Beginner Tips
How to tension the bungee cord?
Surfing with a bungee cord is not easy and needs to be practiced. First you have to tension it. To do this, you must first walk upstream along the bank, so that you have enough time to paddle to the middle of the river. When you reach the bungee rope, wait to grab it until you get to the rigid rope. Now grab the rigid rope and let it slide through your fingers until the handle (special holding device) is with you. Once you have the handle firmly in your hand, you can try to position your feet on the surfboard. This is easiest when your body is leaning backwards and the surfboard is vertical in the water in front of you. The water pressure will automatically push the surfboard against your feet. You can also press on the surfboard with your knees first and use an arm to help you place your feet optimally on the surfboard.
Tip: Don't wait too long to position your feet. The bungee cord tightens quickly and it gets harder and harder to get your feet on the surfboard. Otherwise, just relax again and try again. You can also practice with a stiff rope or the bungee cord on the edge of the river to get the appropriate position, as the water flow is not so strong there. However, make sure that it is deep enough even at the edge, in case you fall down.
Change of direction during tension
It can always happen that other river participants (boats, swimmers, paddleboards) come into your surfing area. In order to be able to avoid them in case of emergency, it is advantageous to know how to change direction when tensioning the bungee rope. This works as follows. You have positioned your feet on the surfboard and now you want to swerve to the left. This means that you need to tilt the surfboard so that the water pushes you to the left. To do this, you have to push through your left leg and at the same time bend your right leg strongly. By pushing with your left leg, the water flow pushes you to the left. If you want to go to the right, just do everything mirror-inverted.
Tip: It also helps to move the handle of the bungee cord in the direction you want to go. The resulting body position will automatically put more pressure on the leg that is on the side where you want to go.
How to stand up and surf the first straight line
Surfing with a bungee cord is only possible with enough tension. Once you have enough tension on the bungee rope, you can try to stand up. This is not that hard if you have the right technique. The easiest way is to make yourself as small as possible (bring your buttocks as close to the surfboard and feet as possible), then lift your arms up a bit and lean forward. It takes a little time (between 2 and 6 seconds) for you to come out of the water. Just take your time, it will come.
Once you make it out of the water you should turn the board in the direction you want to surf, but don't worry, this happens by itself. Once you pick up speed, you tend to want to stand up immediately. However, try to keep the stooped position and ride a straight line as deep as possible. The lower you are, the more stability you have.
Tip: As soon as you pick up speed, release one hand from the handle and hold it in the water. If you fall down, you can prevent it and it gives you extra stability.
That's what you do in a wipeout!
If you do fall into the water, keep the following in mind. It is best to hold the bungee cord tightly and only release it when you have pushed it under water. This way you can be sure that the bungee cord will slowly relax in the water instead of bouncing back in the air. After that, you can swim after your surfboard at your leisure. If something is wrong and you feel a little dizzy or sick, hold an arm out of the water or give a quick wave to your friends. This way you can react early enough and not when it's too late. Better once too early than once too late.
Tip: Before each surf session, swim down the river and check that all exit points are clear and not blocked by driftwood or other obstacles.
You find more Tips for bungeesurfing under: www.bungeesurfing.ch or on www.seporsurf.ch
Advanced tips
How to surf your first turn
Meanwhile you can stand up and the first straight lines surfing is no longer a problem. But the strong pull from the bungee cord doesn't let you make your first turn? Then try the following. Place your foot, which is at your back while surfing, at the very back of the surfboard. As soon as you stand up and pick up speed, stand up and stretch your whole body through and lean completely back. By pushing on the back of the surfboard, you will stay standing and you can perfectly practice surfing left and right in this position. Later you will do exactly the same only a little faster and voila, this is how you learn to surf turns.
How to surf backwards
Surfing backwards with a bungee cord is easier than it looks. Practice makes perfect. Before you stand up, make sure the back foot is all the way forward on the pad, this makes it easier to push the back of the surfboard out of the water. Also the front foot should be placed more forward towards the tip of the board. After the first turn or two, you just need to shift the pressure from the back foot to the front foot so that you can push the board forward a little with the back foot. Now keep your weight on the leg that is on the front of the surfboard until you want to turn again. As I said, practice makes perfect.
Tip: If you find it difficult to push the tip of the surfboard into the water, you can also use one hand to help push the board into the water, but you will need to bend your knees to do this, however, this will also help to shift your weight.
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We hope we could help you and until the next, tips & tricks tutorial. Then with the system Winch 😉
Your SEPORSURF Team
