To duck dive, or bail. That is the question.
By the time a surfer asks that question, it’s probably what feels like a make-it-or-break-it moment. A little panic. Maybe some fear. But most surfers are making the decision in average waves.
Then there’s Nathan Florence, the North Shore big wave hellman and Surfer of the Year who’s been getting huge bombs all over the world and blowing our minds. The glory is in the rides we see, but what about the in-between moments when Florence is facing a mountain of whitewater? How does he decide to duck dive or bail?
Florence’s latest vlog above dropped yesterday and in it, he shares his tips for duck diving and bailing boards.
He captioned it:
“Duck Dive Big Waves in Deep Water Vs. Shallow Water Technique”
Instead of Florence’s usual surf video slash reality surf TV type of vlog, it’s a “how-to.”
Florence opens the video saying:
“Lots of questions, people talk, we listen. The classic, duck dive versus bailing your board. I’m gonna give several reasons why I did one or the other here in these clips.”
Florence narrates the 18-minute-long video, sharing his technique and explaining his perspective using various surfing clips.
Like a professor a with a slide show, he proposes a range of waves and scenarios with different variables, like size and deep or shallow water.
“Big waves in deep water, or duck diving big waves, or semi-big waves in shallow water. Different techniques in both of those,” he says.
Press play above for some useful insight from the slab master.
Viewers were stoked and found the info helpful. Check out a few comments below:
“Dude you have such a talent for survival in the sketchiest conditions. This was a sick breakdown.”
“I mean, literal lives can be saved by the information being displayed here. This is truly amazing. Thanks a bunch Nate, you’re awesome.”
“Thank you, Nate. Priceless advice/wisdom. As an old school river rat, these tips and tricks are also analogies for how to handle sketchy situations in life.”
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