The Journey Towards Having More FUN Surfing

During the Waco Beginner's Trip last August, I had the opportunity to try out one of their new Barrel waves. Just prior to that, they released an amazing set of videos showing that same wave looking like an easy takeoff, setup, and ride through to the end. 

I should have known better. 

The surfing world is very good at marketing. And the general formula is - get a pro to rip on video or in a photo, and then watch as we all buy what they are selling. 

Like I said, I should have known better. The initial video of the pro surfer taking off on said wave barreling wave profile looked incredibly easy. I promoted it as a great way to learn barrel riding - a warm up to Surf Ranch - take your barrel riding to the next level. 

Oops. That's really all I can say. Because when I tried this new wave profile in August during the Beginner trip (with advanced to expert surfers), I realized the reality of this wave. It was not an easy takeoff, nor an easy set up, and no,...

Each time we venture to our private island in Baja for a week of surf coaching, we experience something different surf-wise. We are typically blessed with one to two days of larger and more powerful swell, accompanied by fun moderate swell the rest of the week. This is a perfect formula for coaching both from a paddling and takeoff point of view, but also for Barry to coach surf technique and other skills while riding. The ocean normally gives us a small taste of what these surf spots could provide without overwhelming anyone in the group.

This year, we are thankful we got moderate swell. There was less of a taste of the more powerful stuff than in trips past, but the ocean provided waves every day still. I frequently surfed four to five sessions throughout the day, with the least frequent two sessions on the smallest and softest day of the week.

In other words, no matter what the forecast had looked like in years past and did look like leading into this year’s week there,...

The Epiphany

A few years ago, I was surfing at Waco Surf with a few clients and friends. We bought a few private sessions and had supplemented the trip with some public sessions. Let’s just say, this was an advanced surf group. We weren’t really looking at any waves below the intermediate level to surf or try out.

In the middle of our trip, in the middle of the day, I was sipping on a tea and munching on a breakfast sandwich. Another group of surfers were starting up their session and I looked up (as most surfers do) when the waves started rolling through.

However, when I glanced up at the first wave, it wasn’t breaking in the typical place in the basin, nor was it as fast, nor as tall. But the surfer delicately paddled in, got to their feet and rode beautifully in the pocket until the wave started to hit an inside section where it started to stand up nicely as the surfer walked to the nose and back.

What the?!?

Waco has a longboard wave? For some reason at this...

I know, I know. You can go to Indo for a week with what it costs to go to Surf Ranch for a day and a half. Or Fiji, or Mex, or fill in the blank surf location.

And you know, you’re right. Spot on. 100% correct.

But would it be an apples-to-apples comparison on what you get?

Maybe. Maybe not.

Every year I say to myself, I’m not doing Surf Ranch again. And yet, each year I go again, and again. Why?

I just can’t convince myself otherwise.

Contrary to what some people may think, I buy a spot just like everyone else. So it hits my wallet just like it hits yours. And I have to go through the money justification just like you.

So here’s my thought process on it. Agree or disagree, but I figured I would share for the fun of it.

GOAL OF TRIP

First, we need to set a baseline on what is included in each trip, and also level set what my goal of the trip is. The reason why the second parameter is important is because I may very well choose to go on a trip to Indo, or...

Much like an automobile, our surfing needs a tune-up each year. Unlike our cars, a surfing tune-up, as I am defining it, doesn’t involve repair. A surfing tune-up is about building neural pathways (new or renewed) so when an opportunity presents itself in the ocean, our brain automatically moves the body parts it needs to in order to achieve the maneuver we sought.

As I’ve mentioned in past articles, Lakeside Surf Rail Surfing Coaching Trip with Barry Green and

From a Down the Line to a Carving Surfer … in 3 Days, the learning curve at Lakeside is steeper than other wavepools. Every wavepool, every surf break in fact, has a learning curve our brain needs to go through in order to get to a stage where we are just surfing (and therefore progressing). Sometimes the learning curve is learning the takeoff, when the wave stands up, when the wave backs off, or simply how the water is moving as we ride the wave. Because Lakeside is so foreign for our brains, it takes a...

A few years ago, a client and friend of mine, Zouhair Belkoura (of Pacifica Board Factory), were talking about how an experiment might be conducted to test board length in regards to efficiency and speed. Shortly thereafter, we devised a small experiment where he shaped three surfboards of the same volume but varied in length (6’, 7’, and 8’), attempting to keep the profiles as close as possible, only changing thickness and width to achieve an equal volume.

We began collecting data in early 2021 and wrapped up in Aug/Sept 2021.

The results are as you would expect, with the 8’ being the most efficient in regards to stroke rate, 7’ next best, and 6’ worst; and, in regards to average speed, the same trend emerged.

You can watch the podcast talking about this experiment here; and Zouhair’s write up here.

The Anomaly?

There is one statistic that I’d like to point out in this article and explain with a little more...

In this video, I’m going to show you the top three techniques both surfers used that were good, and the top three bad techniques they ended up using once they fatigued; and I’m going to add a few bonuses at the end on why Seth won priority.

To learn more about the Level 1 Paddling Technique course, please feel free to reach out.

[highlights video below]

“This is the last year I will run this,” is always what I say a few weeks before each Kelly Slater Surf Ranch trip. The amount of financial, logistical, and anticipatory stress I endure would put any cardiologist on call.

And yet, each year, I am utterly blown away with the feeling of joy and fulfillment the aftermath brings.

Simply looking at the happiness on the faces of the participants is enough to make me do it all over again.

BEST STATS to DATE

On top of seeing their ecstatic faces after each wave, it seems the pre-trip training has proved successful once again (and was so close to the 90% benchmark I set as a goal each year).

Not only did this group register the highest Priority takeoff success rate at 88%, but they improved immensely in both the Pro and Poach takeoff zones (80% and 85% respectively).

AND, of the participants on this year’s trip, only five surfers had previously taken the pre-trip Take Off Training and...

The other day, I witnessed a surfer paddling as fast and as hard as he could to catch a wave that was still ten feet behind him. The wave inevitably caught up to him and he eventually caught it, got to his feet and rode away.

He paddled out for another wave, and at the next opportunity, he repeated his sequence of events, paddling as hard and fast as he could with the wave at least ten feet behind him. On this attempt, the wave moved underneath him, and he rolled down the back of the wave. So, he didn’t paddle back out as far.

On his third opportunity, he once again started to paddle as fast and as hard as he could with the wave ten or more feet behind him, but this time the wave crashed horribly on top of him and sent him rolling around in the washing machine.

He then headed in. Given the three wave attempts I observed, he had a 33% make rate. On top of that, he looked tired, and I’m sure would have said he needs to get more “paddle fit”.

But what if there...

The other day, I was with a client and we were working on techniques and concepts in the Level 2 course while in the Ocean 1 session. I noticed him take a wave and then paddle back out to the main takeoff area. We waited next to each other for a bit, then he saw the next set starting to arrive and made a move deeper in the lineup, past a few surfers who had been waiting patiently and who had not dropped in on him during the last set.

He proceeded to paddle past them, position himself deeper than the waiting surfers, turn and went.

I immediately looked at the three surfers he backpaddled. They looked frustrated and upset, as they should have.

When my client returned to the lineup, I pulled him aside.

“Great wave. And great wave before that. Listen though, now that you have efficient and effective paddling, you need to be aware of that power and balance the use of it in the lineup.”

I felt like Uncle Ben in Spider-Man. “With great power comes great...