How do the pros duckdive so deep?

Question

How do Pro surfers like you will c in mags b like 10 ft underwater duckdiving a wave? i can get about 5 ft under water but its hard to do that

Answer 1

a bunch of practice

Answer 2

because they are duckdiving bigger waves than you are. You are duckdiving 5 ft. waves while they are duckdiving 10 foot waves. And they are probably also using a smaller board than you are.

It's about scooping water with your board. Once you've duckdived you can actually stay under water longer by scooping water from side to side. Some people practice this while waiting  for waves. The best can stay under for a while to the surprise of people around them. The secret is scooping water sideways to hold yourself under longer.

I agree with the above comments about using your foot on the tail and using speed into it. Begin by forcing the nose down as deep as possible and then pushing the tail down. Always go nose-down and come up nose-up, but you probably already know that.

Answer 3

im no pro but i read in tracks that putting ur foot instead on the tail of the board insted of your knee on the middle board can help you push it down further...... also, as crazy as this sounds, paddling faster towards the wave, yeh kinda wierd cos u dont exactly wanna paddle at the massive wave comng near you but thats wat it said. to get ur momentum up i spose

Answer 4

ya that is crazy who they do that. but i guess surfing big waves you can duckdive deeper. and i think they use there foot insted of there knee

Answer 5

All good tips from the other answerers but the pros also tend to ride smaller boards than the average surfer so they have that advantage as well.

Answer 6

Most of them are so athletically fit that they are using boards that barely float them and they paddle them fine. In this scenario you can also sink the board much deeper.

Answer 7

1. Paddle hard

2. Use one foot to sink the tail (forget about using your knee)

3. Use the free leg to kick to achiever greater depth/speed

4. Time your duckdive, if possible, to use the wave's energy to spit you out the back

5. Practice - even in a pool, if necessary

Answer 8

because they are pros so they can handel smaller boards so its easier o push the board under. but make sure ur extending ur arms and putting ur nose deep enough in.

i heard that some people move their rails side to side while putting presure on the board to dig more into the water if that helps

Answer 9

That's why they are pros, they are very good at what they do. That's a little bit like asking how do they surf the way they do. Athletic ability and prcatice!