Getting tubed is the essence of body boarding, as body boarders are able to get barreled far more easily in all conditions than surfers. We can pull in higher and tighter in smaller surf and have an easier time m getting in and out of big thick-lipped ledgey mutant pits. And the best part is we can stay in the barrel longer Riding in the barrel is one of the most critical parts of the wave to ride and one of the most pure feeling s you will enjoy in the water. The first step to getting barreled is finding the where the waveÍs lip is throwing out and placing your self underneath it the lip as it throws out over you. It helps to have speed if you want to make it out of the tube. And if you want to stay in the barrel longer you need to slow down inside of it, you can do this by either lifting up on the nose of your board or by dragging your legs in the wave. Be careful if you stall too much you will get sucked back in to the barrel and eat it. As you take off on the wave look down the line and see if the waves lip is going to pitch out or if it is going to crumble. If the lip is crumbly do not try to get in barrel as there is no barrel and you will just end up having the wave mush on you. If it is look s like it is going to pitch out try and time your ride so you end up underneath the li p as it throws out as you do this make sure your rail is well engaged to the face as you want to keep your speed and not slide out as the wave barrels over you. If the wave is a close out then it will be a mostly short intense ride with a wipe out at the end. Though if the wave is makeable you will have to determine if you need to stall in the barrel as discussed earlier or if you need to keep your speed so you can make it out. You can get more speed in the barrel by reducing the drag in the water to do this get up higher on the nose of your board this will help you keep you momentum and hopefully make it out off the barrel. More barrel tips and hints coming next month.
Now, if you take behind the peak and if you are late to pull in to the barrel, most likely the lip has already hit the water, then that is called back dooring the section. This is a critical moment as you enter the barrel you already are behind the section, which will put you deep in the barrel. This may sound good but be careful the deeper you get in to the barrel the more exposed you are to the barrels shock wave. ThatÍs when the lip hits the water it sends a miniature wave racing back up the face of the barrel. You also have to negotiate the trough or trench when you are deep in the barrel and that is when the barrel flattens out and the wave stops pushing you along and you have to rely on the speed you have already to push you along and make it out.
When a wave is hollow enough it will spit which means it will force all the air in the barrel out of the opening in the front. The spit can be a great boost of speed when if it powerful enough, as it can end up pushing you along faster in the barrel. The best way to practice riding the barrel is to pull in to hollow close outs and try and ride as long as you can. This process should help you see what works for you to hold and edge and push through the shock wave and trenches while in the barrel. It is a trial and error experience and the more you get barreled the more chance you have of making it out of one. After that you will just be trying to stay in the barrel as long as possible. Enjoy the process, as it is a lot of fun, just make sure you donÍt hit the bottom too hard.