The BOARDWORLD Forums ran from 2009 to 2021 and are now closed and viewable here as an archive

   

Anyone out there bodysurfing with a handplane?

Hey guys, anyone using a handplane to bodysurf??

 
Avatar

I bodysurf quite a bit. I’ve tried a handplane a few times (Pod). It’s cool but I prefer bodysurfing without.

 
Avatar

Never really bothered with a handplane, the appealing aspect to bodysurfing for me is the lack of accoutrement required!  I also like dolphining under the wave more so than bodysurfing.

 
Avatar

Yeah, I’m the same!!!!!

Just a pair of boardies is the only gear I use!!!!!

 
Avatar

I try not to even use boardshorts and keep it totally PURE Mizu hahahahahaha!

 
Avatar

Remind me not to go to the beach with ya then, mate!!!!!  sick

 
Avatar

Well then ya probably dun wanna snowboard with me either

 
Avatar

LOL

 

haha nice pic lol

don’t you guys use fins? how do you get on waves without fins?!? I reckon anything over 5-6 foot needs fins.. what u guys think?

 
Avatar

definitely need fins for waves with size. The bigger a wave is, the faster it moves, so the more propulsion you need to get on the darn thing.

I’ve never seriously bodysurfed, just muck about at the beach. I enjoy bodyboarding too much…. Even though I’m a good swimmer, I don’t like going much further out than where I can touch the bottom unless I’ve got fins on.

 
Avatar

Nah, even when it’s bigger I still don’t use them!!!!!

I don’t even own a pair!!!!!

I think it’s the same as riding a board, ya just have to be positioned in the right place in order to catch the wave!!!!!

 
Avatar

Havin said that though, fins would definitely make it easier to catch waves!!!!!

 
Avatar

I only tend to bodysurf when it’s smaller, if at all possible I’ll just be on my board.  Occasionally when it’s a heaving shorey it’s good fun as well just getting barrelled to smashed.  In terms of what the guys do out pipeline and that, not too interested.  I used to do a lot of surf races when I was a clubby and you’re not allowed fins in those even when it’s big, it’s always interesting bodysurfing down the face of a 6ft wave and trying to stay on it all the way to the beach.

 
Avatar

Yeah, unless it’s a roller, it’s pretty hard to stay with it when it’s big!!!!!

 
Avatar

Before I owned a board I did heaps of body surfing. Especially in big clean waves. Just in boardies. Fins are just good for treading water between sets imo I don’t like body surfing with them.

I find bigger waves easier to body surf.
The long wave face the extra speed allows for proper planning over the water giving you the ability to use your body to actually surf and stear your body on the wave face.

I’ve seen some awesome handplanning that rivals many surf and bodyboarders, deep pits and late take offs.

DOLPHINING - yeah bra!!! that’s wear it’s at hey. Not many people even consider surfing the energy waves produce under the surface. It’s sooooo good moving at speed underwater unassisted. I’ve ridden some distance doing this on beach breaks. Really should do it with goggles, I usually end up having to get sand scrapped out of my eyes by the GP days later.

 
Avatar

Interesting timing actually as I had a surf the sarvo and a mate of mine elected to go bodysurfing with a handplane. It wasn’t that sucky and was quite hard to get onto even though he had fins, he reckoned the ability to do freestyle to catch the wave which isn’t possible with a plane would made it more enjoyable, also he said it seemed to push water,  thus the conclusion that handplanes may only be suitable for suckier more powerful waves.