The Under the Lip Snap is a surf manuever that is done when a a wave is too hollow or powerful for a surfer to do a re-entry or when a surfer wants to stall for the tube with real flair. The Under the Lip Snap is a power surfing manuever and requires full commitment to be effective in stringing together a series of moves on a wave. Snapping under the lip is most useful (and visually pleasing) in moderate to large surf. In smaller surf, a surfer should opt for more creative and dynamic moves since there is no excitement unless the lip is coming down with some real consequence.
Difficulty: Hard
Time Required: About a Second
Here's How:
- This move should be done with lots of speed (as should all moves in surfing), so really pump down the line until you're just about to outrun the barrel. This is done holding a tight midline on a hollow section while subtley raising and dropping (weighting and unweighting)your board while leaning forward with you eye fixed firmly on your destination.
- Point your board down in to the trough of the wave and go for the bottom turn, positioning yourself directly beneath the most vertical section of the barrel just below the falling lip.
- With your back to the wave face, turn your head up and look directly at the point where you want to make your turn on the face of the wave.
- Timing is essential here. Hold your bottom turn until the lip of the wave tosses out and over your head. Then place your weight on the tail of your surfboard and lift the nose like you were going straight for the lip. Allow the speed and momentum of your board to progress full speed up to the approaching lip.
- Midface, turn your head back down with your eyes fixed towards the trough of the wave and let your body follow and allow your board to pivot into a 180 degree turn just beneath the falling lip so that the wave actually envelopes you for a moment. This point is critical because it is easy to get launchd by the power of the wave or free fall out of control into the pit (Avoid this by staying low and solid over the center point of your board, thus allowing for your weight drive you back down the wave face).
- This part is tricky because you have to really read the wave. If you are riding a wave with a long barrel set up, you need to use the snap to now quickly bottom turn into the barrel and then hold your line through the tube. However, if have determined that the section is short and hollow with no real potential for a lengthy barrel, then follow the snap out into the flats and let the lip fall of your back and push you into a a bottom turn to set up your next move.
