Mastering the Waves

It starts with that bottom turn, brah. Don’t just go straight! After your drop, lean on your back foot and rail to carve a hard turn off the bottom of the wave, setting your line. This generates speed and sets you up for everything else. Think of it as loading a spring. A weak bottom turn means a weak next move. Look where you want to go, compress, and project down the line. This is where you stop being a passenger and start being a pilot.

A closeout is when a wave breaks all at once along its entire length, instead of peeling left or right. There’s no open shoulder to ride, just a wall of whitewater. It happens on steep, fast beach breaks or when the swell is too big for the spot’s bathymetry. They’re frustrating—you might get a steep drop, but then immediately get swallowed. The goal is to find a “peeling” wave that breaks in sections, giving you a long, rideable wall to carve up.

Timing and looking where you want to go. You initiate the turn by looking back at the whitewater or the breaking part of the wave. Drive off your back foot, use your rails, and project your board around. The key is to complete the turn and regain your momentum down the line. A weak cutback where you lose all your speed is a bummer. Practice on shoulder-high walls to get the full arc.

For a fresh grom, nothing beats a mushy wave. It’s the slow, crumbly, forgiving kind that gives you plenty of time to pop up and find your feet. Think of it as nature’s training wheels. You’ll want a fat, rolling wave on a sandy bottom—avoid anything steep or hollow. This mellow vibe lets you focus on your stance and balance without getting pitched over the falls. It’s all about logging water time and building confidence, so you can eventually step up to more critical sections. Start soft, charge hard later.