How to paddle past breaking waves

Getting past breaking waves depends on three things: a paddling posture that keeps the board moving forward, timing that uses the gaps between sets, and a way to take the board under the wave's energy. A beginner who relies on paddling harder alone usually gets pushed back toward the beach, because the wave works against the board and the body tires quickly.

Each of these skills is best practiced in small surf before it is used in bigger conditions. Paddling past waves is one of the most physically demanding parts of the sport, so choose a day with manageable waves and rest between attempts. Learn the sequence on a calm day first, because trying a duck dive for the first time in a large set is how beginners get held under.

Paddle with a posture that keeps the nose up

Lie on the board with your chest on the middle of the deck and your hands in the water beside the rails. Keep your elbows relatively straight, reach forward and pull the water back toward your hips with each stroke. Your head should stay up enough to see where the wave is. Looking down or letting your chest sink makes the nose dip, so the next wave can push the board backward.

A steady rhythm works better than hard, uneven strokes. Use smooth, alternating arm strokes and keep your legs relaxed and together behind you. When a whitewater section arrives, press your chest slightly up with your hands, arching the lower back so the nose stays high. The board should carry you forward through the foam rather than sit in it.

Time your paddle and choose a safe route

Waves usually arrive in groups called sets, with lulls between them. The best time to paddle out is in a lull after a set has broken, because the water right after a set is often calmer and the next wave is usually still some distance away. Watch several sets from the beach before you go, and count the time between the large waves and the small ones so you know roughly how long a lull lasts.

Once you are in the water, start paddling as a wave begins to rise, not after it has already reached the board. If a larger wave is coming, begin early enough to get the nose up and over the lip before the wave breaks. Do not try to paddle through a wave that is already breaking near you in shallow water, because it will carry you toward the beach with more force than your paddle can resist.

Choose a route that avoids the main impact zone, where the waves break hardest, and stay clear of the path that surfers riding waves are taking. If someone is riding a wave toward you, paddle toward the whitewater behind them rather than across their line. Never let go of or throw your board when someone is behind you, since a loose board can injure them.

Recover when a wave pushes you back

If a wave still pushes you back, do not try to stand up in the whitewater. The foam and backwash can knock you off your feet and into the bottom. If you are lying on the board, stay on it and push up through the foam with your hands to keep the nose up. If you are in the water beside the board, keep it beside you with the nose pointing out to sea, never between yourself and the wave. Once the water settles, paddle back out at a slight angle, staying away from the section that is still breaking.

Use a duck dive on a shortboard

Most beginners will not duck dive yet. Soft-top and longboard learner boards are usually too buoyant to be pushed under, so beginners mostly use a turtle roll or push up over small whitewater. The duck dive comes later, on smaller boards, once you can read the timing of the waves.

A duck dive takes a shortboard under a wave as the wave approaches. As the wave gets close, push the nose of the board down with both hands. The moment the nose starts to sink, press the tail down with your back knee or foot, so the whole board goes under rather than just the nose. Keep your body close to the board and let it follow the board under the water. The board then passes beneath the breaking part of the wave and comes up on the far side.

Practice in small waves where the water is deep enough to go under safely. Duck diving in shallow water can drive the board and your body into the bottom, so choose a spot where you can push the board down without the rails or fins reaching the sand. Push the nose down with firm, steady pressure rather than a jab, and keep the leash attached, because the board must stay with you. Coming up too early or going too deep both make the duck dive less effective, so practice the timing until the board reliably comes up beyond the wave.

A duck dive works best on a wave that is steepening but has not yet broken over the spot. Once the wave has broken, the turbulence reaches deeper than a shallow duck dive can go, so you either need to go deeper or use a turtle roll. For a beginner, the safer choice is usually to keep the board close beside you, let the wave break and resume paddling once the water calms.

Use a turtle roll on a longboard

A turtle roll is the usual way to get a longboard or other heavy board past a wave. Grip the rails firmly as the wave approaches, then roll the board upside down over your body, keeping the nose facing the wave. You and the board turn together, and the wave passes over the board while you hang underneath with a firm grip. Once the wave has passed, roll the board back upright and continue paddling.

Keep your grip secure and your body close to the board during the roll. Letting go or drifting to one side can bring the board down onto your head. The leash keeps the board attached after you come up, so check that it is connected before you start. As the wave passes overhead, pull the nose slightly into it rather than letting the board drift sideways. Like the duck dive, the turtle roll is best learned in small waves.

Know when to stop. If a set keeps pushing you back even when you use the turtle roll or duck dive correctly, stop trying to get past it. Move back toward the shore, where the waves are smaller, or come in if you are tired, cold or unsure, and try again in a lull on another day. Paddling past waves gets easier with repetition in small surf, and there is no reward for pushing on through a set you cannot get past safely.