Go From Beginner to Intermediate Surfski
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 ธ.ค. 2022
- Rod and I are slowly but surely making progress towards becoming downwind Surfski paddlers. We have been paddling ski almost 4 years now and it has become a true passion for us. We have learned so much from Dawid Mocke and Oscar Chalupsky's videos. We hope that our humble videos will encourage you to progress in you Surfski paddling.
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Hey! Thank you so much for sharing your experience. As a person who is seeking to get started in a surf ski, being realistic about the trials and tribulations based on what you are saying here is probably a very good thing. More than anything, the smile on your face says it all! I look forward to seeing what you come up with in the future and will continue to follow you as much as I can. Thanks again.
Thank you so much for your comment! Where do you paddle mostly? Are you in Europe? USA? Australia?
All the training and remounts are worth it in order to paddle downwind!! Downwind surf paddles are the best. Thank you again for the encouragement!
@@barryblackburn5910 Oh, I'm basically a flat water rower for many years now in the Pacific Northwest so I row on lakes. As I'm getting older might be that my rowing on water days might come to an end. So, I've been doing a lot of flatwater kayaking. And, with the rowing background, I'm just looking for something more performance oriented in the way of kayaking so the surf ski would be it. Easy for me in that I'll probably only be on lakes and such, not ocean swells so good chance I might not be falling in quite so often if at all. Nonetheless, I find it extremely helpful to follow folks such as yourself to get an idea of what it's all about as I go about exploring my ski options.
@@karwask1you will love Surfski. The speed is rewarding.
I second that. I appreciate these videos that emphasise just how difficult it is to get proficient at this sport, so you don’t get unrealistic expectations.
@@takethecatout thank you! I truly view all the swimming and remounting as part of the workout. At nearly 4 years of Surfski we may fall out once or none at all each paddle. The downwind paddling is a huge reward. So much fun. Where do you paddle? Have you been paddling Surfski very long?
Quite impressed by your 'willingness' to swim and your ability to remount. The water I paddle in does not exceed 12 Celsius [about two months a year], so no wonder I am not that eager to get wet... I learned to use the forward stroke as a brace stroke, so here's where stability comes from, not from deadweight sitting in the boat. However, I still swim once or twice a paddling season. Only go in voluntarily, when I have to... Like you, all I could afford was a narrow ski [Think Uno]- tricky to get back in too because of the high/steep gunwales. This ski taught me how to paddle staying alert and not slacking off. I paddle mostly in flat to choppy waters, surfing mainly on the wake of big boats or tidal waves, whenever there is a chance. Nice post- keep them coming!
Wow!! I am so impressed you learned to paddle an expert boat in cold water!! The water in North Carolina ranges from 50F (10C) to 78F (25C) so we are very fortunate. We have shared some videos on cold weather gear. Do you paddle in a dry suit sometimes? Or do you paddle only in certain times of the year? One more question, do you still paddle the Think Uno?
@@barryblackburn5910 I envy you for the water temperature and the waves. I still paddle the Uno but only between April and October, about 1k km each paddling season [usually I paddle ~15k for about 1.5 hours]. I watched your cold weather gear video- I am quite lean here, compared with you... No dry suit, usually just 2-3mm neoprene shorts, neoprene shoes or a 3mm boot in the spring when the water is only 8 Celsius, and a 2mm neoprene jacket or just a rash guard under the PFD. On colder days I also replace the usual ballcap with a neoprene touque. In the winter I'm toughening up with cold showers [no neoprene stuff here]- no wonder I sniffle that often :) I am in the process of acquiring a two piece dry suit [Gore-Tex pants with socks and a splash jacket] for early spring/late fall paddle. I am still trying to figure out how to dress up- I have a collection of gear that I bought over time, which qualify as 'hit and miss'...
I should mention that the Uno is not my first ski- I learned how to use a wing paddle on a glass Evo; I switched to the carbon fiber Uno three years ago only because it is so much lighter and easier to carry to the water- it was an opportunity that I couldn't pass. When I first mounted it, it was like I never paddled a ski, started from scratch with lots of side bracing... The Evo was like an armchair [including remounting]; by comparison, the Uno is like a wobbly three legged stool, on which however I sit, let's say, by leaning on the water rather than on the stool...
@@d1427 I have been doing Wim Hof breathing exercises and cold showers daily since July! They have helped me big time with mental health.
@@barryblackburn5910 sorry, I forgot stuff... so I edited my initial response.
@@d1427 thank you for your comments!
Thank you for your tips and videos, guys!
Our pleasure. How is your paddling going?
I also made the mistake of going for a 43cm-wide boat first-up. Really fell out of that thing a lot until I decided to retreat to a 50, which is working well for me. Hopefully I'll step it up in time
Thanks for the comment! I have really taken to the Vega Surfski. Do you paddle in the ocean mostly? We are in the ocean as much as possible, when we aren’t at risk of breaking our boats. The shore break closes out quite a bit and we only have one protected inlet in our region so we have to pick our ocean days.
@@barryblackburn5910 I'm more bay/harbor based as we have plenty of that in Sydney. It's a great place to paddle that's for sure. Have fun!
Love your channel. Thank you. I've just subscribed. Looking forward to learning from you guys... I'm picking up my ski this week and looking forward to getting into it.
Awesome! Thank you!
That’s awesome! Please keep us posted on your progress. As you learn the rhythm of leg drive you will be excited to paddle even more!!
Very well explained! You did it in a calm way and I appreciate your take on starting out on a higher level from the start, it's what I plan to do in the future also! Cheaper to get 1 instead of 2 kayaks. Thanks! :)
I agree! I think one’s athletic background, comfort in the water, and access to warm, calm water are important factors. Finally, if we can reframe our opinion of falling out and remounting as simply part of the workout, then we will enjoy the experience.
I have a stable 21' ski and I'm six months in and only now getting comfortable in somewhat rough water, I'm on a tidal river but not quite plucked up the courage to go to sea yet lol
Taking on the challenges incrementally is wise -- we're lucky here in that we have all types of conditions and areas in which to paddle, so we've able to grow our skills in bits and pieces by taking on slightly more challenging conditions as we progressed. Tidal rivers are fun, too!
@@ThePaddleChannel well....I did it lol, 16 miles, 8 at sea 'only' fell off 3 times!! I'm getting there lol.
Awesome!
Thanks!
Thank you!!
Missed you at the SALA comp this year...
Thanks Adam! Hope you and the family are well.
As a Brit who wants to travel abroad to learn to surf ski, where would you recommend? Where are you based?
We're in the eastern US, but don't offer formal lessons. Check out surfskischool.co.za/ and surfskischool.co.za/surfski-school-international/ -- that's probably where we would start.
If I had the money I would go to South Africa and paddle with Dawid Mocke!!
What did you use to mount your camera?
Hi Emil, I used a GoPro mount with a “gooseneck.” It works surprisingly well.
Emil, where do you paddle Surfski? How long have you been paddling?
I have think six and another wider beam width model
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Did you start with a wider boat and gradually go more narrow?
@Barry Blackburn yes.. I tried and failed. Paddle narrow one when it is nice weather or flat water hope I go to intermediate..
What is the model name and beam width??
The two boats in this video are the white Epic V10 (first generation) and the grey Kai Wa’a Vega Pro. We have a video where we compare these two boats. The measurements are in that video. Thank you for watching and commenting!
Is your paddle set at 0 Degs.?
Yes. Zero degrees seems to work well for me. I watched a video where Oscar Chalupsky recommends 0 degree and I have stuck with that. I know it is a source of debate. Do you set your paddle at zero?
Sorry. Didn’t see your reply Barry! Yes absolutely. Im 0 degs as well as I want to set up primarily for downwinding.
@@russidan6548interesting, I’m still at zero degrees feather. Are you?
Given there's zero speed difference between a stable beginner ski and a tippy intermediate ski downwind, and only a miniscule difference - tiny fractions of a km/h - on flat water - all this swimming amounts to masochism in my book.
Unless you're kinky for racing, you don't need to "progress" to intermediate and elite skis. It will take you years of struggle you could be spending just enjoying the ride instead.
By all means learn to improve your stroke - but you don't need any tippy boats to do that. More than that, if you want to learn to surf like Boyan does, you have to do what Boyan does and learn in a stable ski. Get a Nelo 520, a Think Ace/Zen, Epic V8 or Carbonology Cruze and NEVER trade up to any of the skinnier boats.
No knock to The Paddle Channel - love you guys - but so people realise there really is a better (easier) way ...
Valid point of view, thanks for sharing. For us, learning to paddle the more tippy craft is part of the fun (when the water is warm :) ), and having the ability to paddle a wider range of surfskis is a bonus. We've found that paddling the more elite and high end intermediate skis is more enjoyable in most conditions (though Rod finds the intermediate ski more enjoyable on rough days, so that's in agreement with your experience). We have also found that downwind speeds do improve, with a lower heart rate, in more advanced boats, *as long as the paddler is stable*. That's been our experience, but we're in 100% agreement that a paddler could start with one of the boats you listed and stay with it forever, and have a great time without ever trading up. It all depends on the paddler, their goals, personality, conditions, etc. Thanks for sharing your experience -- definitely a point of view paddlers should consider.
We have found that in downwind conditions, a wider boat is practically the same speed as a skinny/tippy boat so I would agree with you there. In the flat water, a narrow boat is definitely faster. Different strokes, for different folks right!? Pun intended. Hope your paddling is full of stoke and smiles!!
Is it really this difficult to surski?
It is a challenging and very rewarding sport, but Barry started out in an elite level boat, which definitely made it more challenging than a more stable boat would have been. Fortunately, many brands now offer a broad range of surfskis for a variety of skill levels. Most people recommend starting out with a stable boat to learn the basics (even a stable boat may feel tippy if you're accustomed to, say, a canoe or a wide sit on top kayak), but trust the boat and work on good technique, and the reward will be well worth the effort!
It is a fun challenge and we love it! Even the falling out and remounting. That’s part of the workout for sure.
Learn to walk before you can run.
Yes, my mom said when I was little I started running as soon as I thought I could walk and fell a lot!! Not much has changed 😂😂😂. Hope your paddling is full of stoke and smiles!
The problem with surfski is the round, log shaped hull and high center of gravity/sit on top position. It's almost like the boat is built from the factory to conspire against the paddler and flip as soon as you sit on it. Been kayaking almost 20 years and I tried surfski recently briefly as I wanted something faster and never was so scared on a boat in my entire life. It was flat and calm and I was under the guise of an instructor with a supposedly "easy" boat. There was nothing easy or stable about it. I am very fit, active exercise nut doing a lot of different sports from weights to endurance cycling, kayaking and trailrunning but this surfski requires a level of singular dedication to put up with making an age old sport *WAY* more difficult than it needs to be.
There is definitely a get-to-know-you period when getting starting on surfski, but it's worth the time, we promise. But the great thing about paddling is that there are so many different boats and style of boats, and many many great ways to enjoy the water and activity -- we all gotta find the ones that click for each of us. We're curious -- what surfski did you try?
@@ThePaddleChannel It was a plastic one I believe the Epic V5. Not my cup of tea. Everyone raves about the downwind potential and looking on Strava that's where the advantage is greatest but personally I don't like going out in windy conditions and prefer flat water. Even lakes aren't that flat on a windy day and have made my peace with having to deal with some conditions otherwise I'd never go out. Been kayaking for 20 years and haven't made my peace with tippiness. I think when you're 6'4" there is no such thing as secondary stability. Once the boat starts rolling I am done for so I always owned very stable boats and only flipped a personal boat (not trying something new "faster") once. Am risk averese....
Steep learning curve for sure. We love the ski. I have just started paddling a V1 also. It is very challenging. Hope your paddling is full of stoke and smiles!