SUP Mag UK Coaching special 2024 | Page 50

By far , the biggest advantage of SUP surfing is how much you can see due to being stood up . If you have ever prone surfed , lying down in even two-foot waves restricts your view of what ’ s happening around you .
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No – watching is sometimes best Whilst riding waves is a great way to learn your surfing skills , sometimes getting out back and watching will teach you more . You can start to see wave shapes , the best position you should be in and what the other paddlers and surfers are doing . The opportunity to have a break should also be taken , as it ’ s surprising how quickly SUP Surfing can tire you out . There is another reason , too ; surf etiquette . I will cover this in more detail later on , but for now , just because you can catch every wave doesn ’ t mean you should . If it ’ s busy in the surf , be sure to let other people get their fair share of waves .
It ’ s all about positioning The way you catch waves on a SUP is different from prone surfing as you can ’ t just sit in one spot watching the waves , then spin 180 degrees and start paddling . If you did that on a SUP board , you would most likely end up being side on to the waves by the time the wave you are trying to catch passes under you . Instead , you want to

By far , the biggest advantage of SUP surfing is how much you can see due to being stood up . If you have ever prone surfed , lying down in even two-foot waves restricts your view of what ’ s happening around you .

position yourself side on to the waves or facing towards them before starting to paddle . Then as you begin to paddle around to meet the wave , you will be ready to take off aiming at the beach .
The line-up On beaches or reefs , you can often see a particular position where the waves will break first , usually over a sand bar or higher part of the reef . This position is what surfers call the lineup . As the prime place to catch waves from , surfers will line up at this position to wait their turn to catch the next wave .