surf practice

 Today I had the opportunity to try a surf entry. I paddled out into waves about two feet tall then turned around and tried to make it back in. I tried about 15 times and only flipped once. Paddling out into the surf is easy and actually a lot of fun, but making it back in is no joke. Even though I only flipped once I am sure I would have flipped every time had I gone all the way out past the surf then tried to come back.
 So what is the secret to staying straight? Almost every time I came back in the wave turned me side ways. The waves were small enough that I could just lean into it and stay up right, but had they been big waves I would have been done. This is something that I would like to learn how to do right so any tips or secrets would be appreciated.

Hey merlin. It was nice to meet you on Sunday. Wish we could have had a good day of fishing instead of getting lost in the fog and fighting big waves. One thing I have found in a surf landing is never try and go in straight. Always try and go parallel to the beach. And if the surf is big try a paddle brace. which is when you lean into the wave and put your paddle into the wave for support. Or I have found if the surf was real bad I would come in backwards. Everytime a wave comes paddle into it. When it passes start paddling backwards. I am no pro but these thing have helped me. Talk to you later! Zac

Can't ya just stand up and ride it in like a surf board?   

Just kidding? 

What would happen if you were paddle close to the surf zone, have everything loose stored below, and then lash your crate or cooler in the seat area, and work your way into the cargo area behind the seat.   Then paddled your way in with your feet just off either side of the yak?  Would the added weight in the rear help keep the yak from going sideways on the face of a wave? 

I'm just invisioning the way surfers start down the face of wave on their boards.  I know they are made different than a yak, but maybe something similar will work for a yak?   

Thinking outside the box. 

If all else fails, ride the wave and enjoy the ride.  It's a bit scary as you can end up catching some speed.  But if you find yourself turning sideways, paddle on the inside of the turn (wave side) ... HARD! ... and you'll propel yourself across the wave much like a surfer rides across a wave.  With a little speed, you can then rudder on the outside (shore side) to turn yourself with the wave.  If you're not moving forward, you can't rudder and any attempts to do so will result in a you huli-ing (is that a word?).  Sometimes I'll even extend the paddle by adjusting my grip ... inside hand grabs middle of paddle and outside hand actually grabs the end of the paddle face, you'd be amazed at the turning leverage you can get by doing this ... long reaching sweep strokes.  Warning!!!! if you're not used to this maneuver, practice it first (a lot!) in smaller waves.  If you find yourself getting too perpendicular to the wave, brace into the wave as stated before.   You'd be surprised how much you can do this without falling off your yak.

-Allen

Can't ya just stand up and ride it in like a surf board?   

Just kidding? 

What would happen if you were paddle close to the surf zone, have everything loose stored below, and then lash your crate or cooler in the seat area, and work your way into the cargo area behind the seat.   Then paddled your way in with your feet just off either side of the yak?  Would the added weight in the rear help keep the yak from going sideways on the face of a wave? 

I'm just invisioning the way surfers start down the face of wave on their boards.  I know they are made different than a yak, but maybe something similar will work for a yak?   

Thinking outside the box. 

Totally differnent hydrodynamics.  You'd need a much flatter keel.  
Knee straps help quite a bit but it's still a crap shoot.
Landing backwards like SCP describes is a lot easier but not nearly as fun.  

I'll keep waiting for set waves and I'm sure I'll keep ending up upside down on a regular basis.  But, did I mention how much fun it is?  

I have found just waiting for the low set to come in and "chasing" a wave in. I try to stay on top or just behind the lip of the wave in front of me. My P-13 has way too much keel to surf in to shore with me behind the paddle

What would happen if you were paddle close to the surf zone, have everything loose stored below, and then lash your crate or cooler in the seat area, and work your way into the cargo area behind the seat.   Then paddled your way in with your feet just off either side of the yak?  Would the added weight in the rear help keep the yak from going sideways on the face of a wave? 

I've heard of some guys hanging off the end of their kayak when coming in through the surf ... their body acts as a drogue.  It's not something I've even done or plan on doing ...

-Allen

 Thanks for all of the tips. Zac when I first read your post about coming in backward I had an image of trying to SURF a wave in backward and thought that it was the craziest thing that I had ever heard. But that actually makes a lot of sense. It would certainly be the slowest and least exciting way to get in, but it would keep you on top of the yak.
 I will be going out to Winchester Bay tomorrow to try all of these tips. Wish me luck.

 I attempted to get a little more surf practice yesterday. I picked the second of the three Winchester beaches due to the fact that it has the shortest walk from parking lot to water. It was a bad choice. The waves were big, they were back to back and they were breaking about five feet from the sand. I got worked over for about thirty minutes then realized that I was not getting any better in these conditions. The only thing I was learning was to be more selective next time I picked a beach for practice.   
 The day wasn't a total loss though. My daughter got 30 minutes of good entertainment watching me get dumped, rolled and pounded by the waves all the while sitting on the beach and smiling at tourists.

I'm no expert, but all the kayaking I do is through the surf zone.   We typically encounter 2-5' surf on the Texas coast.  I haven't really given much time to trying to learn the "brace method", so here's what works for me:

I come back in, and paddle square to the waves. Note:  Not square to the beach, square to the waves.  I want the wave pushin directly onto the back of the yak.  The natural tendency of a wave pushing from the back is to push you bow left or right.  If you get turned in the surf, it will be hard to correct.  It happens so fast, and there is so much force.  But when the wave begins to turn your bow, dig your paddle in on the opposit side, and brake.  In other words, if the bow starts to turn right, brake on the left side. That will keep you from going too far.  Don't try to surf the wave...your not a surfer, your a yakker...
Once the wave passes, dig in a paddle as quick as you can.  You don't want to stay in the surf zone longer than you have to, and every wave has the potential to cause you to "turtle".  It isn't foolproof, and even the best yakkers turtle from time to time.

We always say "rig to flip".  If you have any concerns about re-entry, stow everything below deck, or have it lashed down.  This avoids the beach "garage sale", or worse lost gear.  Rods need to be lashed down parallel to the boat, so even if you do flip they won't break in shallow water..  I have everything on my yak rigged so that I can't lose anything, and all my rods cn go below deck.

P.S.   Coming back in through the surf backwards is called the "Paris Hilton maneuver".

P.S.   Coming back in through the surf backwards is called the "Paris Hilton maneuver".

OK, I'm probably missing something obvious but.... why is it call the "Paris Hilton"?

....hmmmm.....I'm not sure....   I would guess because some view it as a "girly" way to do  it, or may have something to do with her bootleg videos (which I haven't seen).