l cant seem to get the board through any size wave. Still learning help tired of getting tossed around on 2ft waves...
Thats 5'7'' not 57 by the way..
l should have added that l have beenbodyboardingfor about 20 years. So l am comfortable in the ocean. Its the surfboard l am not used to. l am trying to make the transition now but found that duck diving a bodyboard is very different from this 8'2''. So l didnt know if was trying to duck dive when l should have been doing something else. l still need to learn the ins and outs of the surfboard.Thank you all for your help

well first try going over the waves like what helps when u go over big waves is arching ur back then going over it... duck diving will be hard to do on a long board but so will turtle rolling so l say just go over the wave or if u have to duck dive.

Since u r still learning, u have a good excuse. At ur size, u probably CAN'T duck dive an 8'2'' board, but u can turtle roll it it, & u should be able to paddle through the little stuff. The fact that u can not means u just do not have ur water skills down pat yet.

The older l get (and fatter & more out of shape) the harder it is to get outside. l do not know how long u have surfed, but it should not have been all that hard in chest high surf, unless it was going all 'Victory at Sea' or had heavy currents running parallel to the beach. Maybe, just a suggestion, that u work at improving ur ocean swimming skills a little. Swim out there WITHOUT a surf board, & body surf a little.
There is no real answer on how to get outside easily, unless u take a boat ride to a reef break or around behind a point break. And, unfortunately, the bigger & better it is, the harder it is to get outside. Try the links, build up ur swimming muscles & get back out there!

You could also try to push the nose of the board down just as the wave is hitting you while at the same time pushing your body up over the white water, allowing the wave to pass between you and the board.

When it is bigger and l am on my longboard l slip of the side up at the nose right before the wave hits me and grab the nose under my arm. l swim down pulling the board with me and pop up on the back side. It probably aint pretty but it works pretty good.

stay on your board and push the front down while pushing up with your arms. you probably wo not be able to duck dive so this is the best way. if the waves are big the easiest thing to do is ditch your board and go under the wave

dont duck dive

There is no rule that states you have to duck dive on any board. Especially a longboard. If the turtle roll gets you out, use it. l am 5'6'' and turtle roll when l use my 6'0 3'' thick fish. It is really buoyant, and considering my light weight, it is pretty hard to duck dive with. Use what works for you.