[MITCHELL]

Originally Posted by Mr. NiceGuy

I like this advice the best. Dog Beach at the mouth of the SD river is a good place to go knock around in the waves. It's usually a good variety of conditions to use for practice. You will get a feel for controlling your kayak that is hard to put in words. You should also practice capsizing your kayak in water over your head and know that you can flip it right-side up and reboard if necessary.

Go out empty and push your limits. Practice getting crushed. Sit in the middle of the breakers bow out for several sets until it gets mundane, then turn around and sit mid-breakers with your stern to the waves for several sets. Then turn sideways and let the waves broadside you. Quickly you will learn how much or how little and when to lean into the direction of the wave that's about to smash you.

When you lean into a broadside, the water lifts and passes easily under you. If you don't then you will roll away from the wave and tumble.

Diagonal is diagonal, somewhere in between. Just go knock around until you feel confident to control a variety of variables without thinking about it too much.

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To answer the first part of your question, I tend to pull my rudder up as I approach the breakers, then steer, lean, brake and otherwise compensate with my paddle. If my hands are on my paddle, then I can't control the rudder steering lever anyway, so the rudder becomes an unnecessary distraction as soon as it flops out of the neutral position.

I use my peddles for more control until the last minute, then push them flat to the bottom of my kayak until I hit the sand. My legs are usually doing nothing else anyway, and it's one more element of control. Don't forget to get your fins up before you hit anything. You just have to learn to feel your way through. You definitely don't want to plow into the sand or other obstructions with your drive fins down. That can get expensive. I little practice pushing your limits makes all this multi-tasking easier to do without thinking.

I've heard the "coming in backwards" theory, but for me* it just ads unnecessary complication. Opinions vary. I understand that you can see the waves approaching if you are backwards, but so what? You can learn to know where they are anyway. I think we have more control moving forward than we do being pushed backwards.

If you start to surf, dig in your paddle and break the gathering of momentum. It's fun when it starts, but trying to surf in usually doesn't end well, unless it's a gentle gathering of momentum that dissipates soon after it starts. At least not in my Outback. It's not a kayak designed for surfing.

Always stow and tie down your gear flat. I see lots of people landing with their poles leashed perhaps, but upright in the pole holders. That doesn't make much sense if you roll. I think it's good policy to always be prepared to roll even if you never roll. Once you roll, it's too late to reorganize and you end up with a yard sale on the beach.

I'm an Old Fart, not a young athletic guy trying to show off. I just want to land safe and easy, with all my gear and any fish I'm lucky enough to catch. I don't want to mess up my lipstick.

Your mileage may vary.

18 little halibut come in the lagoon there...I have seen them snorkeling there.