Why is getting out the back so bloody hard?

I hear you’re ready to abandon the whitewash and get out the back? Kudos. Let’s make sure you don’t lose your cool as you’re trying to reach the lineup, because getting out the back is a battle!

🌊 Why it’s so hard to reach the lineup

Twenty-five minutes trying to reach the lineup. And I’m still nowhere near it. I can see it, it’s within my reach. I paddle like a maniac trying to get through breaking waves, but every time a wave breaks over me, it turns me around and pushes me back toward the beach. This is stupid, I’m done. I’ll just stay in the whitewash.

Sounds familiar? It’s a matter of fact for so many beginners who are trying their hand at getting to the green room at a beach break. In reality, getting past the break is about 78% of the battle. It’s an assault course: foam slaps you around, pulls the board from your hands, saltwater up your nose. No wonder you’re close to giving up—who wouldn’t be?

📅 What the whitewash is and why it gets old

You already know what the whitewash is. It’s the zone where the waves break, closer to the shore, and if it has enough power, you can get some beginner-friendly rides. It gets boring pretty quickly.

You want to join the club—catching green waves is now the goal. To do this, you need to reach the lineup, where unbroken waves form and real surfing begins.

🏃️ The challenge of getting through the break

So now, you need to paddle through whitewater and breaking waves. Fun! No, it’s not. It’s exhausting. We thought paddling stamina was needed for catching waves, but it’s necessary for paddling through them.

And while foamies are great for learning, getting them through the waves is a Sisyphean task (you know, the one pushing the boulder up the mountain just for it to roll back down).

You get your timing or angle wrong and you will get hit. The volume of the board that we loved so much for our pop-ups? Hmm… no longer your friend.

⚖️ The fix (or what helps)

OK, so we’ve established that the world is conspiring against you reaching the lineup. How to fix it?

The easiest solution would be to find a break where the waves are barely breaking, like Waikiki, Hawai’i, or where there’s a channel—that deep, calm area of water that forms naturally between sandbanks or reefs. This is where waves don’t break and offer a safe passage through the lineup. We wish.

For now, we must face the long dark of Moria. Sorry—getting through the goddamn waves.

⏱️ Practical tips for paddling out

First, wait for a lull, where you can see the waves stop breaking for a moment, and paddle as fast as you can to the lineup. No lull in sight and you’re just dying to get some green ones? Apply the turtle rolling technique we talked about before—flip your longboard upside down and hold on underneath while a wave passes over you. If the waves are small, you can use the push-up technique and let the breaking water pass between your body and the board.

🧐 A final word on beginner expectations

It can feel disheartening, seeing experienced surfers getting to the lineup in a fraction of the time, but keep in mind—they’re usually on shorter boards, they can duck dive, and they usually have plenty more paddling power. They’ve been doing this for a while.

For us beginners, we need to just focus on not giving in to the fear of getting knocked back over and over again. You too belong in the lineup. It’s just going to take a long, sweet moment getting there.

No luck today? Pick a smaller day. Because once you’ve reached the lineup, it feels like heaven.