How to gain speed on a wave with a shortboard: Pumping down the line will give you the speed you need to do maneuvers like turns, floaters, or possibly throw an air.
When you have successfully angled your surfboard and are standing up with the perfect surf stance, immediately start pumping with your legs as hard as you can. If you take off going straight toward the beach on a small wave, you will potentially lose all of your speed and ruin the wave. Once you feel that you’ve caught the wave, it’s important that you angle your board in the direction the wave is going to break to avoid losing speed. This means paddling into waves as hard as you can until you feel your board has caught the wave. To effectively gain speed on a small wave with your shortboard, you will first need to paddle with a purpose. Small waves are hard to generate speed on with a shortboard. If a shiny new longboard is too expensive for your budget, get a foam board and have the time of your life. This allows them to enjoy surfing as much as possible. Do yourself a favor and get a longboard for the smaller days.
Many amazing surfers still enjoy riding longboards when the conditions ask for it. However, longboarding is not only for beginners. Longboards excel in small waves because of their extra volume, length, and low rocker.Ĭompared to shortboards, longboards are extremely stable, easy to ride, and great for learning the basic techniques of surfing. Ideally, you want to surf a longboard instead of a shortboard when the waves are small. Longboards of all lengths were specifically designed for small waves.
If you’re still unsure, don’t be afraid to ask an employee to point you in the right direction. When you go into your local surf shop, there will be no shortage of small shortboards (grovelers). Over the last decade, surfers (even pros) have taken an interest in surfing shorter and chunkier shortboards that give them the power and drive needed to rip tiny waves. Luckily for you, there are a plethora of small wave shortboards designed and shaped by some of the world’s greatest. A wide nose and a chunkier tail will also help you generate speed when paddling and pumping down the line. Shortboards with this range of volume and low rocker will help give you the paddle power/drive you need to make the most out of small waves. Groveler shortboards are 3-4 inches shorter, have 30-35 L (liters) of volume, and have a low rocker (flatter bottom curve). FYI, small wave shortboards are also called “grovelers.” So, the key to finding an ideal small wave shortboard is to understand what surfboard dimensions will work best in a weaker swell. Generally, shortboards are designed to perform well when the waves are bigger and more powerful. Finding a small wave shortboard tends to be more difficult because shortboards aren’t usually designed for small waves. If longboards aren’t your cup of tea, you will have to find a shortboard that works well in small waves. Whether you classify yourself as a shortboarder or a longboarder, the perfect small wave surfboard is waiting for you to enjoy on those small days. And even worse, you will get super frustrated and ruin the wonderful day you were planning. If you choose the wrong surfboard before paddling out on a small day, you probably won’t end up catching many waves. Step 1: Choose The Right SurfboardĬhoosing the right surfboard when the surf conditions are small is mandatory for the success of your surf session. Before I go on, please remember this: surfing small waves can be just as fun as surfing big waves, you just need the right mindset and equipment.īelow, I will walk you through the step-by-step process you’ll want to follow to have a blast surfing small waves regardless of where you live. This article will touch upon everything from the best small wave surfboards to small wave surfing techniques. Today, I’m going to discuss how to master the art of surfing small waves when you can’t expect a large swell to roll in. This leaves you with endless days of surfing small waves … I think it’s time to plan a surf trip to Indo. In fact, most surf destinations across the United States only receive a couple of big swells a year. Let’s face it - surfing small waves is inevitable if you’re a surfer.Īs much as you’d like your local surf spots to be firing all the time, they don’t.