Alternate surf launch styles

one thing i dont understand is why folks try to ride the wave in , from my little time out there thats where i see the wipeouts happen , me i just jump out in like waist deep then muscle my self in making sure my yak cant get knocked into me , if the wave catches it since im not on it it just sends it in smoothly , then i grab the front handel as it comes back to me then charge the beach like im in normady...the one time i tried to paddle all the way in was at baker beach and if you know me you know that i never stop talking about that wipeout.still though i plan on taking the surf class.

For me, part of the whole experience is navigating the kayak through the impact zone. It helps to have a short list of actions to take depending on the conditions & what might happen.
In my somewhat limited experience (only abt 10 years worth) at what some consider to be pretty serious beachbreaks (Bean Hollow-style)
I would have to say that:
1: gear stowage is critical
2: proper bracing/broaching/side surfing can save your bacon. A class is worth it here.
3: anticipating what could happen (yak rolls, wave collapses, pearling, etc) is very helpful. Also where a surf class is handy.
4: if things were really hairy (meaning I watch one of our finest get pummeled in front of me) then my last ditch escape would be to paddle as close as conditions would allow, then bail off of the yak & swim it in. So far I haven't had to do this, but then I also try not to push the envelope too much.
 

one thing i dont understand is why folks try to ride the wave in , from my little time out there thats where i see the wipeouts happen , me i just jump out in like waist deep then muscle my self in making sure my yak cant get knocked into me

Trying this at places like Limekiln, Monastery, Bean, etc. can set you up for a surprise.  You think your close enough to shore but it drops off big.  Especially in a 16 foot tandem, the guy in back thinks "the bow is on land so I'm straight to jump off."  Splash, he's now doing a surfperch imitation.  A couple times at Sur, that rear guy was me. 

Super mellow and gradual places like MBK or Cowells, wading in/out works great.

Big steep beach break is the best time to hop off early.....bracing doesn't help if the wave just curls over and blasts you off.  I also like to wade in on breaks like that cause it lets you determine exactly when you're gonna go. I've seen alot of guys sitting at the waterline....doing the little butt scoot to inch their yak forward untill the water rushes up and floats them.  Meanwhile they missed the lull and take a few over the bow to get out. I can see doing this with a sik but not a sot.  I drag my yak out by the front handle and wait at the waterline till the water recedes from the last set wave then pull it into knee deep water, hop in and paddle away.....sometimes I hop in on me knees and paddle out paddleboard style.

  I drag my yak out by the front handle and wait at the waterline till the water recedes from the last set wave then pull it into knee deep water, hop in and paddle away.....sometimes I hop in on me knees and paddle out paddleboard style.

This is exactly how I launch (except for the paddleboard thing). Timing is everything in surf.

It also depends on the boats, ones with a significant keel to them will not side surf at all, the keel will no go sideways and you roll instead (even with a bracing paddle).  I've used kayaks that are very hard to tip in surf and easy to side-surf, and others that flip very easily.
 
I've found that the kayak almost never tips over if you aren't in it and are holding either the side handle or (better) the back handle.  However often you can slip through even bad surf unscathed.  With a bit of practice, you generally know for several seconds beforehand before a wave is going to wipe you out.  Rather than sit there and curse your luck, jump out - you're going to get wet anyway - and at least keep your boat from rolling in the surf.  This is also safer because you get to exit the boat on your terms rather than the ocean's.  

Usually the ocean only gets worse as the day goes by, if the surf was so bad I felt the only way to get out was to swim my boat, coming back would probably be triple-overhead and likely the fish would be hunkered down and the drift would be 10mph anyway.  Better to call it a day or fall back to a more protected spot, or maybe hang out and hope conditions improve.

I also agree that folks dally too much when they hit the sand.  Before even nearing the surf I secure everything on my kayak for landing and ride the kayak in side-saddle so I'm ready to jump out.

  I drag my yak out by the front handle and wait at the waterline till the water recedes from the last set wave then pull it into knee deep water, hop in and paddle away.....sometimes I hop in on me knees and paddle out paddleboard style.

This is exactly how I launch (except for the paddleboard thing). Timing is everything in surf.

Agree with everything Art says. Kayote has a video of his buddy at Limekiln using the butt scoot technique. Great entertainment.  I use the paddleboard technique if I have waded knee deep or deeper or if I need to get on really quickly because a wave is closing in fast. It is a split second quicker to jump in on your knees vs getting your butt on the seat and swinging your legs around. The other advantage of paddling on your knees is that you get a better view of the rocks, if you are launching through a rock garden, the disadvantage is that if you take a big one over the bow or even worse you get "tombstoned" you are a little more likely to dismount since your COG is higher.

Super mellow and gradual places like MBK or Cowells, wading in/out works great.

all good points.  I'm amending my prior statement to say wading out works great.  But I don't prefer to wade in, maybe just b/c i'm short so i've gotta be right on top of it to hit paydirt 

You think your close enough to shore but it drops off big.

That only took me two seasons to learn.

Super mellow and gradual places like MBK or Cowells, wading in/out works great.

all good points.  I'm amending my prior statement to say wading out works great.  But I don't prefer to wade in, maybe just b/c i'm short so i've gotta be right on top of it to hit paydirt 

If you jump off early on a steep shore break, as mentioned, you will be swimming in not wading, which is fine as long as you are ready to swim. In this case, it is safest to use the human sea anchor technique where the boat is in front of you. JMairey is the only one I have seen do this.  The danger in wading or swimming in the surf zone is having your yak womp you on your head or break your leg. If I bail out early, I try to get as far away from my yak as possible and let my buddies recover my yak.

Super mellow and gradual places like MBK or Cowells, wading in/out works great.

all good points.  I'm amending my prior statement to say wading out works great.  But I don't prefer to wade in, maybe just b/c i'm short so i've gotta be right on top of it to hit paydirt 

Yeah I'm not tall either....I've hopped out in what I thought was 2 feet of water only to find out it was chest high.  Nothing like the chill of 50* water hitting your back. 

I also got crunched between the yak and the sand when I got rolled at NB.....that completely sucked and led me to the bail before bashed technique   

  I drag my yak out by the front handle and wait at the waterline till the water recedes from the last set wave then pull it into knee deep water, hop in and paddle away.....sometimes I hop in on me knees and paddle out paddleboard style.

(except for the paddleboard thing). Timing is everything in surf.

Works best for continuous sets that never seem to let up, short lulls or if you just mistimed it and see rollers comeing in when you already stepped out into it.  Just another technique for the big bag of tricks. 

I prefer the butt-scoot launch.
20-30 beach launches per year for the last 5 years and haven't crashed yet! _{(yes, I know I just jinxed myself)}

I have seen a certain relentless Dave use the same technique successfully.

  One thing I haven't seen here. Many times on your way out and there are still waves breaking on sand bars outside of you, you will try to time that between sets to go for it.  After you decide it's time, and you pick you line and go for it, the part that is counter intuitive is that the best way is to go over a wave that just broke. It's energy is spent, verses trying to get over some waves that haven't broke yet. That could result in you having a wave break on your head or even a backwards endo.