Nowhere is the distinction between short-boarding and long-boarding more evident than when surfers are paddling out through the impact zone to get to the line-up. These are the only times when I wish my board shorter so that I could sink its nose and duck-dive effortlessly out of harm's way. The size and volume of a long board or Mal make it unsinkable by all but the most hefty of surfers and this means learning other tricks to avoid taking a battering or finding yourself right back on the beach where you started.
GETTING THROUGH THE SOUP PHOTO CREDIT - MIKE BAIRD
Unlike short-boarding there are a variety of different methods of getting though breaking or broken waves and although many surfers will try and argue that one is definitely better than the others it really is a case of personal preference. There is one similarity between the methods you will use as a Mal rider and duck-diving a short board and that is that both take patience and practice to perfect.
Deneice