Anatomy
of the
Surf Zone
ShouldEr
the edges of a breaking wave will often stay
green and glassy longer than the top-heavy
middle section, making longer, smoother rides
possible.
SPillinG Surf
the safest place to learn to surf is off of a gently
sloping beach where the swells release their
energy gradually.
duMPinG Surf
Swells break explosively at the edge of a sharp
drop-off like a shoal or a steep beach, or at a
river mouth. dumping surf offers the potential for
tube rides, but it’s also the most challenging.
SouP
a quiet field of foamy water forms at the end of
the surf zone.
riP CurrEnt
wave energy can reflect off of the beach and
creates a strong offshore current, which can be
used to your advantage when launching in surf
but creates a hazard for swimmers. to escape a
rip current, swim perpendicular to the current to
reach waves that will wash you ashore.
Surf Zone Skills
4. BroaChinG and SidE-SurfinG 5. SPinS 6. looPS
Broaching occurs when your kayak’s bow digs into the to spin out of a broach, tilt into the wave and Big, steep waves can toss sea kayaks end
trough and gets the stern pushed broadside by the turn your brace into a forward sweep. don’t over end. to perform a loop, sit perpendicular
wave’s breaking crest. the longer the kayak, the more expect to spin more than 90 degrees in a sea on the crest of a wave and throw your weight
prone it is to broaching. if you catch it early, it’s pos- kayak, just enough to regain your front surf; forward, burying the bow in the trough. if the
sible to avoid a broach by leaning back to unbury the you may need to coax your boat into the spin wave is big enough, your stern will be thrown
bow and aggressively edging and ruddering to carve by leaning back to free the bow. flat-hulled skyward, leaving you standing on the foot
back on course. failing that, lean hard into the wave, whitewater and surf kayaks spin more eas- pegs, well above the whitewater. from here,
tuck your elbows in close to your ribcage and side-surf ily—even on the green face of a wave. alter- it’s possible to pirouette by planting a sweep
with your paddle braced into the foam pile, using a low nate between forward and reverse sweeps, stroke in the wave crest; otherwise, get ready
brace or high brace depending on wave height. remembering to shift your weight from edge to for a high-speed crash landing. hold your
edge, keeping the boat tilted into the wave. breath, wait for the wave to pass, and roll up.
www.adventurekayakmag.com 29
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48