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I'm at Whitesands Bay, and I have acquired a body board. I found it a bit more difficult than when I was a kid, but that may have been due to the beach itself. There were big waves breaking when the water was about 5ft deep but all the energy seemed to disappear. So I have a couple of questions:
1. Does it make a difference if the tide is going out rather than coming in? Most people seemed to have trouble besides me.
2. How are you supposed to get going if you can't stand up? Seems that the trailing legs cause a lot of drag. I can only do it if I can push off the floor.
1. depends. tides moving on and off sandbars can have a massive effect. if there is a bar the waves are breaking on and a trough behind it they will back off when they hit the trough.
2: fins/flippers.
Wait, ........ are you supposed to stand up on a body board?
Ok, i’ll get slammed by the pronies on here no doubt, but..
When the tides going out the waves “suck” more as the backwash from the beach adds to the push back from the waves coming into the beach.
The waves will be steeper and curl more, have less mid section (belly) to them... they are harder to catch in one sense becuse the wave will lift and jack up quicker.. you’ll have to paddle like a looney to catch them.
Conversly on an incoming tide the waves are smoother, less curly and have more mid section to them becuse the waters all going the same way.
Caviat, watch for sections with rip currents where the backwash from the beach makes a channel back out back, the water will have “Flow” and generally flatten incoming waves.
Bodyboarding, never done but I Surf a lot and Sup Surf loads.
Dont ever go to Whitesands, could be a local on here as there are surfers from down there who post on here..
IMO
Wait, …….. are you supposed to stand up on a body board?
Depends. Are you a Jack Russell terrier?
Conversly on an afternoon coming tide the waves are smoother, less curly and have more mid section to them becuse the waters all going the same way.
what about if high tide is in the morning 😉
and some real science...
https://magicseaweed.com/news/are-waves-bigger-on-a-pushing-tide/10943/
As Jam bo says,wee body board fins are great when you are out deep and don't want to get left behind.
And make sure you have a rash vest on...
haven't worn a rash vest in years. decent fitting wetsuits make them unnecessary.
but it is the season for wetsuits on backwards...
whilst 'the push' of tide coming in has (maybe) some effect on waves, I wouldn't expect a nubie bodyboarder to notice it at all - the difference is more likely to be onshore winds and low period swells creating waves that look large, but have little breaking power.
practice makes perfect, kick your feet (with fins), I find (whilst surfing) that crossing my ankles whilst paddling out reduces drag, I don't know if this would work on a bodyboard or not.
any chance of some decent swell in the next 3 months? The last 3 have been barren..
5 foot briefly at Widemouth early last week.
Plenty of waves this week. Plenty of wind to go with it too.
Is your body board big enough?
Assuming its the modern foam boards not the wooden plank...
https://bodyboard-school.com/how-to-paddle-for-a-wave-on-a-bodyboard/
In.my experience (decades of surfing and windsurfing), surf is always bigger on an incoming tide...not just on the west coast of uk. Tho if you're in water shallow enough to stand up to catch a wave, you won't notice! Fins is the answer.
Get fins and experience a whole new level of calf cramp agony while getting worked and unable to get out back
waves that look large, but have little breaking power.
This is what it felt like, so glad to know it's a real thing and not just me being crap.
Is your body board big enough?
No idea. The guy in the shop gave me a 44" one which seems particularly big compared to what I saw online. Might be ideal fit someone trailer than my 5'11
The bigger the body board the more float you will have. More float = easier to catch a wave, although it will be less manoeuvrable, this won’t make much difference to someone body boarding in shallow water.
Waves will break differently at different stages of the tide on any given beach. It will depend on how the sand bars have lined up. The direction and quality of the swell, etc. You can have what looks like decent waves but they end up with very little “power”, mushy, or a small wave that still has decent power.
Keep at it, no one felt worse for going for a surf. Just try to pick the “better” waves, rather than go for the biggest. Watch and learn.
And, yes. kids make it look surprisingly easy.
Make sure you walk into the sea backwards..
Went again today on an incoming tide, and on a flatter section of beach. Had a great time. My daughter broke her polystyrene one yesterday so we picked up another for a fiver in Tesco. However within an hour, whilst experimenting with board attitude she got the nose dug in which ripped the front off it. £20 later she has a proper board and loves it even more. Bit of a proud dad moment to see her running down the beach with a board under her arm 🙂
It was very interesting watching the waves. They broke at random points across the beach, sometimes curling nicely across the beach and sometimes breaking all at once. I did however manage to ride back up the wave a couple of times. I think I need fins though to steer with.
I think waves were coming from multiple directions causing interference, it was also interesting seeing how the waves changed over time. Suddenly the water would get really choppy, sometimes smooth and the waves small. Also the back wash started pulling sideways for 20 minutes then stopped again. Fascinating really.
Great fun though. I've watched surfers trying to do cool stuff and getting frustrated for years, but this time the water was full of people with massive grins having a whale of a time 🙂
Gave in and bought fins. Getting out to sea was very hard work. Couldn't wade out cos the fins dragged the water, swimming was hard cos the waves were close together. Bit of a pain.
However they did allow me to catch the 'big' waves (guessing 5ft) right at the top, which felt really high up and the acceleration was brilliant.
Are you holding the board correctly?
Don't buy crappy polystyrene boards. They just end up polluting the sea when they break and then what goes in the bin sits in land fill forever
https://www.zumajay.co.uk/index.php?route=pavblog/blog&id=48
Get her a proper surfing lesson if she likes body boarding.
Good work molly. I've not been to Whitesands for a couple of years but have fond memories of my kids playing in the waves there. Mrs OTS had a couple of surfing lessons there too.
Walk backwards into the sea.
Are you holding the board correctly?
I don't know... I seem to be able to catch and ride waves, but I can't attempt any of the kind of tricks one sees on telly, because the waves seem to be breaking all at once and I can't find a reliable point where the wave progressively breaks.
Also, no polystyrene has been spilled. The board in question was covered in fabric and nothing leaked out.
Anyone else want pics of Molgrips in a wetsuit & body board pose?
😉
Missing our dose of bodyboarding/surfing even more now after reading this thread. I is well jel.
Go have a chat with the beach life guard, they'll explain the water to you.
We always have a quick "what's going on" chat with them when we arrive. The answers always the same at Bantham, but it's better safe than sorry.
Anyone else want pics of Molgrips in a wetsuit & body board pose?
For extra comedy value get one of me falling over in 2ft of water trying to wade out with flippers on.
@molgrips - hold the board with you left hand at the front on the side and with the right hand down the side of the board around level with you lower ribs. This will help with the manoeuvre ability and shift weight forwards so you shouldn’t have to kick as hard. Watch a few YouTube clips to help.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8dyNYm9cZmU
This one looks like it was made in the 1980s!
What’s with the “walk backwards into the sea” comment about ?
What’s with the “walk backwards into the sea” comment about ?
Have you tried walking with fins on?
It's a lot easier walking backwards into the sea until there's enough water to swim.
No expert here, but I look for a green wave that is about to become a white wave. Home in on this point in the surf, then wait and watch. There are two swells. They’ll coincide ever so often. When they do. Thems is the ones to ride.
Flippers are the devils work. (IMHO) unless you want to spend 20mins being knocked over and drowned before trying to get on.
Just watched the video. My body boarding is not so much like that. More of a giant white whale with a badly positioned blow hole on an ironing board. It’s a very enjoyable pastime. Possibly less so for the spectators.
For extra comedy value get one of me falling over in 2ft of water trying to wade out with flippers on.
Fins. Not 'flippers'. Tsk!
Put your fins over your wrists, walk out holding board in front of you until it gets too deep to walk, put fins on, kick like the proverbial to get out further. Never come in closer than walking depth until you're done.
Have you tried walking with fins on?
Riiiiiight, I see.
I thought you meant Fins on the board, not your feet 🖖
3 decades of windsurfing + 25 years surfing but sadly no expert-yet!
I use a bodyboard occasionally when I travel as my surfboard is too big to fit on the flight deck.
Fins (+fin savers) help, but so does paddling like you do on a surfboard to get the speed you need. Choose your waves and try to catch the steepish bit of blue water near the white water, but not actually the white water.
Waves tend to be best on the incoming tide, depending on the sea bed it could mean that lower depths can be better than high tide.
Sometimes though you've just got to go with whatever waves you get given!!
Enjoy 🙂
So far (as an adult) I've only had experience of one beach (or should that be break?) And I think in this case the waves are pretty close together and the break a bit random so it's great for mucking about but not consistent enough to work on technique.
Fins definitely helped catching waves at the right point. Today we went to Caerfai and opted not to take the boards as I though it'd be not great for boarding. It was pretty choppy and short but the waves were breaking properly so maybe. The snorkels we took instead were useless though.
Just been on fistral for the second time today. I reckon it’s difficult to tell how it’s going to be from a surf report. Monday’s looked epic,7-11ft waves. But the reality was it was all messy and lacking power. Today’s afternoon session 3-5ft waves plenty of rides
We aim for the middle of the rising tide. Not quite sure why though!
From memory Whitesands works excellently at high tide with an onshore wind. Wax your board and use your hands as well. Fin savers are a good idea as mentioned earlier.
Newgale looked as if the waves break better as I was riding past this evening on the road bike.
On holiday in Port Isaac this week, so been bodyboarding with the kids in Polzeath. High tide has been early morning, so we’ve been out for an early session before the crowds. 4ft today but quite messy with a strong cross current. Im Very tempted to invest in a set of mini-fins.
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?