I’m watching this video Iain due to the fact I was slammed into the Sand over here in San Diego. Hurt ma neck, left shoulder feels like 10 people kicked it out, and I was bodyboarding with your board. You’re my inspiration bro. I’m an EMT and I’ve been needing an outlet that keeps my depression at ease. The surf has done that. I stsrted with an EPS board but I’m trying to be the black version of you hahaha. I caught some good ones but i tried testing myself and hitting a big shore break… I got a little intimidated by the size of one coming in the surf and I saw the white water impact and my beginner thought made me think it’s too big go under and I dove in 2 feet high of water and thought I was witnessing my own drowning for 5 seconds… some people from the UK watched me catch the wave and die so it was glorious … I haven’t been back out since .. I can’t get past the mental hump of that day… much love from San Diego brother 🤙🏾
Hope you get inspired by these videos and head back out. It can be a scary place but enjoy the waves for what they are. Learn how to fall and you should feel better going back out. Be safe out there bru 💪🏼🤙🏼
Great vid mate. I've had a few monsters break in front of me - ones which i was certain had me - but using this technique got under without really even diving too deep. Mike is amazing with his technical thinking.
I've been struggling with bigger waves and wanted to ask you, can a board thats the correct size be too bouyant for a rider's weight. Mine is a 40.5 which is about right in terms of length, but at 130 lbs I wonder if a slightly less bouyant board would allow me to keep it underwater.
I think it’s the technique over the buoyancy… learning to do the duck dive correctly and I don’t think you will have that issue anymore. However, you can always look at getting a thinner board in the same size that will have less volume and be able to be duck dived easier..
Yesterday I duck dived a 5 footer next to a guy. When I popped up, he was about 8m ahead of me!!! It took about half an hour to finally reach him at the back and my arms and legs were useless. Hopefully this technique will enable me to paddle out on bigger days! Thanks for the vid boet!
I went bodyboarding for the first time today and could not get past the bigger waves without my friend pulling my board. I'll try this technique the next time I go. Thanks so much for the video!
Outside of paddling duck diving is the most important thing in surfing. Paddling/duck diving/wave reading are the 3 things I taught first to my friends when they asked me to teach them.
Man!!! 🙌🏾 Since I have discovered your RUclips videos I’ve improved my bodyboarding skills, African from South Africa Durban Inanda Glebe. I’m grateful 🙌🏾🇿🇦
Thanks for this video Iain i have learned more from this than anywhere else on RUclips. My problem has been i i duck dive and can feel myself going backwards not all the time but it is tiring. Will put your advice into practice thanks again.👍
It is interesting A trick I would use is when whitewater is coming at you you will see plumes of water pushing forward and areas where its retracting....whitewater has tons of these it pushes forward and retracts, over and over again So i would try and time the plumes to get into an area where the whitewater is retracting as wave hits me....usually it will suck you right out the back.....get it wrong and duck when plume is jetting forward and beating is far worse This method is probably air pocket I just never thought of it that way....
man what an awesome video! I always love to ear these kinds of insights in how pros not only ride their waves but also manage to get out there on big days and make it past those huge ones that come in. It always amazes me whenever I see people duck diving some huge bombs
Hey Ian...great stuff...how many ft before whitewater hits you do you start your duck five as a general rule?...always heard to DD just before it hits you...thx
Right on man, never knew about air pockets. I gotta try look for those when makapuu in oahu gets good size, i always get stuck inside duck diving forever on the bigger days
Super helpful, thanks!. I have a question, regarding what to do underwater while duck diving, would you recommend kicking to go up faster? Or in your experience in heavy conditions is to much physical effort? Thanks and congrats for winning Pipe!
eztereo I’m not Iain Campbell but I’ve been bodyboarding for a while. Personally I kick when I duck dive because I feel like it pushes me forward and out of the whitewater faster. It also depends what kind of waves your local break has because if you have thicker/slabby waves I’d for sure kick if you have slow lumpy breaking waves then you don’t have to kick as much and if you have fast hollow breaking waves you’d for sure kick through. Overall all of the waves out there pack a punch and it’s your decision whether to kick underwater or not
No worries man. There is no point to kicking. It is just going to waste energy that could be saved. My advice would be angle the board up to take you to the surface. That will be less energy than kicking and faster. Thanks man 🤙🏼🤙🏼
Very interesting vid. 👍 I would like to ask you a side question: I am doing Kitesurf within waves and in case of big shore break with a strictly on shore wind, it is very tough to move out of the beach, so the more reliable technique is body drag: I am laying flat on the water with the board between hands and elbows and the wind pulls me upwind, but with a limited angle (as 20/30 deg to the sea) Due to so there are very much to travel sideways, and I cross plenty of big waves breaking hard on me, pushing me back to the beach, returning my board or myself…! 😵💫 People told me that the best technique would be to adopt the duck dive technique from the surf but no one was able to explain me the best practices for my particular case🥺 During the duck dive I will still have one arm up connected to the bar and maintaining the kite high and possibly pulling (at least not falling). My board will come at the duck dive entry point with an edging angle in opposition to the kite and with a 60/70 degree traveling direction to the wave Do you thing we must keep those angles when duck diving or try to do as surfer (board flat and facing the wave), when pushing on the noze to dive it?🤓 😎 Thank you for your help! 🤗
Hi Nicolas, unfortunately I have no idea. This is far beyond what I do with my bodyboard so my advice is going to be a guessing game. Maybe reach out to the guys that kite in areas where the waves are big and can give you some better tips. Wish I could help more but this is out of my skill level...
Can you do one on how to bail? Because i broke my collar bone on a bail and didn't land right, so now that im back on the board im scared of riding barrels
I have also been looking for content on this I heard someone day to roll over onto your back as you are wiping out - but I don't know which way to roll ! Towards the face of the barrel or away from it?
Jake W I think he means the space between the whitewash. Correct me if I’m wrong Ian. In Hawaii the water is clear so the light is actually the whitewash. After I dip and pass the initial impact there are ribs of White wash. I open my eyes and look for the spaces between them. It’ll look like clear uninterrupted water between vertical lines of white wash along the surface. That offers you a clear route to the top. Hope this helps.
Really?.. I never did during my thirty plus years on the boog! Prolly why I never made the world stage, lol Praise ye the Lord - Alleluia! Jesus saves from hell, All Glory and all the Power to Jesus for his Kingdom will reign forever and ever, Amen.
When in above advised position it helps too to stay as straight as possible. Like a candle in the water, including your feet. You can feel the difference the way the wave pulls on your body and fins!
Well you can come out in the low pressure but trying to avoid the wave is easier said than done. Pass through the wave and try find the low pressure to get out the other side. Focus on the waves and how they break first.
Dolby Derringer I feel like it’s 2-3 but with the off and on rain it’s hard to get out there, there’s also the whole virus thing but I feel like the water is a safe place form that.
@@stellanmcgowan515 For OC I use OC water quality and if the pin marks are anything but green I don't go out...usually take 5 days for bacterial levels to return to normal but I agree these off and on rain storms really suck because you have to wait 5 days all over again after every new storm, why the Southland is engineered this way is beyond me, where all our concrete rivers and sewage drains out to sea: /
I had a recent revelation - I was duck diving too deep. Most of the time - especially for walls of whitewater - a shallow duckdive and getting flat on your board parallel to the surface but just below it beats digging your nose deep and pushing through the back foot. I only go for the hail mary duck dive if Im under the lip or its like more than head and a half and in impact zone. And then I dig deep but dont go parallel at all, stay pointing mostly down but lie get flat on the back half of the board and try to get the nose pointing up after wave passes to rise up quickly to the surface . Getting stuck deep and pulled along or flipped is worst case.
Very useful content .. cheers man But when I feel I can’t avoid the impact and it s gonna be tough I just let the board and dive the deepest I can ... anyway I only had 3 real times in my life I was wondering I was making or not and one time was something like that I got hit by a real big wave in top of me and I was inside a washing machine for a while .. my leash went out , my fins went out , I was out of breathe, really strong tide pushing me in .. we all gone through that 🤷♂️🤷♂️🤷♂️🤷♂️🤙🤙🤙🤙🤙🤙
I remember when Mike drew that and it was in a mag. It’s ace when a solid one breaks in the right spot near you and bounces up and the duck dive is super smooth
Hey man silly question but when your paddling out, do you just kick or do you paddle as well? I’m having trouble getting out the back, gotta work on my fitness just get exhausted then slammed by sets, gotta rest for 10 mins by the time I make it to the lineup haha!
I use both but definitely build up some cardio before heading out. The best think is to try find currents and rips that will help get you out to the line up. That’s the best advice I can give. I will do a video about this when I have enough footage.
Twice I’ve been pushed and pinned to the bottom. Panic unfortunately set in and was out of breathe and started to convulse. I ended up having to open my mouth and take two big gulps of water which must have gave me a second breathe of oxygen because I felt a little relieved and was able to get to the surface. Came up and was crying like a baby though haha. Is taking a gulp of water when out of breathe a bad idea or how close was I to drowning you reckon?
Yes. Taking in water is how you drown. Technically speaking it’s safer for you to black out than to try take a breath. It’s all about keeping calm. The less you stress. The faster you will come to the surface. DONT TAKE BREATHS UNDERWATER EVER!
Yes, you need to avoid the zone of the wave with the biggest size (the one that will impact first and the one that will have more energy and therefore, more impact and more dangerous) and duckdive the side of the wave with lowest size (lowest impact energy and less dangerous and will impact later)
Very cool kind of is like what my brother taught me, My brother taught me , that when a wave starts forming and if it’s too big,...,to immediately dive towards the sand , and let your body go limp, because if you struggle you’re going to panic and likely get hurt... allow the wave to toss you . , the wave will naturally start to pull you... sometimes it will drag you on the Sandy floor,but once the wave goes through… you can pop back up and continue without the wrath of the wave. This method has worked every time!
Idk if you use this method and you have certainly rode much bigger surf but I used to time the "plumes" of whitewater.......they shoot forward then retract and repeat If I could time it I would try to find a pocket that was retracting and pick that through the back Not always possible but has gotten me through with least amt of beating but yeah usually you don't get a choice
Thanks man. Will go and watch that for sure. I try to never bail my board though. Snapped leash and then you in a very tough position and dangerous one.
Hey mate, slightly off topic but have you or someone you've ever known hurt your back doing flips? I watch people do crazy flips off the lip without any problems but it feels like I've tweaked something after landing on the flats the other day
Fascinating video. I hope this isn't an obvious question, but when you state that you want to avoid the impact sections, how exactly do we do this? Do you mean that we slow down or speed up our paddling as the wave approaches so that we, by virtue of our positioning, find ourselves in the low pressure zones? Or it it more a case of paddling normally and then no matter where you find ourselves in relation to the approaching wave to make sure that we are underwater duck diving a few feet in front of the impact sections so we don't cop their full force? Many thanks in advance for your reply.
Hey bru. So the idea is the first part. Paddling up to a wave and either speeding up or slowing down will put you in the best position and thus allow you to get into the low pressure situation and come out unscathed.
Hudson Lam train ur eyes without goggles, u don’t wear goggles while bodyboarding haha. Even by starting just by peeping, then every time open ur eyes more and more
Another tip is if wash is strong i like to shallow dive a little later than usual and use force of wave against nose of board to pull me to surface by tilting it up once under and wave is 50% past. I would try with heaver sets.
Nah, I’ll just stay on the outside. Last time I was at big pipe I got pushed into the reef. Slid like 15 feet on the rock underwater, luckily not a scratch
I tried opening my eyes today. Didn't realise I should be doing it. So much better - waiting for the dark water to go and then it's clear and you know the whitewater is gone And it's mich less scary seeing the wave instead of being tumbled with your eyes closed I find I lose sense of direction
Great vid! My leg/ankle STILL hurts from 2 years ago and not ducking in time in Maui Little Beach. A total noob frolicked right in front of me when the wave came causing me to lose precious time and missing the timing. Took the curl up and down into the sand. Guess I'm actually lucky I was feet first!
hey man , just a tip for me. Is there a certain technique you use, as i struggle to get under of the water properly. I get my head and torso under, but i cant get deep enough to use my legs to help me get deep enough to avoid the impact of the wave. Thanks man
There is a specific video. There is a bunch of them online as this video was to show you how to get under bigger waves but I will try do one soon on the actual duck dive.
Would have been cool to show in real life how to identify the different sections described in Mike Steward's drawing. And how to identify those zones while you are facing the wave. You almost achieved it, but didn't really get much from it. Sorry bro.
Well sorry you feel that way... It is so difficult to show that part of the wave and how that breaks with all the whitewater and turbulence happening. The theory is all I can give you this time unfortunately... Thanks for watching anyway. Appreciate the comment and honesty.
@@iaincampbell_ no stress, and hopefully not taken negatively. More given in the hope of positive criticism. Maybe in an updated clip show some waves shot from the side where guys/you are duck diving with success or with major drawback. That would make your vlog scientific ;-)
Completely positive. I understand where you’re coming from and I tried to get some video of that but not easy when it is only me filming so I just tried my best to explain. Some of these ideas come from my 10-15 years of being a bodyboarder and in the ocean. Sometimes a 7-10 minute video doesn’t do that knowledge justice.
I don’t get it? Are you saying to duck dive under the high pressure impact zone and try to time it so you come up and surface in the middle of a low pressure area? Wouldn’t that just put you right in the middle of the soup and get tossed around and perhaps dragged back towards the impact zone?
No, that wave in will be moving along the top of the water in low pressure situations, and you can actually position yourself in these pockets, and penetrates the surface when the high pressure/impact happens. You’re aiming to stay in the low impact zone.
@@iaincampbell_ ok so a 10 foot wave has broken 15 meters in front of me and now a wall of white water is rolling towards me. What are you suggesting I do to avoid being tossed around like a rag doll? Where are these “pockets” you are referring to? Thanks.
Well it only works for waves smaller than 2 meters, then it becomes impossible to dive if you are at the wrong place. Yesterday a 3m did hit me and another surfer, we had to dive without the board to make it, happily the leash does its job.
Well explained but we need you to show us with a drone above you.This would show us in big waves where these spots are in front of the wave..for me its always about 2 meters in front of the lip or 3 metres for whitewater. The sweet spot is quite small in smaller waves but larger for big waves.
Hey man. Probably a few days in Hawaii would be the biggest and yes there is always some fear but I am confident with my abilities and I’m able to appreciate the moments.
I’m watching this video Iain due to the fact I was slammed into the Sand over here in San Diego. Hurt ma neck, left shoulder feels like 10 people kicked it out, and I was bodyboarding with your board. You’re my inspiration bro. I’m an EMT and I’ve been needing an outlet that keeps my depression at ease. The surf has done that. I stsrted with an EPS board but I’m trying to be the black version of you hahaha. I caught some good ones but i tried testing myself and hitting a big shore break… I got a little intimidated by the size of one coming in the surf and I saw the white water impact and my beginner thought made me think it’s too big go under and I dove in 2 feet high of water and thought I was witnessing my own drowning for 5 seconds… some people from the UK watched me catch the wave and die so it was glorious … I haven’t been back out since .. I can’t get past the mental hump of that day… much love from San Diego brother 🤙🏾
Hope you get inspired by these videos and head back out. It can be a scary place but enjoy the waves for what they are. Learn how to fall and you should feel better going back out.
Be safe out there bru 💪🏼🤙🏼
when i see these big waves coming at me i go into full saving private ryan mode.
MAAAMMAAAAAAAAAA
🤣🤣🤣
That scene was gross
@fihtah relatable
Same 😂
ur not wrong
Great vid mate. I've had a few monsters break in front of me - ones which i was certain had me - but using this technique got under without really even diving too deep. Mike is amazing with his technical thinking.
Thanks man. Agreed, Mike is the guru when it comes to technical stuff!
I've been struggling with bigger waves and wanted to ask you, can a board thats the correct size be too bouyant for a rider's weight. Mine is a 40.5 which is about right in terms of length, but at 130 lbs I wonder if a slightly less bouyant board would allow me to keep it underwater.
I think it’s the technique over the buoyancy… learning to do the duck dive correctly and I don’t think you will have that issue anymore.
However, you can always look at getting a thinner board in the same size that will have less volume and be able to be duck dived easier..
@@iaincampbell_ Thanks for making a big effort to reply to our questions. Having access to advice from a world champion is a huge privilege🤙🏽
@@flatoutsupercars166 that’s what I’m here for 😉🤙🏼
Yesterday I duck dived a 5 footer next to a guy. When I popped up, he was about 8m ahead of me!!! It took about half an hour to finally reach him at the back and my arms and legs were useless.
Hopefully this technique will enable me to paddle out on bigger days! Thanks for the vid boet!
This will definitely help you 🤙🏼
I went bodyboarding for the first time today and could not get past the bigger waves without my friend pulling my board. I'll try this technique the next time I go. Thanks so much for the video!
No problem. Good luck out there and be safe!
What a legend ! , only youtuber I know who posts mad content in the water and helpful vids like this
Outside of paddling duck diving is the most important thing in surfing. Paddling/duck diving/wave reading are the 3 things I taught first to my friends when they asked me to teach them.
Very much the most important things to know for sure bru. 🙌🏼
Man!!! 🙌🏾 Since I have discovered your RUclips videos I’ve improved my bodyboarding skills, African from South Africa Durban Inanda Glebe. I’m grateful 🙌🏾🇿🇦
Thanks man. Stoked I was able to help 🤙🏼
Thanks for this video Iain i have learned more from this than anywhere else on RUclips. My problem has been i i duck dive and can feel myself going backwards not all the time but it is tiring. Will put your advice into practice thanks again.👍
Hope this helps you and gets you out there with a little less work. 🤙🏼
It is interesting
A trick I would use is when whitewater is coming at you you will see plumes of water pushing forward and areas where its retracting....whitewater has tons of these it pushes forward and retracts, over and over again
So i would try and time the plumes to get into an area where the whitewater is retracting as wave hits me....usually it will suck you right out the back.....get it wrong and duck when plume is jetting forward and beating is far worse
This method is probably air pocket I just never thought of it that way....
Yes that’s exactly it. Air pockets from the foam coming in. It’s the best and easiest way to get out!
man what an awesome video! I always love to ear these kinds of insights in how pros not only ride their waves but also manage to get out there on big days and make it past those huge ones that come in. It always amazes me whenever I see people duck diving some huge bombs
Thanks man. Stoked to hear you’re enjoying them 🤙🏼
Awesome video! I haven never looked out for air pockets before, but essentially they look like white bubbles?
Yeah exactly 🤙🏼
Hey Ian...great stuff...how many ft before whitewater hits you do you start your duck five as a general rule?...always heard to DD just before it hits you...thx
It just depends on the situation but I would say about 2-3m or 6-9ft from the white water to get completely submerged.
Right on man, never knew about air pockets. I gotta try look for those when makapuu in oahu gets good size, i always get stuck inside duck diving forever on the bigger days
Try that technique for sure. Hope it works out. makapuu is a strong wave so br careful out there. 🤙🏼🤙🏼
@@iaincampbell_ right on, you too man see you charging some crazy waves
Thanks for another amazing video, the how to series has put me in a way more confident place in my overall bodyboarding!!
So stoked to hear that man. Makes me so stoked!
I a air pocket the blue (not white water) patches under a wave?
Correct.
Super helpful, thanks!. I have a question, regarding what to do underwater while duck diving, would you recommend kicking to go up faster? Or in your experience in heavy conditions is to much physical effort? Thanks and congrats for winning Pipe!
eztereo I’m not Iain Campbell but I’ve been bodyboarding for a while. Personally I kick when I duck dive because I feel like it pushes me forward and out of the whitewater faster. It also depends what kind of waves your local break has because if you have thicker/slabby waves I’d for sure kick if you have slow lumpy breaking waves then you don’t have to kick as much and if you have fast hollow breaking waves you’d for sure kick through. Overall all of the waves out there pack a punch and it’s your decision whether to kick underwater or not
No worries man. There is no point to kicking. It is just going to waste energy that could be saved. My advice would be angle the board up to take you to the surface. That will be less energy than kicking and faster.
Thanks man 🤙🏼🤙🏼
lmlamour pov thanks!
Iain Campbell thanks! ✌🏽
Very interesting vid. 👍
I would like to ask you a side question: I am doing Kitesurf within waves and in case of big shore break with a strictly on shore wind, it is very tough to move out of the beach, so the more reliable technique is body drag: I am laying flat on the water with the board between hands and elbows and the wind pulls me upwind, but with a limited angle (as 20/30 deg to the sea)
Due to so there are very much to travel sideways, and I cross plenty of big waves breaking hard on me, pushing me back to the beach, returning my board or myself…! 😵💫
People told me that the best technique would be to adopt the duck dive technique from the surf but no one was able to explain me the best practices for my particular case🥺
During the duck dive I will still have one arm up connected to the bar and maintaining the kite high and possibly pulling (at least not falling). My board will come at the duck dive entry point with an edging angle in opposition to the kite and with a 60/70 degree traveling direction to the wave
Do you thing we must keep those angles when duck diving or try to do as surfer (board flat and facing the wave), when pushing on the noze to dive it?🤓
😎
Thank you for your help! 🤗
Hi Nicolas, unfortunately I have no idea. This is far beyond what I do with my bodyboard so my advice is going to be a guessing game. Maybe reach out to the guys that kite in areas where the waves are big and can give you some better tips. Wish I could help more but this is out of my skill level...
Can you do one on how to bail? Because i broke my collar bone on a bail and didn't land right, so now that im back on the board im scared of riding barrels
Hahaha. I almost broke my knee in Hawaii but that video is coming too. It’s risky this sport, but there is ways to protect yourself.
I have also been looking for content on this
I heard someone day to roll over onto your back as you are wiping out - but I don't know which way to roll ! Towards the face of the barrel or away from it?
So the best area to brake the surface is in the low pressure area? Or after it?
After the low pressure.
This is a goldmine! Thanks for sharing your knowledge brother 🤙🏻
Thank you guys for watching 🙏🏼
Someone asked me who taught me to surf my answer is always the same, Iain campbell
Thanks so much bru 🙏🏼appreciate it.
what do the air pockets actually look like under the water? thanks
You can't always see them but they are just lighter parts of the wave where there is more light shining through. Look for the light!
Jake W I think he means the space between the whitewash. Correct me if I’m wrong Ian. In Hawaii the water is clear so the light is actually the whitewash. After I dip and pass the initial impact there are ribs of White wash. I open my eyes and look for the spaces between them. It’ll look like clear uninterrupted water between vertical lines of white wash along the surface. That offers you a clear route to the top. Hope this helps.
Exactly. Nailed it! 💪🏼🤙🏼
Great video !
Do you open your eyes when you duck diving ?
Yes on some waves. Especially when it’s bigger.
Really?.. I never did during my thirty plus years on the boog! Prolly why I never made the world stage, lol
Praise ye the Lord - Alleluia!
Jesus saves from hell, All Glory and all the Power to Jesus for his Kingdom will reign forever and ever, Amen.
Thanks for your videos and sharing your secrets Ian. It will save many surfers from being hurt
That’s always what I hoped I could do!
Great video. I used some of these tips today and way easier getting under heavy whitewater. Not getting dragged back like before.
So good to hear that. Keep charging bru 🤙🏼
Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge it's veryveryvery usefull 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 and you explain it very clearly
Thank you. Glad it’s helping 🙌🏼
Actually never knew some this wave technical stuff, awesome.
Glad you’ve learnt something. That’s why I love making videos for everyone 🙌🏼
Awesome Vid as always
Thanks bru.
YES, I WAS WAITING FOR THIS!
When in above advised position it helps too to stay as straight as possible. Like a candle in the water, including your feet. You can feel the difference the way the wave pulls on your body and fins!
Don’t really understand what you mean.
@@iaincampbell_ I mean that you keep your body flat, straighthened out, make your self as long as possible and even straighthen your feet and fins.
So when do we come out of the duck dive? We avoid impact but should we come out in the low pressures? Or duck dive till we pass thru the wave?
Well you can come out in the low pressure but trying to avoid the wave is easier said than done. Pass through the wave and try find the low pressure to get out the other side. Focus on the waves and how they break first.
Thanks Iain, can’t wait for the rain to stop here in Cali so I can get back out there and try it.
Hope it’s soon bru. Enjoy 🤙🏼🤙🏼
Wait is up to 5 days after Last rain for water to be clean enough again...such a drag😕
Dolby Derringer I feel like it’s 2-3 but with the off and on rain it’s hard to get out there, there’s also the whole virus thing but I feel like the water is a safe place form that.
@@stellanmcgowan515
For OC I use OC water quality and if the pin marks are anything but green I don't go out...usually take 5 days for bacterial levels to return to normal but I agree these off and on rain storms really suck because you have to wait 5 days all over again after every new storm, why the Southland is engineered this way is beyond me, where all our concrete rivers and sewage drains out to sea: /
Dolby Derringer so true man I’ll be out ASAP
I had a recent revelation - I was duck diving too deep. Most of the time - especially for walls of whitewater - a shallow duckdive and getting flat on your board parallel to the surface but just below it beats digging your nose deep and pushing through the back foot. I only go for the hail mary duck dive if Im under the lip or its like more than head and a half and in impact zone. And then I dig deep but dont go parallel at all, stay pointing mostly down but lie get flat on the back half of the board and try to get the nose pointing up after wave passes to rise up quickly to the surface . Getting stuck deep and pulled along or flipped is worst case.
If that’s working for you then good job. Keep getting pitted bru 🤙🏼🤙🏼
Very useful content .. cheers man
But when I feel I can’t avoid the impact and it s gonna be tough I just let the board and dive the deepest I can ...
anyway I only had 3 real times in my life I was wondering I was making or not and one time was something like that I got hit by a real big wave in top of me and I was inside a washing machine for a while .. my leash went out , my fins went out , I was out of breathe, really strong tide pushing me in .. we all gone through that 🤷♂️🤷♂️🤷♂️🤷♂️🤙🤙🤙🤙🤙🤙
Yeah for sure man.
Glad you’re enjoying the content. More to come soon.
I remember when Mike drew that and it was in a mag. It’s ace when a solid one breaks in the right spot near you and bounces up and the duck dive is super smooth
Yes exactly. If you have know then you know. 😜
Hey man silly question but when your paddling out, do you just kick or do you paddle as well?
I’m having trouble getting out the back, gotta work on my fitness just get exhausted then slammed by sets, gotta rest for 10 mins by the time I make it to the lineup haha!
I use both but definitely build up some cardio before heading out. The best think is to try find currents and rips that will help get you out to the line up. That’s the best advice I can give. I will do a video about this when I have enough footage.
Twice I’ve been pushed and pinned to the bottom. Panic unfortunately set in and was out of breathe and started to convulse. I ended up having to open my mouth and take two big gulps of water which must have gave me a second breathe of oxygen because I felt a little relieved and was able to get to the surface. Came up and was crying like a baby though haha. Is taking a gulp of water when out of breathe a bad idea or how close was I to drowning you reckon?
Yes. Taking in water is how you drown. Technically speaking it’s safer for you to black out than to try take a breath. It’s all about keeping calm. The less you stress. The faster you will come to the surface. DONT TAKE BREATHS UNDERWATER EVER!
Yes, you need to avoid the zone of the wave with the biggest size (the one that will impact first and the one that will have more energy and therefore, more impact and more dangerous) and duckdive the side of the wave with lowest size (lowest impact energy and less dangerous and will impact later)
Very cool kind of is like what my brother taught me, My brother taught me , that when a wave starts forming and if it’s too big,...,to immediately dive towards the sand , and let your body go limp, because if you struggle you’re going to panic and likely get hurt... allow the wave to toss you .
, the wave will naturally start to pull you... sometimes it will drag you on the Sandy floor,but once the wave goes through… you can pop back up and continue without the wrath of the wave. This method has worked every time!
Some good advice right there.
Idk if you use this method and you have certainly rode much bigger surf but I used to time the "plumes" of whitewater.......they shoot forward then retract and repeat
If I could time it I would try to find a pocket that was retracting and pick that through the back
Not always possible but has gotten me through with least amt of beating but yeah usually you don't get a choice
That is exactly what I am talking about. Have to find the air pockets in between those pulses of white water...
Nice vid, I’m old my idols were Mike Stewart, Eppo, Dave Ballard, Steve Mackenzie, wingnut, nugget and friends!
Keep on ripping mate 👍
Thanks man. Stoked you like it.
dazthespaz ewok that’s awesome man, didn’t realise he lived on the Gold Coast now
Sick Vid, would be great to hear your thoughts on the new World Tour and the IBC. Awe Lekke Lekke bru
Haha. Got to wait a bit until I know what is really going on but I will explain soon.
Thats a really good idea!!
nathern florence also did a video on when to duck dive and when to bail very helpfull video and would recommend watch aswell. amazing video thou Iain
Thanks man. Will go and watch that for sure. I try to never bail my board though. Snapped leash and then you in a very tough position and dangerous one.
I love all of your content keep it up I’m markus Martinez from insta and I asked where you were from.
Awesome man. Thanks so much bru.
Another Great Video. Congratulations on your Pipeline win.
Thank you bro 🙏🏼
how can i do a air pocket?
You have to look for them underwater...
Just wondering... do you close your eyes when you're duck diving? I tend to do that once I'm underwater...
Try keeping them open like in the pool. Just when the situation gets gnarly!
Hey mate, slightly off topic but have you or someone you've ever known hurt your back doing flips?
I watch people do crazy flips off the lip without any problems but it feels like I've tweaked something after landing on the flats the other day
Hey man. Never really hurt my back to be honest. A couple times a shoulder or rips but not really back. Wish I could help more.
Strong core and flexibility is key. Planks are your friend.
Thx, really good info. Greetings from Aljezur
Glad it was helpful!
Please tell me what is a big wave that ur talking about is 12 feet waves Considered or is a big wave or a 15 feet
Not too sure what you’re trying to ask me bru.
Iain Campbell oh lmao I’ll asking what is considered a big wave in general
Iain Campbell u for real lmao 😂 I give up
Fascinating video. I hope this isn't an obvious question, but when you state that you want to avoid the impact sections, how exactly do we do this? Do you mean that we slow down or speed up our paddling as the wave approaches so that we, by virtue of our positioning, find ourselves in the low pressure zones? Or it it more a case of paddling normally and then no matter where you find ourselves in relation to the approaching wave to make sure that we are underwater duck diving a few feet in front of the impact sections so we don't cop their full force? Many thanks in advance for your reply.
Hey bru. So the idea is the first part. Paddling up to a wave and either speeding up or slowing down will put you in the best position and thus allow you to get into the low pressure situation and come out unscathed.
Amazing. Keep dropping that knowledge Iain. 🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿
👊🏼🤙🏼
Thanks dude. One Question: When you duck dive do You have your Eyes opened ore closed?
Depends but for the most part I keep it open to see where I am going underwater.
With goggles? Because I can’t see when my eyes open without hoggles
Hudson Lam train ur eyes without goggles, u don’t wear goggles while bodyboarding haha. Even by starting just by peeping, then every time open ur eyes more and more
Helpful video
I was looking for how to avoid big waves cus I always get ripped away.. Ty
Subbed! Cool explanations
Sick video from a true legend
Thank you.
Another tip is if wash is strong i like to shallow dive a little later than usual and use force of wave against nose of board to pull me to surface by tilting it up once under and wave is 50% past. I would try with heaver sets.
Keep your eyes open underwater and find those air pockets 💪🏼🤙🏼
STOKED THANKS CHAMP
Do you keep your eyes open while duckdiving?
Depends. Sometime when it’s a bigger wave or a wave of consequence.
Sup bro are you on what app💪
Hi, I am but that is my personal number. I don’t give it out.
Sick video, aye realy inspired by you to become a better boogie boarder!!
Makes me so stoked to hear that bru. Hope I can help you to do that!
Great video bro!
Nah, I’ll just stay on the outside. Last time I was at big pipe I got pushed into the reef. Slid like 15 feet on the rock underwater, luckily not a scratch
Epic Video. thank you. I need to open my eyes under the water to see what’s going on.
Yes exactly the idea.
I tried opening my eyes today. Didn't realise I should be doing it.
So much better - waiting for the dark water to go and then it's clear and you know the whitewater is gone
And it's mich less scary seeing the wave instead of being tumbled with your eyes closed I find I lose sense of direction
Great vid! My leg/ankle STILL hurts from 2 years ago and not ducking in time in Maui Little Beach. A total noob frolicked right in front of me when the wave came causing me to lose precious time and missing the timing. Took the curl up and down into the sand. Guess I'm actually lucky I was feet first!
Thanks man. Great that you landed feet first for sure. It’s a dangerous place to be but hope you get over the pain soon!
Great one Iain. Let me suggest you to make the background music a little low so it doesn't get confused with your voice. Keep going ! YEWWWWW
Noted but that was pushed down pretty low. Will adjust next time. 🤙🏼
Eres una grand persona y un grand profesional...respect
Gracias 🙏🏼
Where did you graduate?
iain campbell's bodyboard school
Hahaha. No these are just some life experiences 😜
hey man , just a tip for me.
Is there a certain technique you use, as i struggle to get under of the water properly.
I get my head and torso under, but i cant get deep enough to use my legs to help me get deep enough to avoid the impact of the wave.
Thanks man
There is a specific video. There is a bunch of them online as this video was to show you how to get under bigger waves but I will try do one soon on the actual duck dive.
@@iaincampbell_Thanks man looking forward to it!
Would have been cool to show in real life how to identify the different sections described in Mike Steward's drawing. And how to identify those zones while you are facing the wave. You almost achieved it, but didn't really get much from it. Sorry bro.
Well sorry you feel that way... It is so difficult to show that part of the wave and how that breaks with all the whitewater and turbulence happening. The theory is all I can give you this time unfortunately... Thanks for watching anyway. Appreciate the comment and honesty.
@@iaincampbell_ no stress, and hopefully not taken negatively. More given in the hope of positive criticism. Maybe in an updated clip show some waves shot from the side where guys/you are duck diving with success or with major drawback. That would make your vlog scientific ;-)
Completely positive. I understand where you’re coming from and I tried to get some video of that but not easy when it is only me filming so I just tried my best to explain.
Some of these ideas come from my 10-15 years of being a bodyboarder and in the ocean. Sometimes a 7-10 minute video doesn’t do that knowledge justice.
en verdad me sirve de mucho tus videos, muchas gracias Iain
Awesome thank you Iain 100% helped.
Now just need some bigger surf to put your tips into practice Yeww!
Good luck and be safe out there.
I don’t get it? Are you saying to duck dive under the high pressure impact zone and try to time it so you come up and surface in the middle of a low pressure area? Wouldn’t that just put you right in the middle of the soup and get tossed around and perhaps dragged back towards the impact zone?
No, that wave in will be moving along the top of the water in low pressure situations, and you can actually position yourself in these pockets, and penetrates the surface when the high pressure/impact happens. You’re aiming to stay in the low impact zone.
@@iaincampbell_ ok so a 10 foot wave has broken 15 meters in front of me and now a wall of white water is rolling towards me. What are you suggesting I do to avoid being tossed around like a rag doll? Where are these “pockets” you are referring to? Thanks.
Thank you coach
🙏🏼🙌🏼
That diagram shows 3 impact zones... no wonder why when I got dumped I got sucked over once, then sucked over again, then again lmao
😂😂😂
Dam that diagram really explains so many things that happened to me lately rofl
Just moved to a shortboard so yep, a kook here
more video of actual duck dives filmed by a camera person with talk over video in post would be better, thanks for the share, smarter every day.
Need to get a camera person and crystal clear conditions to make this happen. Not always possible.
Well it only works for waves smaller than 2 meters, then it becomes impossible to dive if you are at the wrong place. Yesterday a 3m did hit me and another surfer, we had to dive without the board to make it, happily the leash does its job.
Sometimes diving off the board is the best option... Stay strong and trust the leash will not break!
@@iaincampbell_ 😂😂😂😂 So accurate
where is this big ass wave place because in the uae iv done dumper waves and nearly broke my rib cage
It’s probably Nazare. Pretty solid...
Thanks a lot!!!👌🏽🏄
I dont even surf and I barely know how to swim, this looks so terrifying yall surfers have some balls of steel do be doing this kind of stuff !!!
Thanks man 🤙🏼
if I open my eyes to look for air pockets I will lose my contacts HAHAHAHA - thanks for the video bud.
Ahhh. That’s a bit of a problem. I don’t know what to suggest then...
@@iaincampbell_ swim goggles when boogie boarding with contacts on lmfao
Me who just dives straight into the waves: cool.
😂😂😂
Thank You
Thank you bru
Thank you! Thank you!!
You are so welcome!
Duck diving real deep is sorta challenging tho. Its why huge waves are intimidating at times.
For sure it’s a bit of a challenge but with the correct technique it’s a bit easier.
Well explained but we need you to show us with a drone above you.This would show us in big waves where these spots are in front of the wave..for me its always about 2 meters in front of the lip or 3 metres for whitewater.
The sweet spot is quite small in smaller waves but larger for big waves.
For sure. Only issue is I’m a one man operation with no drone. Haha. Maybe next time.
Thanks
So helpful! Can't wait for this hellish coronavirus pandemic to end, so I'll be able to go to bodyboarding again!
The ocean may just be the safest place right now. Get back out there 😉
@@iaincampbell_ I wish I could, here in Italy we are literally locked in at least until March 25th :(
Be safe out there man. Hope this is all over soon!
@@rippingrock8143 well here in florida almost nobody comes to the beach so i just go there to swim.
Whats the biggest surf you have been in? and were you scared mate?
Hey man. Probably a few days in Hawaii would be the biggest and yes there is always some fear but I am confident with my abilities and I’m able to appreciate the moments.
i miss being able to "paddle" after duck-diving to get deeper. hands only.
When did you ever do that?
@@iaincampbell_ When I was a bodyboarder. Using my fins to get deeper.
Could have been a more useful vud with more exemple and filming from the shore like in the thumbnail. Gopro's just sucks
That’s your opinion and I appreciate it. Will try do another.
Do you guys open your eyes while you’re duckdiving ? To look for the air pockets
Sometimes for sure!
@@iaincampbell_ thats a massive tip i never even considered that somehow. mastered that in my last couple sessions
Hold your breath and pray.
Haha. Exactly 😂
I killed an aggressive ant once.
If u get it wrong well its going to feel like your in a washing machine
It certainly will, but if you get it right then it’s easy 😉🤙🏼
Duck diving❤
DON'T FART IN THE WATER😂