How to Improve Your Wave Count
One of the toughest things about beginning to surf is missing waves. There’s nothing more frustrating than paddling around for hours, desperately trying (and failing) to catch a wave. With a few simple tips, you can be out there catching waves on demand in no time!
Be Patient & Observe
When you first arrive at the beach, watch the water for about 15 minutes. Most new surfers are impatient and don't do this. Just stop and watch for a bit. Take some time to see where the waves break, How many waves in a “set”, how much time in between sets (lull), where the “crowd” seems to be focused if any, and who is getting waves and where they are sitting in the line up. This exercise in observation will save you a lot of frustration and be well worth the time you spend watching. If you use that time to stretch, you can kill two birds with one stone!
Situations change with the tides and crowds. Either get out of the water or paddle off to the side every once in awhile and re-assess, so you can get a good perspective on the crowd, the takeoff zone and then head back out.
Keep track of the other surfers in the water. There are always a handful of surfers who seem to get the majority of the waves...this is likely because they are experienced and surf that spot often so they understand the surf break well. There are a couple of rules of thumb if you are looking to increase your wave count, one is to sit on the inside (but not on top!) of these surfers who are getting a lot of waves. There is bound to be a few waves that these surfers will let pass so they can get the primo waves and if you are there in the take off zone you will be rewarded.
Word of caution though...if you are sitting on the inside you need to pay attention when waves come in as you may need to get out of the surfers way who is a bit on the outside.
Another rule is to stay on the inside down the line some from the main take off zone. On days when it is good and a bit crowded, this is a good option. But if you are going to be on the inside you must pay close attention at all times of surfers coming down the line towards you and get out of their way. The benefit of staying inside is two fold...one if a surfer coming down the line towards you falls off...you jump on that oncoming wave. The other bonus is a lot of times waves miss the outside area and break farther inside...just another bonus for you!
Board Positioning
Make sure that you’re positioned on the “sweet spot” on your board ...not too far back or too far forward. If you are too far back on the board, the wave won’t be able to push you forward. Test it out and find the right balance. If waves keep passing you by, move forward a little bit. If the nose of your board dips down, try moving backward some. It’s going to take a little while for you to find the exact center of your board, but once you do ...make a wax mark on your board where your chin lines up with...this little trick will help you to always locate your sweet spot once you get back on your board.
Paddling
Use strong, heavy-handed strokes keeping your hands “cupped” to initially get going and then slow down as you look behind you to see where your wave is and if it is “cresting”. The key here is to generate enough board speed to enter the oncoming waves crest. If you do not have enough speed the wave will pass you by.
As the wave approaches and swell begins to lift you up, continue with one or two more hard, powerful strokes. As you feel the energy of the wave propelling you forward it’s time to use your “pop-up” technique to get into your surf stance...making sure you keep your weight on your back foot through the descent of the cresting wave keeping your nose from submerging...once you have gotten to the bottom of the wave you can now exchange your weight back to your normal even stance and surf!
What Type of Wave to Catch
For those surfers surfing on the outside and catching waves before they break...be sure to time your wave well. Again watching and observing where the “take off zone” is will certainly be of benefit to you in this situation. The first thing you have to do is to identify an oncoming swell that you know will break in the “zone”. The earlier you can do this the better off you will be as you will have more time to position yourself and start to paddle to generate board speed.
For some beginners...especially absolute beginners, it’s a good idea to try catching the wave after it breaks...or on the inside in the “whitewater”. This is an excellent place to practice the basics of paddling, turtle rolling, and catching waves with your pop-up technique.