Want to geek out and get technical about the mechanics of a wipeout in heavy surf? Why do they happen? What can you do to correct them? Is it all mindset? How do you handle them? Heck, how do you manage a heavy wipeout in a way that doesn’t snowball into blowing the next wave and making the same mistakes over and over? If these things interest you, you’ll honestly appreciate this in-depth breakdown from Nathan Florence.
At first glance, this isn’t the heaviest wipeout you’re ever going to see at Chopes. Still, it’s one that Florence has been mulling over in his head for weeks now.
Florence breaks down the wave by asking himself, “why I failed, what I tried to do once I failed on the wipeout, and then how the wipeout turned out..and the beatdown that proceeded.”
He speaks at length about overconfidence and comfort on a specific wave — something he feels he carries with him at Chopes — and how that can lead to mistakes, misjudging waves, and taking chances you wouldn’t otherwise take on similar waves at different locations. He touches on resisting the urge to set your rail on late takeoffs like this one versus having the presence of mind to go straight.
“I got overconfident. I looked down the line too early because I felt I had gotten in, not taking into account that there’s that mid-face step to deal with still,” he says, elaborating on the importance of understanding how your board and fins will engage with a wave face based on factors like the wave’s shape, the angle of your takeoff, and even the volume of your board.
It all goes to show there are a lot of technical points you can educate yourself on to become a better surfer; it’s not just hucking yourself over double-up ledges and praying you don’t get bounced off the reef.
