I found this drone guy and asked if he might consider a colab of some sort. Hopefully he agrees and I can get something out soon. Having said that though, as helpful as that is to see the positioning from that angle, it is someone deceptive. It is much easier to see where you should be from an elevated position. But harder from in the water. All the shapes and coloring of the water is much more subtle. I will try and also do a gopro shot of it. Although gopro sometimes distorts things as well, too wide, making things look too far.
the best way is the color change. There are some days that are overcast and too glassy to see but more often than not, you can see how a waves changes color. As it approaches, you look for the highest point which will likely be the center (beach breaks, since reef breaks is much easier to identify). Once you have identified the center, you should have an idea based on the day and observation you made before paddling out how that wave will break. Will it be fast, slow, steep, mushy, etc. Then, look for the darker part of the wave which will be the steep parts. Where there dark parts fade to light, is often the direction and corners you want to hunt. Hope that makes sense. go to 1:20 and pause the video. you will see that peak at the center of the screen. if you notice, the dark part of that wave is the steep section and as you move towards the left of the screen, the wave fades in color and becomes lighter. Based on your skill, your ability to catch waves early, put yourself in the middle of the dark steep part and the light slope of the wave. Where ever you think you can catch the wave. You are in the corner at this point and want to go in the direction of the wave, moving towards the lighter parts. Corners are often called shoulders too.
Paddle, paddle, PADDLE. Really good point you made about being proactive. I see a lot of people miss waves (myself included) because for whatever reason (stamina, board, technique, position) they just can't scratch hard enough to get in, i.e. not matching the speed of the wave. There's so much else to it but probably for another video :) Great videos, Thomye, and thanks for your reviews!
LOL. awesome. sometimes, I know these things but then often get lazy and forget. Watching that time lapse was eye opening. it is so rhythmic. you see 4 west swells then a small south which has a nice little left. perfect for the twice baked. you can almost count them. other strategies at least at tower 21 bolsa is to sit outside of a large group of beginners. Have them block the inside. If they are the beginners that go straight, then it leave that corner open for you and no one to the inside. Peace of mind, just paddle and go. Although wavestorms have made that strategy really difficult. Now by a persons' 5th session, they can go down the line.
Love your channel man, i am no longer a total beginner but you have been helping from very early on my journey, thanks! Really inspiring, we are about the same age so it really gives me good inspiration besides the good tips.
right on. Recently I realized that I need to start working out my legs. my quickness has become very labored. Might need to get back in the gym. LOL Cheers brotha, 50 is the new 30. :)
@@ThomyeSurfs no need for a gym if you dont want to. Plyometrics are excellent for developing power, slowly progressing in intensity (they are very CNS demanding), they will make a huge difference. Single leg squats, lunges in all directions and pistol squats are also good body weight exercises for developing or maintaining power, that is quick and explosive movements. And diet is almost always overlooked but extremely important, specially on our age. Make sure you eat enough protein. Just a few weeks of a decent routine 3 days a week and you'll be golden.
@@Fitandover40 right on. I just followed you. Look like really good content for me. BTW, have you heard of RBF (restricted blood flow) work outs. wondering what you think of them.
@@ThomyeSurfs a little, yet in my humble opinion, i wouldn't hurry up with a new system, specially if there are some gadgets involved to be purchased, just until there is enough evidence. On the other hand if it is the method of high reps/low weight trainning, it is great for muscular endurance and strength. In fact that's the kind of method a surfer would need. We dont want hypertrophy more than the natural adaptation response to Training that, with good nutrition, will inevitably end on some development of extra muscle fibers. There is at the moment a lot of scientific evidence that even 1 set, done close to failure, will result in strength gains as opposed to none. Being between 1 to 10 sets, per muscle group per week, the optimal for significant increase in strength and endurance, just in a few weeks. To make it more Specific to surf, you can put more emphasis on shoulder exercises that resemble paddling. The closer the exercises to the actual movements we make during surfing, the better the training wil transfer to your surfing without interference. Go slow! "Progressively" increase sets and reps as you get stronger, (let your body recover and adapt) every week one more set or/and one or two more reps is enough. Concistancy as you have mentioned in your videos, is also key to see results fast! Let me know if you need more specific exercises or programs to start off. It can definitely take your surfing to the next Level, I believe.
@@ThomyeSurfs also learning that RBF is more suited for people that are sick or injured and cannot do a high intensity training. Being intensity the key word here. When you train, each set must be done close to failure, not when starts hurting but when it is hard to complet a rep with "good form". Dont go to complete failure to often either, just keep it intense.
Nice tips, and great footage! It would have been nice if you added some arrows or highlighted the areas of the wave that you are talking about though; cheers man! Keep it up
what up Miles. you need to try the twice baked that I got, I think it would go really good for you. Anyways, as an FYI, if the state opens up the parks again, I have a week in April. Taking my kid for the week.
I don't know, man. Best waves always seemed to come to you when I surf next to you (j/k). Another thing beginners are not aware of is the swell direction when surfing beach breaks. If the swell is coming from the south, sets would break south of you first. So if you see set waves breaking further south of where you're sitting, be prepared that they're coming to you. Same if dealing with north swells. Hope that makes sense. Like Thom mentioned, it's all about early preparation and anticipation.
Stop giving away all the secrets! j/k. There's a running joke with my friends that all the waves "magically" go to me, and when I do get a wave it only takes a few strokes to get into it. They are completely blind to all the work and observation that precedes that moment. You guys are much nicer and explain, I keep it to myself and keep all the waves to myself muhahaha
Thanks for this. Amazing content. Subscribing. Question. Seeing as you mentioned the towers along Bolsa can be so varied, is there a set of towers at Bolsa that you would best recommend for beginners?
Hey Michael, I can't really tell you where to go, since there are so many factors that make a break. I can tell you where not to go and some reasons why. At Bolsa, the two places to avoid are 16 to the jetty cuz of crowds as well as 21 and just south. Also cuz of crowd. It's not the quantity of people rather the quantity to quality ratio. There are a lot of people also too many people that jock for waves. a good rule for picking a spot is the parking lot spaces. the more spaces the less crowded and oddly, most people tend to go straight out and don't bother to walk down. Having said that, you never really know. currents push people, some days are really crowded and others are less. Just check a couple of spots and be open. also study the sandbar and patterns.
Nice work Thomye... I had the same questions and just starting out. Is there a particular way to understand the sand bars ? Should I focus on how the waves breaks at Bolsa ? Thanks.
@@darrenc7517 I know I said to watch the waves for a bit but if you are anything like me, I don't always have the patience but after surfing the same break long enough, I can identify the patterns or better put, I can identify that the patterns are similar to previous days. You don't have to watch it for 15 minutes each time you go out. If surf the same place, and the swell is the same as the day before, and you see the same corners in the same areas, then you sort of know. regarding you question about understanding sandbars, it is better just to focus on the patterns and corners. In the time lapse of this video, I keep seeing a small south swell. it appears to me like 4 good size west wells hit and then to the left just in line with the volleyball poll and the oil rig, there is small left that comes and and runs all the way to the inside. I could choose to take out a hybrid board and surf the outside or take out a groveler and surf that left. Anyways, if you happen to go out and you know where you want to sit, make sure you have a line up. otherwise you may drift out of position. sit where you know that wave is, then look towards shore, take an object close like a light pole and then line it up to something in the background like the mountains or houses or whatever you can find that doesn't move. line up those objects and when you drift, your lineup moves so then you know to paddle back to your lineup. sorry for the long response.
dang, thought i responded to this. just watching waves is best. corners are basically shoulders, its where the unbroken part meets the broken part of the wave. as the wave approaches, look for the color differences. You will notice that the steeper parts of the wave, the parts that will break first, will be darker most of the time, except when it is heavy overcast. look at the video again and check out the shading of the waves before they break. you will see how the middle/apex of the waves are darker in color.
Great video. Not enough session analysis and positioning on YT. It would be good to talk about when to go left or right. You'd be surprised how many people go left on rights or commonly, right on lefts. This is one I tell people to watch: ua-cam.com/video/73hmhBxJ0eE/v-deo.html 7:05. Ha! Taking turns. That etiquette is being thrown out the window these days. People paddle right back to the peak at reefs and points. Do a talk on snaking and backpaddling too. Lol. I also liked how you used Bolsa Chica as an example, instead of Lowers or perfect malibu. One turn closeouts are normal for most people.
that iSurfTribe video is good. I forgot about that one. I remember watching it years ago. haha, etiquette is gone the way of the dodo. :( I had a run in with this lady who caught a nice set wave which she went right. Then on her way back out, I paddled for a left but decided to give her enough room so she didn't have to feel pressured to paddle. since it is Bolsa, it is softer and you can pretty much paddle under people. She turned on my inside and tried to snake me. Then she claimed I dropped in on her. So the rest of the day, I played by her rules and made sure I paddled to her inside on every wave. She was not happy. But I wonder if she got the point. probably not.
Howdy Thomye, since I know your extensive knowledge on Rob Machado boards… I’m a beginner, a seasoned beginner haha and am looking into buying ‘seaside‘ 5’11” since it offers a significant amount of volume. However I had been to a couple of board shops and the guys (salesmen)there were dragging me down to a shorter versions like 5’8” explaining that I’ll be losing flex and maneuverability with 5’11”. The most important thing for me is to stay on the ‘inside’ as you mentioned in one of your vids and maximize wave count with a buoyant groveler as this strategy gives you a solid perspective on the sport. I’m about 6’3” and weigh about 150 lb. You know you kinda get lost with all those variables 🤗 is it 5’9”, or 5’10” or is it 5’11? Best, R.
at your height, all those sizes will work if we didn't look at volume. the seaside is meant to be ridden short. I'm 5'8 and can ride the 5'2, 5'3, and 5'4 effectively. Having said that, the 3 size you mention are the exact difference in inches for my 3. Anyways, your weight is what is going to factor in but since you mention you are a "seasoned beginner", lol, I think the idea of going 5'11 isn't a bad call. ride that for a few summers and then hop on a shorter version. Why struggle on wave count. the more your surf the faster you will get better. And by surf, I mean standing on a wave. and to be honest, flex is a non factor even in a 5'8. Maneuverability is a factor but likely not at your height to board ratio. In fact, at your stage, you don't want too loose, and the seaside is inherently loose. anyways, the shortest I would go given what you have mentioned is 5'10 but 5'11 will get you that 2 extra liters.
@@ThomyeSurfs Todays my lucky day! Your comment back is probably the cherry on top🙂 Someone drove all the way from Long Beach to north SF valley and bought a board from me that wasn’t working for me. Then I jumped on to the closest board shop (Val Surf) which had the 6.0 in blue tint and $100 more and the 5.10 with some discount … So good by 5.11, we’ll be zigzagging on 5’10! Thank you Thomye you’re the best🤙🏼
You have no idea how much I appreciated this tutorial. Would be awesome to see a bird eye view of how to position too haha
haha, i know, i need to find a drone person.
I found this drone guy and asked if he might consider a colab of some sort. Hopefully he agrees and I can get something out soon.
Having said that though, as helpful as that is to see the positioning from that angle, it is someone deceptive. It is much easier to see where you should be from an elevated position. But harder from in the water. All the shapes and coloring of the water is much more subtle. I will try and also do a gopro shot of it. Although gopro sometimes distorts things as well, too wide, making things look too far.
Always shares the deep knowledge
Thanks, I’d love to see more contents like these.
Great content! About the most precise, simple, on point description I’ve heard. Top turn video next lol ;)
the best way is the color change. There are some days that are overcast and too glassy to see but more often than not, you can see how a waves changes color. As it approaches, you look for the highest point which will likely be the center (beach breaks, since reef breaks is much easier to identify). Once you have identified the center, you should have an idea based on the day and observation you made before paddling out how that wave will break. Will it be fast, slow, steep, mushy, etc. Then, look for the darker part of the wave which will be the steep parts. Where there dark parts fade to light, is often the direction and corners you want to hunt. Hope that makes sense.
go to 1:20 and pause the video. you will see that peak at the center of the screen. if you notice, the dark part of that wave is the steep section and as you move towards the left of the screen, the wave fades in color and becomes lighter. Based on your skill, your ability to catch waves early, put yourself in the middle of the dark steep part and the light slope of the wave. Where ever you think you can catch the wave. You are in the corner at this point and want to go in the direction of the wave, moving towards the lighter parts. Corners are often called shoulders too.
Paddle, paddle, PADDLE. Really good point you made about being proactive. I see a lot of people miss waves (myself included) because for whatever reason (stamina, board, technique, position) they just can't scratch hard enough to get in, i.e. not matching the speed of the wave. There's so much else to it but probably for another video :)
Great videos, Thomye, and thanks for your reviews!
Great tips, be more proactive! I'm definitely in the wait for the wave to come to me camp, thanks Thomye! :)
That was super informative! I think I leveled up just watching it. Lol.
LOL. awesome. sometimes, I know these things but then often get lazy and forget. Watching that time lapse was eye opening. it is so rhythmic. you see 4 west swells then a small south which has a nice little left. perfect for the twice baked. you can almost count them.
other strategies at least at tower 21 bolsa is to sit outside of a large group of beginners. Have them block the inside. If they are the beginners that go straight, then it leave that corner open for you and no one to the inside. Peace of mind, just paddle and go. Although wavestorms have made that strategy really difficult. Now by a persons' 5th session, they can go down the line.
Good points. Thanks brah.
Great video, thanks 🙏
Love your channel man, i am no longer a total beginner but you have been helping from very early on my journey, thanks! Really inspiring, we are about the same age so it really gives me good inspiration besides the good tips.
right on. Recently I realized that I need to start working out my legs. my quickness has become very labored. Might need to get back in the gym. LOL Cheers brotha, 50 is the new 30. :)
@@ThomyeSurfs no need for a gym if you dont want to. Plyometrics are excellent for developing power, slowly progressing in intensity (they are very CNS demanding), they will make a huge difference. Single leg squats, lunges in all directions and pistol squats are also good body weight exercises for developing or maintaining power, that is quick and explosive movements. And diet is almost always overlooked but extremely important, specially on our age. Make sure you eat enough protein. Just a few weeks of a decent routine 3 days a week and you'll be golden.
@@Fitandover40 right on. I just followed you. Look like really good content for me. BTW, have you heard of RBF (restricted blood flow) work outs. wondering what you think of them.
@@ThomyeSurfs a little, yet in my humble opinion, i wouldn't hurry up with a new system, specially if there are some gadgets involved to be purchased, just until there is enough evidence. On the other hand if it is the method of high reps/low weight trainning, it is great for muscular endurance and strength. In fact that's the kind of method a surfer would need. We dont want hypertrophy more than the natural adaptation response to Training that, with good nutrition, will inevitably end on some development of extra muscle fibers. There is at the moment a lot of scientific evidence that even 1 set, done close to failure, will result in strength gains as opposed to none. Being between 1 to 10 sets, per muscle group per week, the optimal for significant increase in strength and endurance, just in a few weeks. To make it more Specific to surf, you can put more emphasis on shoulder exercises that resemble paddling. The closer the exercises to the actual movements we make during surfing, the better the training wil transfer to your surfing without interference. Go slow! "Progressively" increase sets and reps as you get stronger, (let your body recover and adapt) every week one more set or/and one or two more reps is enough. Concistancy as you have mentioned in your videos, is also key to see results fast! Let me know if you need more specific exercises or programs to start off. It can definitely take your surfing to the next Level, I believe.
@@ThomyeSurfs also learning that RBF is more suited for people that are sick or injured and cannot do a high intensity training. Being intensity the key word here. When you train, each set must be done close to failure, not when starts hurting but when it is hard to complet a rep with "good form". Dont go to complete failure to often either, just keep it intense.
this was excellent! make more like these!!
man i wish this video came out a year ago when i started lol. would have saved me so much time learning
Nice tips, and great footage! It would have been nice if you added some arrows or highlighted the areas of the wave that you are talking about though; cheers man! Keep it up
I know. I need to learn my editing software. some things are so easy and others so hard. I'll get it soon. :)
Great video!
what up Miles. you need to try the twice baked that I got, I think it would go really good for you. Anyways, as an FYI, if the state opens up the parks again, I have a week in April. Taking my kid for the week.
Vids like this is how I learnt how to surf yeeeeeww \m/
I don't know, man. Best waves always seemed to come to you when I surf next to you (j/k). Another thing beginners are not aware of is the swell direction when surfing beach breaks. If the swell is coming from the south, sets would break south of you first. So if you see set waves breaking further south of where you're sitting, be prepared that they're coming to you. Same if dealing with north swells. Hope that makes sense. Like Thom mentioned, it's all about early preparation and anticipation.
great point.
Stop giving away all the secrets! j/k. There's a running joke with my friends that all the waves "magically" go to me, and when I do get a wave it only takes a few strokes to get into it. They are completely blind to all the work and observation that precedes that moment. You guys are much nicer and explain, I keep it to myself and keep all the waves to myself muhahaha
@@alang253 that's pretty funny. but you are right. many just don't pay attention
Such a helpful video. Thanks man!
Thanks for this. Amazing content. Subscribing. Question. Seeing as you mentioned the towers along Bolsa can be so varied, is there a set of towers at Bolsa that you would best recommend for beginners?
Hey Michael, I can't really tell you where to go, since there are so many factors that make a break. I can tell you where not to go and some reasons why. At Bolsa, the two places to avoid are 16 to the jetty cuz of crowds as well as 21 and just south. Also cuz of crowd. It's not the quantity of people rather the quantity to quality ratio. There are a lot of people also too many people that jock for waves.
a good rule for picking a spot is the parking lot spaces. the more spaces the less crowded and oddly, most people tend to go straight out and don't bother to walk down. Having said that, you never really know. currents push people, some days are really crowded and others are less. Just check a couple of spots and be open. also study the sandbar and patterns.
Nice work Thomye... I had the same questions and just starting out. Is there a particular way to understand the sand bars ? Should I focus on how the waves breaks at Bolsa ? Thanks.
@@darrenc7517 I know I said to watch the waves for a bit but if you are anything like me, I don't always have the patience but after surfing the same break long enough, I can identify the patterns or better put, I can identify that the patterns are similar to previous days. You don't have to watch it for 15 minutes each time you go out. If surf the same place, and the swell is the same as the day before, and you see the same corners in the same areas, then you sort of know.
regarding you question about understanding sandbars, it is better just to focus on the patterns and corners. In the time lapse of this video, I keep seeing a small south swell. it appears to me like 4 good size west wells hit and then to the left just in line with the volleyball poll and the oil rig, there is small left that comes and and runs all the way to the inside. I could choose to take out a hybrid board and surf the outside or take out a groveler and surf that left.
Anyways, if you happen to go out and you know where you want to sit, make sure you have a line up. otherwise you may drift out of position. sit where you know that wave is, then look towards shore, take an object close like a light pole and then line it up to something in the background like the mountains or houses or whatever you can find that doesn't move. line up those objects and when you drift, your lineup moves so then you know to paddle back to your lineup.
sorry for the long response.
Great tips! Would you describe how to identify the “corners”?
dang, thought i responded to this. just watching waves is best. corners are basically shoulders, its where the unbroken part meets the broken part of the wave. as the wave approaches, look for the color differences. You will notice that the steeper parts of the wave, the parts that will break first, will be darker most of the time, except when it is heavy overcast. look at the video again and check out the shading of the waves before they break. you will see how the middle/apex of the waves are darker in color.
Great video. Not enough session analysis and positioning on YT. It would be good to talk about when to go left or right. You'd be surprised how many people go left on rights or commonly, right on lefts. This is one I tell people to watch: ua-cam.com/video/73hmhBxJ0eE/v-deo.html
7:05. Ha! Taking turns. That etiquette is being thrown out the window these days. People paddle right back to the peak at reefs and points. Do a talk on snaking and backpaddling too. Lol.
I also liked how you used Bolsa Chica as an example, instead of Lowers or perfect malibu. One turn closeouts are normal for most people.
that iSurfTribe video is good. I forgot about that one. I remember watching it years ago.
haha, etiquette is gone the way of the dodo. :(
I had a run in with this lady who caught a nice set wave which she went right. Then on her way back out, I paddled for a left but decided to give her enough room so she didn't have to feel pressured to paddle. since it is Bolsa, it is softer and you can pretty much paddle under people. She turned on my inside and tried to snake me. Then she claimed I dropped in on her. So the rest of the day, I played by her rules and made sure I paddled to her inside on every wave. She was not happy. But I wonder if she got the point. probably not.
Howdy Thomye, since I know your extensive knowledge on Rob Machado boards… I’m a beginner, a seasoned beginner haha and am looking into buying ‘seaside‘ 5’11” since it offers a significant amount of volume. However I had been to a couple of board shops and the guys (salesmen)there were dragging me down to a shorter versions like 5’8” explaining that I’ll be losing flex and maneuverability with 5’11”. The most important thing for me is to stay on the ‘inside’ as you mentioned in one of your vids and maximize wave count with a buoyant groveler as this strategy gives you a solid perspective on the sport. I’m about 6’3” and weigh about 150 lb. You know you kinda get lost with all those variables 🤗 is it 5’9”, or 5’10” or is it 5’11? Best, R.
at your height, all those sizes will work if we didn't look at volume. the seaside is meant to be ridden short. I'm 5'8 and can ride the 5'2, 5'3, and 5'4 effectively. Having said that, the 3 size you mention are the exact difference in inches for my 3. Anyways, your weight is what is going to factor in but since you mention you are a "seasoned beginner", lol, I think the idea of going 5'11 isn't a bad call. ride that for a few summers and then hop on a shorter version. Why struggle on wave count. the more your surf the faster you will get better. And by surf, I mean standing on a wave.
and to be honest, flex is a non factor even in a 5'8. Maneuverability is a factor but likely not at your height to board ratio. In fact, at your stage, you don't want too loose, and the seaside is inherently loose. anyways, the shortest I would go given what you have mentioned is 5'10 but 5'11 will get you that 2 extra liters.
@@ThomyeSurfs Todays my lucky day! Your comment back is probably the cherry on top🙂 Someone drove all the way from Long Beach to north SF valley and bought a board from me that wasn’t working for me. Then I jumped on to the closest board shop (Val Surf) which had the 6.0 in blue tint and $100 more and the 5.10 with some discount … So good by 5.11, we’ll be zigzagging on 5’10! Thank you Thomye you’re the best🤙🏼
Love your video's .... Pop screen for your mic brother!
Thanks. Just ordered one. 👍
OMG 😍💋 💝💖❤️