the pull of the rope. Once I got my toes on the wake edge, bent my knees and got my weight almost equally on both feet (shift weight front to back to speed up/slow down), I then got it.
I was soooo close to giving up surfing (it was very frustrating), then "I got it", now I have pretty much given up wakeboarding.

Stay with it, good luck.

[LovinPowell]

Also, I'd try slowing the boat down. It looks like you're going a tad bit too fast. That will help shorten the pocket, make the wave steeper and more perpendicular to the direction of the boat. That way you'll get a more direct push from behind instead of having to carve down the side of the wake.

Couldn't agree with you more. Slow it down.

[Moki]

All of this has already been said, but the trick for me was to move my feet more toeside and move my front foot closer to the front of the board to keep up my speed. Also, some days, depending on how many people and where they are sitting, my wake is different and my speed ranges from 9.3 - 10.5. If you don't have Perfect Pass, get it, it makes a big difference!

Keep trying and you will find your mojo!

[NICKYPOO]

Finding the "sweet spot" is the key.

Bingo. I've been thinking about this for a few days now, thinking of all the people we've tought to surf. Every once in a while, someone has trouble finding the pocket. It happens. Dogberts pic show it perfectly.

[dogbert]

We were out the other day and were surfing at 8.8. Only 400 lbs in the rear locker, 150 lbs on the port seat bench and a couple of bodies.

[KonaKing]

Also, I'd try slowing the boat down. It looks like you're going a tad bit too fast. That will help shorten the pocket, make the wave steeper and more perpendicular to the direction of the boat. That way you'll get a more direct push from behind instead of having to carve down the side of the wake.

Here's an example:

WATCH THAT ROPE it can be a killer

[skyski_tige]

WATCH THAT ROPE it can be a killer

She has protective goggles on...

[dogbert]

WATCH THAT ROPE it can be a killer

It's a surf rope...zero chance of wrapping around limbs. What he's done is actually rather clever. The rope will stay on that side of the wake and bounce around. If he wants it back, he can actually ride up the wake and grab it.

The rope handle looks like this:



The braiding is so thick it really can't wrap around anything.

[loudelectronics]

Ok, so I bought a Ronix Stage. Its going back. The board is incredibly slow and is way more difficult to ride then the tsunami. Also the ad says that you can have toes on the nose stability, well if you get any where close to the front it nose bombs. It might work at 20 mph. The board held well to the water but was to slow to catch and stay in the sweet spot. After using it and riding the wake with out a rope for 30 seconds I jumped on the tsunami and rode it for a minute. I am going to stick with the tsunami cause it is much faster and I have way more control of where I am in the wake. I was actually able to drop in from the roost and let go of the rope and keep riding.

[NICKYPOO]

Ok, so I bought a Ronix Stage. Its going back. The board is incredibly slow and is way more difficult to ride then the tsunami. Also the ad says that you can have toes on the nose stability, well if you get any where close to the front it nose bombs. It might work at 20 mph. The board held well to the water but was to slow to catch and stay in the sweet spot. After using it and riding the wake with out a rope for 30 seconds I jumped on the tsunami and rode it for a minute. I am going to stick with the tsunami cause it is much faster and I have way more control of where I am in the wake. I was actually able to drop in from the roost and let go of the rope and keep riding.

Sweet. Sometimes all it takes is a ride on a super slow board to get you that feel when you jump on your "fast" board.

I rode a friends new IS Forskim (actually the Black Pearl model) the other day. Very nice board. Not quite as fast as my Walzer, but fast enough and much more stable and forgiving. I highly recommend it.