Surf Glossary Paddle-Out

The paddle-out is the process of paddling a surfboard from the shoreline, through the breaking waves, to the calmer water beyond the surf zone where surfers wait to catch waves.

The paddle-out is often the most physically demanding part of a session. Core techniques include:

• Paddling through whitewater: nose angled slightly down to pierce broken waves.
• Duck diving: for shortboards — submerging the board beneath breaking waves.
• Turtle roll: for longboards — flipping the board upside down as the wave passes.
• Using rip currents: advanced surfers ride the outward flow as a fast lane to the lineup.

OCSC coaches correct paddle technique early because poor paddling causes fatigue and missed waves regardless of in-wave skill.