How to Duck Dive while Surfing.While surfing, the duck dive can be very helpful for getting under a wave without it crashing on your face. Grab your board, and either practice in a pool first or go straight to the ocean.
To successfully duck dive under a wave, you'll need a shortboard. A shortboard is a type of surfboard that is small, with a hard deck. Shortboards are meant for tricks and are much easier to get past the breaking waves with.
The first step is to paddle hard. It is unnecessary to practice this step if you are in a pool. Instead, skip to where you put your hands on the board. You want to get some speed while paddling, so the momentum you have can push you under the wave. About six feet, or two meters from the wave, start your duck dive. Next, put your hands on the board, grabbing the rails. Then, push the nose of your board down and forward. Now press down on the tail of your board with your foot or knee. With that, your board will go down, pulling you along. You then bring your body down to the board. Rather than pulling the board up to meet your body, push your body down at an angle with your head first. Keep your eyes open while under the wave, if possible, because you don't want to damage your board if you hit it on the bottom. Also, you can look at the bubbles in the water and see if the wave has gone over you or not.
You are now under the wave, and you want to let your board guide you through the water. Don't rush coming up, or you might come up right as the wave crashes on you. The board will guide you up, but if needed you can give a few kicks to help boost you. Then your head will surface, followed by the rest of your body. You did it. You now know how to duck dive a wave while surfing.
blog post by Lily.
Edited and posted by Lily.