Happy New Year CSC Fam!!! We closed out 2019 in super fun but challenging surf in NJ. The wind forecasts leading up to the session were all over the map. All the primary signs pointed to offshore NW winds in NY for the earlier morning hours, then shifting to the favorable NJ W winds for midday and afternoon. First plan was to get a session in in NY then head to NJ for the rest of the day. I obsessively refreshed Windfinder in the 24 hours leading up to the event, and saw the night before that winds looked to shift W even earlier than first forecasted. I shifted the plans again to just target NJ since NY is a bummer with W winds. I picked up the new assistant, MG, in Bed Stuy at 6a, then grabbed CSC “clean-slater” (a person who has learned to surf with us since day 1 of their surfing career) Phil Bohlman in Prospect Heights on our way to the BQE.
My yoga coach, Evan Perry (@evanperryfitness) , was en route 30 minutes ahead of us. He had also seen the same wind report the night prior, but both of us failed to check the current wind scenario before getting in our cars. D’oh! Yeah the wind forecast can change that much in such a small amount of time. Not only was it still offshore in NY, it was very offshore from the NNW. Should have stuck with Plan A. We had a little solace that the swell was super E so NJ looked to have a bit more size than NY. First spots we checked had a little morning sickness, but nothing too bad. We went a little further south and found something that looked really fun. Winds were light offshore already. It needed a touch more time, so we ran by Charles Mencel’s (@mencel_surfboards) shaping bay to pick up the new 7’3” “Potentia” style board that he shaped for us. The thing looks so great for the advancing beginner! Can’t wait to give it a go. After a coffee/bathroom pit stop we were back at the spot and it was cleaning up even with the mega high tide at 11a.
We had a big roster this day — 5 ppl — and so I wanted everyone to have a chance to get coaching. No one had to be anywhere, and we had all day, so the plan was for a first group to go out while the others watched and tried to understand conditions. Tommy and Johan were least intimidated so they paddled out with me first. Tommy was on the 7’6” “Potentia” shaped by Jose Barahona and Johan was on his own 7’4” replica. We used a jetty rip to paddle out. I could tell immediately that the water felt thick and heavy and that the waves looked much bigger and scarier than they actually were. It had that post storm, high tide, wonky lump to it where the waves lurch up all of a sudden, but then they tend to back off and not break until they hit the inside. There were a few tubing sections, but they mostly clamped at the end with no clean exit.
My personal game plan was to find medium to inside waves that would roll through into the shore break. It was also to target an area closer to the jetty where no one was surfing. There was a crowd of local surfers in the middle of beach. As soon as I hit the water I realized the reason most of them were surfing there was not because the waves were necessarily better, but because the rip was pulling south and dumping everyone in that location. There were two main options: 1.) fight the rip and surf alone; 2.) don’t fight the rip and surf in a crowd. Whenever I am faced with those options I choose to fight the rip. It wasn’t like Long Beach on an E swell. It wasn’t a river. Just a light tug, but persistent enough that if you didn’t work against it, you’d end up in the middle with the rest of the pack.
When you’re working with me, the goal is always to sit as close to me as possible. If I am far away from you it’s not because I don’t like you or I am shunning you. It’s because I want you to sit where I am sitting because that is where I have identified that there are the most amount of mellow waves, with little to no competition, for you to try your skills on. If you are far away from me your chances of getting a wave, particularly in difficult conditions, goes down tremendously. Here’s where breathing and fitness play an enormous roll. I understand that it can be hard to keep up with me. I surf for a living and have been surfing my whole life. But the real key to my ability to fight the rip is that I’m not paddling that hard! I’m paddling with great form at a slow clip and taking breaks to sit up and rest. I’ll sit a little — no longer than 1 minute usually — and if no waves come to me, it’s lay back down and hold position by lightly paddling some more. I often call this “maintenance paddling”. I recommend that this is done with your legs crossed, one ankle over the other. This helps train your legs to stay together and keep your chest up, both of which are required for good paddling form. If your form is off when you are maintenance paddling you are going to get tired quickly. If you are not connecting to your breathe, you are going to get tired quickly. As with yoga, breathe into your core to make your breathe efficient. In surfing the breathe connects you to your board. You want to be connected from the bottom of your rib cage to the tops of your knees. Knees no more than 2” apart. Make sure your strokes are deep enough, but don’t pull too hard. You’re just trying to stay in place or move a little up the beach. If you sit too long and drift too far, the more you have to paddle. If you’re out of shape from not surfing or the holidays or some combo of both, all of this is going to be hard. But trust me, it’s easier if you paddle more often, but with less energy, than sitting too long then have too far to paddle to get back into position.
Johan, Phil, Tommy, Greg, and Ben all spent a great deal of their session and their energy just trying to stay close to me or trying to get back outside. The inside was intense from time to time and if any amount of anxiety filters into your system your energy resources get zapped even faster. Greg was having some visual issues with the jetty — not wanting to be close to it with all that water swirling about — but I took him for a paddle out and we made it outside without a wave even breaking on our heads once. Sometimes an experience like that is the whole reason you hire a coach on a tough day in the first place. Greg mentioned to me that he was having trouble feeling glide in his paddling, which was noticeable from an outside perspective as well. He, Johan, Phil, and Tommy all struggled with glide in their paddling, which is why it was difficult for all of them to get into a wave. Ben, the skinny guy riding our pink board, got two successful drops because he was on the biggest board with the most float. He was gassed after those two waves too, so although he got into some, it still took a lot out of him.
Staying in surf shape is not easy if your job is not, well, surfing. I could tell you lots of things like watch what you eat and go to the pool. Do cross training, keep up the cardio. Do yoga. All of that is helpful, but it’s also hard to keep up. I am not saying to eschew any of those things, but instead to do what is reasonable for your lifestyle and surfing expectations. And even if you have a workout routine, if you haven’t surfed in over 2 weeks, paddling is not going to be easy. Nothing prepares you for surfing like surfing. So my main piece of advice is what I said before: focus on your breathe and focus on your paddling technique. The better your technique, the more efficient your stroke, the more energy you conserve, the more able you are to sit near me, the more likely you are to be in position for a good one.
Most of the crew this day did get in position for one, but once it was upon them either the strength to get into it was gone or the visual of the water sucking up as the wave started to form caused jitters. I stressed to the crew that the only waves that would let you in had a kind of “scary” look to them as they lurched up, but that they really weren’t that big or that heavy. Some might toss you a little or shake you under water, but nothing was holding you under for longer than 5 seconds. The more you look at waves and understand their peaks and shoulders the more confident you’ll become about where to take off. Don’t ever turn your back to the wave for too long. You want to stay facing the wave seated until it’s time to do a sit turn and paddle gently — gently because you’re in position and you don’t have to paddle too hard if you’re in position — into it, eyes down the line, ready to stand as it picks you up.
The other huge takeaway is to be honest about your surfing shape and your confidence that you’re able to get into one of the waves you’re watching from the shore. Consider a few important variables: when was the last time you surfed? have you gained or lost any weight? have you been keeping up with your pool or yoga routine? can you identify the waves that are appropriate for you from the shore? do you feel anxious? scared? If your confidence is low or your physical abilities are limited by any of these factors then you should be riding a board that feels “a little too big”. So what if you can’t duckdive? You probably can’t duckdive the midlength you’re riding anyhow. When in doubt take more foam out. Even if you’re in shape but just struggling with confidence on the drop, take out a bigger board. I know you’re saying, “But Dion you’re riding a 5’4” in the video and duckdiving is easy for you.” Yes, and I surf for a living and have been surfing my whole life. But even I got winded this day. In my second session, which is not on video, I took out a 6’9” which I can only duckdive in a shallow manner. When I got caught inside on the larger sets I looked behind me, made sure no one was there, and ditched my board. I’m struggling with a shoulder injury right now and would much rather ditch my board than have a wave pull my shoulder out of the socket. I just stayed calm while the ocean pulsed then paddled when it got clear again. I was so thankful to have more foam. I don’t think I could have even caught a wave on my fish that second session.
Be aware that if you’re in a session with me and we both notice the board is too small for where you’re at, we can go in and get a bigger board for you. I mean I have done that with my own quiver. If I go out on something smaller and realize I can’t stay in position or get into a wave, I go in, put the chip away, and get some more foam under my chest.
Even with a larger board, however, the visual aspect of looking down what seems to be a vertical wall of water remains. I remember a few times this session, especially with Johan and Phil, they were in a perfect spot for a wave, but when they looked at it coming at them they thought they were too far inside so they paddled out a little then turned around to go for it, and it backed off and broke where they were sitting in the first place. Positioning is hard and so is keeping your eyes down the line and realizing how much time you actually have to take off. It really isn’t happening as fast as you think it is! Even here, BREATHE! Keep your head up, look down the line, gently stroke in, push up, chest high, for 1 second, then onto the feet.
And lastly, even if the awesome wave catching thing doesn’t happen, give yourself a pat on the back for just getting out there. You’re confronting your fitness levels, paddling skills, and fear of the unknown. There’s a lot to be said for that.