Anastasia Ashley and I use to do battle over 1st place finishes back in our amateur days. We have since become good friends although I don’t get a chance to surf with her very much anymore. So it was with a mixture of competitive “ha ha!” and friendly “yikes!” that I watched this video of her getting destroyed by a late drop at a gnarly reef pass in Micronesia.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edqVpxvrFHE]
I then thought that it was an entertaining and instructive video on what not to do. If you notice in the clip, the problem is that she doesn’t fully get into the wave before standing up. She takes a few paddles and pushes to her feet, but the wave hollows out beneath her, and she air drops, landing in the flats, and then face plants and bounces as the wave swallows her.
What could she have done? Taken a few more paddles! If you watch her try to stand up at the top of the wave, she gets held up in the lip for a second. On a wave like that you really need to paddle down the face a bit. Even in “normal” waves, it’s a trend I see a lot with Amigas – trying to stand up too soon before they are really into the wave. If this is a recurring problem for you, try taking a few more paddles! The next time you’re out surfing, think about it. Take as many paddles as you normally do, and then take a few more before you stand up.
Feel free to come back, leave a comment and let us know how it worked out for you!
Happy shredding!
i’m kind of in that phase right now with the bigger more hollow waves i’ve been trying to surf on a 6’0. i’ve been intimidated going down the face more because i tend to purl (sp?) on longboards but buddies have told me to keep my head down and paddle a few more strokes before i even decide to get up. i’m doing it more and more and awesomely enough, i drop in and ride out a pretty decent head high + wave. it’s exhilarating and seems scary, but it works! thanks holly!
awesome rebecca! can’t wait to watch you shredding in nicaragua in november!