How to Duck Dive | Surfing Tutorial to Pass the Break Efficiently

The duck dive is an essential technique used to sink your surfboard underwater, allowing you to dive under waves and waste less energy when passing the break. This tutorial breaks down the six steps needed to perform a successful duck dive, emphasizing speed, body movement, and proper buoyancy management.

Key Takeaways & Tips

Step 1: Gain Speed [1:43]
Paddle hard to gain speed. It is impossible to duck dive a powerful whitewater wave without proper speed and forward momentum.

Step 2: Start Timing [1:54]
Stop paddling and start the duck dive when you are about one surfboard’s length away from the wave (around six feet). Do not hesitate; go straight toward the wave.

Step 3: Push Down and Forward [2:13]
Grab the rails and lean your upper body over the front part of the board. Push the front part of the board down and forward using your shoulder strength to dig the nose underwater. Keeping your arms straight helps bring more of the board under water.

Step 4: Push the Tail [2:46]
Push the tail down with your foot or your knee on the traction pad to bring the board parallel to the bottom. Lifting your other leg up (like a scorpion) helps put more weight over the tail to sink it.

Step 5: Body to Board [3:30]
Bring your body to your surfboard as the wave passes over you. Do not bring your surfboard to your body, as you won’t sink deep enough. Bend your arms to let your body hug the board.

Step 6: Resurface [4:09]
After the wave has passed, aim the nose towards the surface. The board’s natural buoyancy will bring you up. You can frog kick with your legs to come back up quicker if needed.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Wrong Board Volume [0:25]
Using a surfboard that is too big or has too much volume makes it very difficult, sometimes impossible, to push the board underwater.

Starting Too Soon [4:31]
If you start your duck dive too soon, you won’t have the speed and momentum to go downwards and forwards, and you will start coming back up too soon, getting pulled back by the wave.

Starting Too Late [4:44]
If you start your duck dive too late, your board won’t have time to get parallel to the bottom, and the whitewater will push you backwards.

Looking Down [5:15]
Do not drop your head or look down; keep your eyes open and focus forward. Your eyes can help you find the best path through the bubbles underwater.