I hope joan doesn't take this the wrong way, but there is a general point to make here about surf skills and approaching the surf I liked doug's post for certain types of learners, I thought Duane's comment a bit heavy-handed, though something like his version can be fine for many paddlers. Some people i've taught can't wait to get out, get trashed, wash up and do it again, and again, until they master it. Many australians, like me, grew up getting munched in the surf trying to bodysurf etc. But not all.... but Joan wrote > I think Doug's piece is great, thought I did ask myself if I had the > courage to go this far this soon in my paddling experience. This, however, is an attitude to surf I wouldn't encourage. I'm not sure what sort of water joan paddles but I'd see surf skills as a very good place to START developing sea paddling skills after a little gentle, flattish water, safe launching/landing paddling. Getting into the surf, shouldn't be seen as 'out there', something to do once you've got some experience. In sea kayaking surf is going to confront you sooner or later. In australia, sooner. How can you know what your landing point will be like? There was an article in sea kayaker some years ago about some paddlers who got in trouble late in the day (evening?). From memory they were describing having trouble when unexpectedly having to cope with three-four foot surf (am I right in this?), among other issues, I think. A little surfing tuition and practice would have enabled them cope with this surf with ease, it would not have been an issue. They might have even been disappointed at the lack of surf for a fun end of day run in to the beach. Moreover surf skills are not just for the surf. The skills of leaning, bracing, hip use, coping with breaking waves coming from every which way, and using subtle adjustments of body and paddle to guide the boat on a wave and stay upright are all potentially useful away from the surf on the open water if wind and waves come up, and you find yourself in breaking water, or suddenly on a breaking bombora (waves on a slightly submerged rock), or perhaps caught in a wave in a gauntlet or in a cave. Surf-learnt skills will help you stay upright, help you to stay calmer because you know you can cope, and, in some circumstance, may even help you to use the wave/boat dynamics to manoeuver your boat to help get out of the situation. If following seas come up surf-enhanced skills will assist you in catching them out on open water - Yee haa! You can have fun and get home fast. nick who should get back to work on his thesis so he feels happy about going to the coast this weekend for the first time in 3 months. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Tue Nov 23 1999 - 19:51:38 PST
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