Can you duck dive a soft-top?

Usually not in any useful way. Most soft-tops are built with lots of volume for stability, so you can't push them deep enough to clear the wave. The turtle roll is the right technique for nearly all foam boards.

How do I know if my board has too much volume to duck dive?

There's no single cut-off, because it depends on your weight, strength and technique. A practical test is whether you can push the nose under and then sink the tail so the whole board goes below the surface. If the board keeps popping back up before the wave reaches you, turtle roll it instead.

Is it ever OK to just let go of the board and dive under?

Only when nobody is behind you, and even then it is a habit worth breaking. A loose board pulled by the wave and the leash can travel several metres and injure other surfers. Duck diving and turtle rolling both exist so that you keep control of your board.

Should beginners learn the turtle roll first?

Yes, in most cases. Beginners usually learn on soft-tops or other high-volume boards, and those boards suit the turtle roll. The duck dive becomes worth learning once you move to a smaller board.

How long does it take to learn to duck dive properly?

It varies a lot. Most surfers get the basic movement within a few sessions, but timing and depth take much longer to master. Short, focused practice in small whitewater usually helps more than struggling through bigger sets.

Do you need to duck dive or turtle roll at a point break?

Usually less than at a beach break. On a point break the waves tend to break along a predictable line, so you can often paddle out around most of the whitewater. Sets still catch surfers inside, though, so you need one of the two techniques.

Duck Dive vs Turtle Roll: Which to Use and How to Practise

Use a duck dive on boards you can push underwater: shortboards, small fish and other low-volume boards. Use a turtle roll on boards that float too much to sink, such as longboards, mid-lengths and most soft-tops. A duck dive takes you and the board under the wave. A turtle roll flips you beneath the board so the whitewater passes over. Practise both in small whitewater before you rely on them in bigger surf.

What is the difference between a duck dive and a turtle roll?

Both techniques get you through breaking waves on the way out without losing ground or losing your board. They work in opposite ways.

In a duck dive, you push the board underwater, nose first, and then sink the tail with your knee or foot. You and the board pass under the turbulence together and come back up behind the wave.

In a turtle roll, you grip the rails and roll over so you hang beneath the board. The whitewater passes over the deck while you hold the board steady, then you roll back on top and keep paddling.

Which one to use depends almost entirely on how much the board floats.

Which technique suits which board?

Board type	Typical volume	Best technique	Why
Performance shortboard	Low	Duck dive	Easy to sink fully under the wave
Fish / small hybrid	Low to moderate	Duck dive (usually)	Sinkable, but takes more effort than a shortboard
Mid-length / funboard	Moderate to high	Turtle roll	Usually floats too much for a clean duck dive
Longboard	High	Turtle roll	Far too buoyant and long to push under
Soft-top / foam board	High	Turtle roll	Built to float, so it won’t sink

Your own weight and strength matter too. A heavier, stronger surfer can duck dive a board that a lighter surfer would have to turtle roll. If the board keeps bobbing back up before the wave arrives, switch to the turtle roll.

How do you duck dive?

Keep paddling with speed. Momentum carries you under. A stalled board is hard to sink.
Grab the rails about level with your chest, roughly one to two board lengths before the whitewater reaches you.
Push the nose down by straightening your arms and leaning your body weight forward.
Sink the tail by pressing one knee or the ball of one foot onto the tail pad area. Your other leg can kick up to add weight.
Stay close to the board as you go under. Bring your chest down towards the deck so the turbulence passes above you.
Angle the nose upwards once the wave has passed, and let the board’s buoyancy lift you back to the surface.

The usual cause of a weak duck dive is going too shallow. The board needs to be fully under before the wave hits it, not halfway down.

How do you turtle roll?

Point the board straight at the wave. If you’re side-on, the whitewater will rip it out of your hands.
Grip both rails firmly, roughly at shoulder height, shortly before the whitewater arrives.
Roll over so you are underneath, pulling the board down tight against your body.
Tilt the nose slightly down into the wave, so the water flows over the deck instead of catching under the nose.
Let your legs trail behind you. They act like a sea anchor and help keep the board steady.
Roll back on top once the wave has passed, and start paddling straight away to make the most of the gap before the next one.

On a longboard, keep your elbows bent and hold the board close. With straight arms, the wave has more leverage to tear the board away.

How should you practise each one?

The best progression goes from no waves to small waves, and only then to real sets.

Stage	Where	What to focus on
1	Flat water or a pool	Body position, sinking the nose and tail, rolling smoothly
2	Small whitewater, waist-deep	Timing your start against the incoming foam
3	Small unbroken waves	Going deep enough before the lip arrives
4	Real sets on bigger days	Repeating it under fatigue, several waves in a row

For the duck dive, practise in flat water first until you can push the whole board under in one movement. Then move to small whitewater and work on starting earlier than feels natural, because most beginners start too late.

For the turtle roll, practise rolling and holding the board steady in shallow water. Then let small walls of whitewater pass over you. Count how far back you get pushed each time, and work on reducing it.

Short, frequent practice works better than one long, tiring session. Your arms tire quickly, and a tired duck dive soon gets shallow.

What are the most common mistakes?

Starting too late. The wave hits before the board is under, or before you have finished rolling.
Not pointing straight at the wave. An angled board gets twisted or ripped away.
Letting go. A loose board on a leash can hit anyone behind you.
Stopping paddling beforehand. Without speed, a duck dive barely gets below the surface.
Choosing the wrong technique for the board. Trying to duck dive a soft-top wastes energy and gets you pushed back.

Where is a good place to learn these techniques?

The ideal practice spot has small, regular whitewater over sand, so a mistake costs you nothing worse than a little lost ground. Magic Bay in Imsouane is a long right-hand point break that peels over sand for much of its length, and it is unusually forgiving. From May to August the swell is usually at its smallest, which suits practice well. Mornings are usually the cleanest time to go out, before the onshore wind builds after midday.

If you’d like an ISA-certified coach to watch your technique, take a look at our surf lessons, where groups are capped at five, or the surf weeks, which include daily video analysis on the Surf Development Week. Soft-tops and shortboards are both available to rent, so you can practise each technique on the board it suits.

What our guests say

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