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High tide +- an hour or so sucks at polzeath.
20yrs of surfing and I tried bodyboarding for the first time yesterday. I just went for a swim/bodysurf today instead....
Some inspiration
If you haven't already, learn how to duck dive. It helps to get back through broken waves.
I have a set of wedge fins that are too tight for me so would suit someone with size 7 or 8 feet.
I had a go at bodyboarding once, in france. Hired the proper kit and had a blast, straightlining in on waves before they broke and wondering why the guys trimming down them towards me on surfboards looked so cross...
(Probably. It was so long ago I don't actually remember. My point is to anyone kooking it up out there in the line-up with - ah bollocks I'm going to say it - proper surfers, have a wee google for 'surf etiquette' and it may save a few bad vibes.)
Breaks differ in when they work - high , mid, or low. Also depends on what waves you like or can handle. Many books have been written and 20ish years in I'm still learning (how shite I am).
And yeah, one of the posts up thread was a bit like Tommy's first hit in Trainspotting, where his mates all look a bit worried he likes it too much. Bodyboarding was pretty bad gateway drug for me. It'll change your life man, swear to god. Just not necessarily in a positive direction.
High tide +- an hour or so sucks at polzeath.
When's best then? Couple of hours before high tide. Going down that way myself next week so good to know.
Ta
Save yourself half an hour and stop at trebarwith first 😉
+1 for fin savers. Stiff boards for larger, warmer waves and more flexy boards for colder smaller, choppier waves.
Duckpool, north of Bude has a cheeky punchy little wave at low tide (no life guards and watch for rips).
Cheers Wrighyson. We'll have a look
I’m assuming that’s an ironic smiley as you won’t find any beach at trebarwith at anything above half tide. And if you do surf it at low tide, make sure you get out before mid tide, and if you don’t, make sure you don’t miss the channel to exit. Climbing up the cliff isn’t so much fun.
Nothing on that section of coast works particularly well at high tide. Moving into neap tides next week so not such a pronounced effect.
My board might be too long. When I'm in the right place to balance properly i.e. a little forward, the back of it impedes my legs kicking.
On the body board I seem to need larger waves than folks on long surfboards. Does that seem right?
There's plenty of beach at treb when tides are properly low, but admittedly I didn't check that, and you can't really miss the channel in unless you're completely ignoring the flags, but hey I'm clearly no surf dude, just a dick dragger from the very middle of england. Still worth a visit though imho and I've been to quite a few along that coast line. Stayed at treb for a week in a cottage last year, car only got moved once all week. Love the place especially that first week when the kids go back to school.
44" for 5'11" seems a little on the large side. General sizing is either floor to belly button or chin to knees. I'm 5'8" and use a 41 or 41.5. My nephew's 6' and on a 43. Larger helps initially to catch waves.
On the body board I seem to need larger waves than folks on long surfboards. Does that seem right?
To plane on an unbroken wave you need to get up to speed with it and slide down the thing, the latter being easiest when the wave's at its steepest and about to break. It's easier to surf more gently sloping waves on bigger boards as they're easier to paddle and get planing, which is why you get stand-up paddleboarders, the sweeper uppers of the ocean on their bloody oil-tankers taking off early on waves - the ones that don't wobble and fall off first - before the wave's anywhere near breaking. Followed by fat old longboarders as the wave steepens a little creaking to their knees; then the wannabes and once-weres .on their minimals (in various states of disguise - modern quad fish, year right); and finally the shortboarders, who need to be right by the curl paddling like **** and occasionally every now and again catching a wave. Bodyboarders, the speedbumps of this foodchain (I'd say to mix metaphors, but speedbump is actually more literal) need to be pretty much where the shortboarders are. Which in the SW in the height of summer is more likely on some 'secret' reef than on a tourist beach.
Bodyboarders of course don't have to get to their feet (though I've surfed with drop-knee specialists who can) which means it's easier for them to surf really intense hollow waves where the average okay surfer would get slammed before they could pop up - hence the irish dude in the vid posted above talking about being able to get away from the crowd by surfing that crazy breaking onto rock stuff.
tl:dr - not larger, just steeper and about to break.
Apart from the tourists, bodyboarding does seem to have gone back underground. It’s rare you see a sponger on a main break outside of the holidays.
Good fun last night at high tide Gwithian, chest high and some fun runners. Went back for another bite at 6am this morning and it was shite, should have stayed in bed.
Stopped at crantock with the family on the way home this morning, left at 12 and the car park was one in, one out with a queue of about 30 cars. Mental.
which is why you get stand-up paddleboarders, the sweeper uppers of the ocean on their bloody oil-tankers taking off early on waves – the ones that don’t wobble and fall off first
Careful, you’ll upset bikebouy...
Thanks Johnx2. I did get the strong feeling I could use bigger waves, so that makes sense. The drag from my trailing legs seems to be quite a bit more than a smooth board bottom.
I did try lifting my legs, and managed it a bit, but since I only got a second or two of 'green' wave I didn't really get the chance to experiment much.
I'll have to make a trip out from Cardiff another day.
Now, I’m certainly not a bodyboarding expert, but if you get further forward on the board rather than hanging off it (think balls on the bottom of the board) then it helps both with getting the nose down, and getting your legs up.
Very proud today seeing my lad catch his own waves, rather than me pushing him on them.
For any novice bodyboarders, there are few better beaches than Polzeath for clean consistent rideable waves. Yes, it’s mad busy in the summer but the crowds always drift down current to one end of the BB zone, so if you work upstream there’s always loads of room. Plus it’s good steering practice weaving through all the yummy mummy’s!!!
So it's kick **** then lift yourself forward onto the board? I cannot kick well whilst in the forward position, which is why I think it's a bit long. Also, being a cyclist I am very leg heavy anyway.
Are you in water too deep to stand? If I can’t push off the bottom I find it hard to kick onto a wave without fins.
I thought most STWers had weight more in the stomach region 😝
I got some fins. What I gained catching waves in deep water I lost in dignity trying to get out to them.
Looking cool and not actually catching waves has been the mainstay of the surf industry for decades...
I kinda wonder if grockles* body boarding are the equivalent of skate park scooters to the BMXers & skaters....
*that's me!
Do they all go home at 5?