u/Retsek860 — reddlx

Predicting waves in the UK

Salty post after driving to Bude for a Surfline-predicted 5-7ft fair to good day... its pretty shit out there and Surfline is still saying it's good.

I know you've gotta take these online forecasts with a pinch of salt, but they're usually roughly correct, just wondering if more experienced surfers had any words of wisdom on predicting waves in the UK.

I'm trying to do my due diligence and come to a conclusion on why today is much worse than Surfline forecasted, but I can't find a smoking gun. Looking at the Bideford Bay buoy data, https://coastalmonitoring.org/realtimedata/?chart=97, it looks pretty solid and there is almost no wind. It seems Surf-Forecast got it right, https://www.surf-forecast.com/breaks/Bude/forecasts/latest/six_day, do people find that they are often more accurate? Or is it just a broken clock's right twice a day?

Thanks, if the waves are pumping after the tide comes in I'll delete this post lol

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u/Retsek860 — 7 days ago

▲ 30 r/BeginnerSurfers

Intermediate-beginner feedback please

Here are a few clips from a wave pool. Looking for advice on how to level up my surfing. Here's a few things I've noted for next time, let me know if you agree/disagree/have any other advice, thanks!

I can be a bit wobbly just after takeoff - I think this just needs more practice.

These are some of my first ever attempts at pumping, it felt good in the moment but looking at the footage... Not so much. It looks a bit naff, but I can't quite put my finger on why, do I need more frontside rail engagement?

My cutbacks are dog. How do I cutback harder without bogging a rail? Get my rear foot further back on the tail to engage the fins? Lead the turn with my upper body more, twisting and looking where I want to go?

Edit: just a blanket message to those telling me to relax and have fun, I appreciate the sentiment and I want you to know that I am having fun! And maybe I'm not the most relaxed because surfing in this wave pool its like £3 per wave haha

u/Retsek860 — 19 days ago

▲ 5 r/BeginnerSurfers

Making the section - outrunning a breaking section

I'm sure there is probably tutorials online for this, but I can't seem to find the right terminology to describe what I am thinking of, hopefully someone can point me in the right direction.

I am consistently catching unbroken waves and riding down the line and I am starting to be able to surf up and down the face of the wave.

But sometimes I catch a wave, perhaps a little bit late, and by the time I am up it is breaking all around me. Sometimes I'll see that just ahead of me the wave is still clean and unbroken. I have tried to reach that section by staying high on the wave but found the foam slows my lateral movement. Instead I have had much more success turning towards the beach, picking up speed going down the wave and then bottom turning back up onto the unbroken wave having outrun the foam section.

Does anyone know what this kind of technique is called? So that I can watch/read tutorials on how to do it better.

Thanks

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u/Retsek860 — 1 month ago

▲ 11 r/BeginnerSurfers+1 crossposts

Leash plug location prohibits good tail pad placement?

Wanting to put a tail pad on my board, but not sure I can get it back far enough whilst still giving the leash plug enough clearance. How does the placement look in the photos? Ideally I would want to have it a bit further back, but I fear it is already too close to the leash plug and at risk of being ripped off. What do you guys think?

Edit: thanks for feedback, I will shorten the leash string (it came like this don't kill me!) and see if I can find a good tutorial before taking a knife to the tail pad

Edit 2: it's really not a fish, it's 6'10" with thruster fin configuration and the swallow tail is tiny compared to a real fish

Edit 3: to the "it's a 6'10" you don't need a tail pad" guys I respect your opinion, but I respect a professional surf coach's opinion more. I agree that it doesn't *need* a tail pad, but no one has claimed that it'll make it harder to surf.

u/Retsek860 — 2 months ago