Get started in the waves

Hello everyone!

Autumn is windy, hopefully at least, and for all of you who haven't started sailing waves but want to, here are some tips that may be obvious but are definitely useful for getting started.

Most people seem to think that you need to be a real expert at sailing to get out into the waves, this is not true. If you can master water starting and a smaller board, there is nothing stopping you from taking part in the waves.

Of course you will get washed out and swim a bit, but it is after all a new type of sailing compared to flat water.

1. Look at where people are sailing and how they get out, is there a section where the break is gentler than the rest of the spot? However, this can be especially difficult in straight onshore where it is more about finding an opening along the waves to get out of the break.

2. Speed ​​is everything, especially when you are going to go onshore, don't try to half-flatten and gain height out through the break, this works in straight sideshore and pure swell but in onshore and messy waves it is just a pain. However, when it is blowing sideshore, make sure to gain as much height as possible as you are riding with the wind on the way in and often end up far from where you started.

When heading out and encountering a breaking wave, speed is crucial. Try to aim for the lowest and flattest point on the wave, regardless of whether it has broken or not, and you will get over it with speed and a little guts. It is always better to fall over the wave than to be washed in with it.

3. Dare to unhook, I see so many people riding hooked and don't understand how they can keep their balance. Unhook and take the turns, start with backside riding (when the wind is usually onshore and it seems most natural and easy). Start where the wave is not breaking and work your way closer to the break, but I must point out that it becomes easier with sharp turns the steeper the wave you have to push off of.

I hope you find my tips useful and that you give it your all. See you at sea!

/Frederick Plantin