Posts tagged Adam Griffiths

Well here’s some advice for all you surfers out there. If the surf is a bit heavy, and you are a bit tired, don’t bail your board! Both Dan and I have broken our boards this way! It’s an expensive habit!

But seriously, if you are trying to get out back and you can’t navigate your board over or under the waves, then if you must bail it just once, make sure there is no one around or behind you that could be hurt. DON’T EVER bail it if there is anyone who could be hurt by your board. You shouldn’t bail in any case as even if there is no one around, your leash might snap and your treasured stick could get washed up on the nearby rocks as you flap about paddling to shore, ending your surfing for that session at the very least! Your board will be dinged up something rotten and your pride even worse off!

So instead, hold on to it for dear life, and take the wave in the face like the hardcore surfer that you are! If you think you cannot stay on the board, come off and hold the nose tightly under your arm and face the oncoming wave. Keep your body low in the water with your legs down, and the wave should wash over you.

If you are bailing your board on more than one occasion you have to ask yourself if you should be out in the surf! Perhaps the waves are too big for you, or you have got tired, or your don’t have the right technique. Really if you are on your short board you should be duck-diving instead. This is a skill which takes time to master, and only experienced surfers like Adam Griffiths can duck-dive a long board. But surfing is one long learning curve, and if you want to learn how to duck dive and therefore get out to the line-up quickly, some of the folowing will help; get a lesson from a pro, read about it on surf guides on-line, watch some footage of the correct technique, and practise till you get it. Always remember though to enjoy your self on the way, that’s the point of surfing – to have fun in the sea!