I am a beginner at surfing & i'm having a hard time getting my board past the breaking point? any tips?

Question

I believe i have 6'7" board

Just having a hard time getting past the breaking point of the wave

I always get push back to shore

Answer 1

Firstly, It's always great to hear of girls learning to surf, other than paddling, guys don't have an advantage over girls. I mean, look at Rob Machodo, one of the greatest surfers, still, and his legs are like straws... OK, getting back at the question, duckdiving is important, and d**n hard. I learned to surf before I sorted out duckdiving... Picture a hand scooping water, it's the same action, the board stays under water bacause of this scooping action. Get the nose under by putting all your wieght above your hands (whilst doing a push-up and staying up). Then stand up with one foot and press down with it... Good Luck, if you stick in there (and it takes d**n long) and manage to figure surfing out, you'll never look back. I often surf with 60 year olds who still have the same stoke as a beginner who just stood up for the first time...

Answer 2

There are a few things you can do.  

One, find a surf spot for beginners that has plenty of lulls in the waves.  There are places that won't break for 5-10 minutes at a time.  This will give you plenty of time to paddle beyond the breaking zone.

Second, if a wave does come, you can either duck dive like the previous answers or you can turtle.  I don't know how big you are and how thick and wide your board is but I'm guessing that you probably won't be able to duckdive very well since you're new.  So instead, try flipping upside down with your board right when a wave comes (so you're underwater below the board) and pull the nose of the board down with you as much as possible.  This will allow the wave to go right over you and the board.  Once the waves passes you by, flip the board back over, climb on top of it and continue to paddle as fast as you can.

Answer 3

You need to figure out how to duck dive.  Paddle at the white water and as it approcahes you grab the rails of your board near the nose and push it under the water (like you are trying to do a pushup), shift your weight forward making yourself dive under the leading edge of the white water and using your foot push the back of your board down as the wave passes over you.  It takes some time to work out the timing but it is an essential skill.

You should also look for gaps in the breaking parts of the wave where the water is a little deeper and a rip current has formed, this will make it easier to paddle out.  If you are not  a strong swimmer don't try to surf without other people around to help you if you need it.  Rips can be your best friend and your worst enemy if you don't know how to get out of them.

Answer 4

The first answer given was pretty good. In addition a little tip I would give people is to walk out as far as you can first before paddling and duck diving the board. Just try to jump over the waves as they come at you holding your board off to the side. Don't hold it in front of you as you might have the board come back at you. This will help you reserve your strength for paddling.

***ADDITION***

The answer below mine suggests turtle diving and this is a good way also. If you do this you must be careful and pull the board against your body, because if you don't and the board is a little ways from your body then the wave might push the board into and I have seen a couple get hurt from doing it this way. This is another good way when you are first starting off, but remember this part.

One thing to add about practicing duck diving. When you get out past the breakers and are waiting for sets, you can go through the motions of duck diving and get more comfortable with it.