How to Duck Dive

The duck-dive is one of the most important skills for newer to intermediate surfers to learn. It will not only help you avoid a face full of water when paddling out through the waves, but it will also help you achieve a better & safer surf experience. With the goal of helping you have more fun in the waves, we will be your guides in teaching you how to duck-dive!

What is a duck-dive?

The duck-dive is the art of submerging yourself with your board under a wave. Surfers perform a duck-dive to avoid getting pushed back by the waves & to avoid bailing their board on bigger waves.

Is my board the right size?

No matter your strength or size, certain big boards are impossible to duck-dive. For this reason, it is important to make sure your board is small enough! Generally, this is a board under 7ft, but this can vary depending on your weight and the volume of the surfboard. As a general rule of thumb, make sure you are using a board that you can sink properly. If you’ve performed the steps in this article and you still cannot seem to get under waves, you might have a board that is too big/buoyant. 

How do I duck-dive?

Step 1: Paddle Toward the Wave 

It is important to gain momentum toward the wave so that you can duck dive without getting pushed back by the wave. If you do not know how to paddle effectively, check out our paddle blog and video! 

Step 2: Know When to Duckdive

The type of waves to duckdive are whitewater waves or waves about to break. No need to duckdive waves that you can easily paddle over! 

If you duckdive too early or too late, you will get hit by the wave and won’t be able to get under the water in time. It is best to initiate the duck-dive 2-3 seconds before the wave hits you. Don’t be discouraged if it requires a little time to master this, it will take practice!

Step 3: Push the Surfboard Nose Underwater

This is where practicing your pushups comes in handy! With your arms, push the nose of the surfboard underwater. Remain centered over the board as you do this. Make sure your hands are on the rails and hold on tight! You may feel some turbulence. 

Step 4: Push the Tail Down with your Knee or Foot

As the nose of the board is submerging underwater, use your foot or knee to push the tail of the board down. Using your foot will allow you to submerge your board deeper which will help when the waves are bigger. Using your knee will require a bit less effort but you won’t go as deep underwater. 

Step 5: Submerge your Body and Resurface

Once your surfboard is completely underwater, submerge yourself parallel to the board. The closer you are to the board, the more hydrodynamic you will be. (more surface area = more drag). Stay underwater until the wave passes over you. When you are ready to resurface, point the nose of the surfboard upwards and let the buoyancy of the surfboard bring you back up! 

Pro Tips

• Practice in a pool or in small waves to master your technique 
• Practice your push ups if you are having trouble submerging the board (unless your board is just too big). 
• When waves are big, use feet to swim forward while underwater. This will help you go through powerful waves
• Hold on tight! If you let go of your board, you or others may get hurt by your surfboard
• Take a good breath. You will be more buoyant when resurfacing and won’t find yourself out of oxygen if the wave rattles you underwater for longer than expected. 

We hope these have been helpful tips for you! If you are unsure if your board is the right size for duck diving after following these tips, email us at surf@degree33.com or call the shop at (800) 920-2363.