Re: [Paddlewise] Surf advice - was ' How was 2004?'

 >The idea of using a low brace
as much as possible is intriguing. Several paddlers I go out with have
dislocated their shoulders and they are mostly thin, low upper body strength
build like myself. Just when would you make the decision to move from a low
brace to a high brace? Is it the size of the wave or some other
characteristic such as the power of the wave?


   Personally I have never much cared for the broached landing technique.
Going into a broach to land has always been a method of last resort in my
book. The problem with coming into the beach in a broach is that you are
pretty much at the mercy of the wave. You can't stop, and you really have
very little control of your boat. If a rock or a person or another kayak is
in your way then your going to hit it, and there is not a whole lot you can
do about it. I have always preferred landing behind the wave. That is you
follow the wave in, just behind the crest, and let it break in front of you.
Then you can ride your boat up over the sand on the water that the wave has
just deposited on the beach. When the water draws back out to sea you should
find yourself sitting high and dry on the sand. By coming in behind the wave
you are in control. You can even stop and back up if need be. Whenever I am
landing a loaded boat I will come in behind the wave.
   As for bracing in the waves, it is imperative that the elbows be kept in
close to the body when doing this in order to prevent shoulder problems.
While it may looked really dramatic to fully extend your arms and your
paddle during a high brace in a large wave, to do so is asking for an
injury. So when do you use a low verses a high brace? It depends on the
height of the wave. You want your paddle to extend horizontally into the
wave. That is, you should not be reaching up into the wave, or reaching down
into it either. So on a small wave rather then reach down to the wave with a
high brace you will use a low brace to extend your paddle horizontally into
the face of the wave.  On a larger wave rather then reach up into the wave
with a low brace you will instead switch to a horizontal high brace.
   Bracing on a wave, even a really huge wave, actually requires little in
the way of strength or power. It's all finesse and technique, edge control
and balance.

Scott
So.Cal.
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