Through the Surf

I love punching through big breakers. It doesn’t produce the speed-rush of surfing a wave, but it’s an equally exhilarating challenge. I love the moment when the bow of the boat explores the sky, launching up through a cascade of spray. In very big breakers, I love the moment when the heavy crest of the wave buries me in its roar. And I love the commitment and intensity needed to keep going no matter what, pulling as hard as I can, powering through wave after wave until I thread my way through the surf zone and sit in the rolling swells beyond, basking in the adrenaline bath.

There are a few tricks to help make this a fun and successful process.

The first is to gather your courage, because once you get into the surf zone (i.e., the area where the waves are breaking) there is no time for second guessing– you’re either going to get through or you are going to be washed back in a rolling heap.

Study the waves. Learn their angle, velocity, rhythm. Often waves will have “sets:” A group of three big ones arrive, followed by seven smaller, or other discernible patterns appear. Choose your adventure. Maybe start during a small sequence - or wait until that big set rolls in for an extra challenge.

Once your wave is chosen row like mad. You need a lot of speed to punch through a breaker.

Check over your shoulder occasionally, adjusting your alignment (straight into the wave is easiest) and your timing.

For timing, try not to be at the base of the wave when it breaks. This deposits a heavy lump of water right on your head. Ideally, your bow gets to the base of the wave before it starts to break, or at just the beginning of the curl. In a lot of ways, speed is going to be more important than perfect timing, so make sure you don’t slow down to get your ideal timing—if you’re unsure, just blast through. Given that, you really need to start out correctly, so you can take a straight and confident shot in, rather than make adjustments along the way.

How does one start out correctly? Well, lots of practice! Get used to gauging wave speed and break location. Try to refine your ability to judge distance over the water and estimated boat speed. Remember that the wave is coming towards you, so estimating the speed of the boat going into the speed of the wave results in a predicted meeting location. All these factors are the skills gained through experience, guided by the principle of arriving at the base of the wave at full speed just before it starts to break (or right as it starts to curl).

Every weather pattern is unique, and the sea is always changing, so in a lot of ways, this mindful time practicing on the water results in a sharpening of the instincts that results in the “sea dog’s” eye that can read the waves.

As soon as your bow starts rising up the wave, you should be taking your last stroke. You’ll feel yourself pulling the boat up the slope of the wave face, getting that last, all-important, burst of speed and power. 

Don’t row over the peak. You can actually row yourself right out of the boat, as the stroke will continue to send your weight up as the boat falls down! Therefore, aim to finish your stroke at the peak of the wave. You’ll know you’re at the peak when you hit the whitewater crest, or you feel the bow launch into the air (or, often, a combination of both). Once you hit the peak of the wave, get your weight into the bow, no matter what. Even if you are mid-stroke when your bow breaks the peak, just pop your blades out and shift your weight into the bow. Weight in the bow helps the boat to pierce the wave, and allows it to fall down the other side more immediately. Weight more sternward causes the bow to pop up, resulting in less control and an increased likelihood that the boat will be knocked off course or even flipped end over end. 

On really big waves, I’ll emphasize bow weighting with an exaggerated lean back. In addition to maximizing the weight forward, this also reduces the area of impact on my body for the breaking crest (less area hit = less speed lost). I’ll tuck my chin to my chest to take the impact on my shoulders rather than head. I’ll also feather the oars at this point and let the blades feel out the surface of the water, aiding in stability. Don’t put a lot of pressure into your hands, as the wave is too strong. You may not have the boat perfectly level through this experience anyways, so don’t go into it with that expectation. Go with the flow, use your hips, be responsive and ready to brace should the boat start rolling. Click HERE for my blog about bracing.

A helpful tip is to “feel heavy” as you go over the peak. Try to squash your weight down into your seat. The boat falling will try to separate you from your seat. The force of the wave crest hitting you will also try to knock you off the seat. So counteract all these forces by feeling heavy, squashing your weight into your seat, and trying as much as you can to maintain that connection to the boat. 

Once you crash down on the other side of the wave, there is no time to celebrate because now you are in the thick of it. There is probably another wave coming. You need to act fast. Your boat is full of water. You have no boat speed as the wave just zapped it. Often, no matter how well you made yourself heavy, you may still get knocked off your seat. There is no time to get back on the seat now, so just row with arms and back only as maniacally as possible. On the seat or not, you need to get speed up again immediately, for the next wave is coming! Talk about motivation. You have to do it, because it’s literally “row hard or swim” at that point. That, to me, is the thrill of rowing out through a line of surf.

The following photo sequence highlights some of the fun.

In the first shot, below, I’m in full sprint mode because the wave has already started getting steep, and I need to get there asap to punch through before it gets too far into the break:

I’ve made it to the wave, I can feel my bow rising and can hear the wave start to topple. I’ve taken one last huge stroke and am holding my weight in the bow:

In the photo below we see the fun part - punching through the wave! Here all I can hear is the roaring wave as I get slammed by the breaking crest. I’m pushing my body into the wave, and trying to squash all my weight into the seat to not get knocked off. My blades are feathered, and through the surf we go!

On the other side. I’ve hit the water pretty hard after crashing off the peak of that wave. My boat is submerged. I immediately level my hips and start rowing. My hands are quite far apart as my port oar is still in the remnants of the wave. Short, punchy strokes here help quickly drain the water out:

Once I get the water moving out and some momentum started, I take a quick look over my shoulder to check my alignment, adjust my course, and get a sense of the next wave. Then it’s rowing like mad to get that speed back up to do it all over again!

Well, I hope you can get out there and feel some waves!

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Republished with permission: Ben Booth, Rebel Coastal Rowing.