Surfing Waves

i'm dee and i want to learn how to longboard, but i'm always a bit too afraid to paddle out. i'm mostly afraid of not being able to feel the bottom of the ocean because i feel a loss of control over my body, but i guess that's also the beauty of the ocean and being in it. i love the ocean and think about surfing every day, but always think about whether the risks should deter me from going. i also love ocean life but i'm a bit afraid of it as well (stingrays, jelly fish, crabs, sharks, etc).

my goal is to be able to just chill, and surf old school on 7-9ft boards on waves that are probably not bigger than 5ft. right now i just want to have the courage to paddle out and surf nice 1-3 foot waves on my 7/8ft soft top. the issue isn't really standing up or balancing because i'm very sturdy with balance, and haven't had any problems standing up when surfing (besides that the waves were probably 1ft or smaller, very slow and i would have to jump off from the slowness). my issue is getting comfortable with not feeling the bottom, comfortable with the ocean life, and more understanding of waves, currents, tides, sandbars, etc.

this is what i want to get to:



i'm wondering how deep the ocean is where these small waves break, and also where the lineup typically is, because knowing would make me feel more comfortable. did any of you experience these fears in the beginning? how did you get over it? i live by malibu and typically go to zuma, but want to surf at first point (which looks pretty relaxed + it's mostly longboarders). should i just practice swimming first before going out? i'm not as good as i used to be, which was a little better than decent before (when i was swimming a lot for jr lifegaurds). i can't tread water that well and i've been easily panicked lately, so i'm afraid that if something happened i would react with panic. every time i've gone out to try to surf lately (probably only 1-3 times), i can't get myself to paddle out, or the conditions will be too bad, or i'll cut my feet on the rocky bottom at zuma. i got myself to paddle out just a bit once and then i tried to feel the bottom, and when i couldn't, i kind of freaked out. even though i understand all the rules of the lineup, i don't really want to go to a more surf designated beach since i'm not comfortable with paddling out, and look stupid trying and failing.

i want to get over this because i love the ocean and think about surfing all the time! i just bought a soft rack system too so i can pack my board on the car easily. any advice/experiences would be great, thank you!

You want the whole package and the box it came in! Dee a few bits of information about you would help..... male or female , height weight and age, will help us recommend a board for you!.
Waves generally break in 1.3 times their swell height of water ( basic Physics of water wave action) the period of the swell adds to that. Longer period. Bigger waves . So a 1 ft wave of gentle nature breaks in 16" of water so waist deep will be a numerical 4ft at the most.
Steeply shaped sand banks punch the 3aves up more steeply and with more force. Sand moves around with the changing swell. If Zuma has a rock bottom then the waves are consistent in their breaking some readin and setting up,for waves is easier.

As for sharks and other stuff that can kill you, , surfing since 1958 haven't even been close to being killed by anything yet. California traffic is more likely to kill you on the trip there.
Jelly fish you may get stung, Australia has deadly ones, I don't think California has them. While you are paranoid about all the risks you won't ever chill........

Take little steps improve your swimming strength. Which will help your confidence and help you be stronger inpaddling.
Enjoy little by little

Swimming is important in surfing....practicing swimming will improve your all important paddle stroke....it will also give you more confidence in the water because actually if you are a poor swimmer you are absolutely right to be hesitant about being out in the water....if your leash breaks and you lose your board the chance exists that you could drown. That is real.

As for wanting to know what goes on under the waves, what lives there and how deep the water is, grab a mask and fins and go swim the break on a flat day....you'll probably see more than you bargained for. But honestly, you're hard pressed to trick anything into biting you...most things run away at the sight and sound of us. Divers seek out large pelagic marine life and it is hard to get near most of them.

The best way to seriously injure yourself surfing is to fall off and hit the bottom (ocean floor). While I can understand the fear associated with being in deep water, surfing in shallow water is what scares me far more than animals or whatever else. If you realise that deeper water is safer water, that may help. You don't want to be in shallow water

Also second the suggestion of grabbing a mask and snorkel and fins and going out on a flat day and swimming around.

If you can swim into shore that will also help. But get a big wave leg rope as well, so you have the extra comfort, and check the leg rope before every surf

I also vote for putting on a mask and fins and swim if it is allowed in the area where the waves break but not when they are breaking. Spend some time on the beach first and look for clues as to what is out there. Look for currents, obstacles then go out there and see for yourself. Swimming is important for safety while surfing. You may become separated from your board and have to swim. So getting more swim fit is important although if you can already handle swimming in the conditions you will surf in then that is adequate . Surfing will help to build your swimming skills a little bit.

I'm not fond of real deep water, either, deemize. But it seems like there's probably a happy medium between 3' and 75' somewhere around you.

The one thing I would say as a beginner myself is that if you're afraid of looking like an idiot, surfing is probably not your thing. Of course any other effort at learning how to do something will also not be your thing. Embrace your inner kook. Don't try to look like an idiot (mainly because you won't have to), but let go of that degree of self-consciousness. One of the big points of being out there is to forget about yourself and ride the void, not to get too crunchy granola about it.

jaffa1949 wrote:You want the whole package and the box it came in! Dee a few bits of information about you would help..... male or female , height weight and age, will help us recommend a board for you!.
Waves generally break in 1.3 times their swell height of water ( basic Physics of water wave action) the period of the swell adds to that. Longer period. Bigger waves . So a 1 ft wave of gentle nature breaks in 16" of water so waist deep will be a numerical 4ft at the most.
Steeply shaped sand banks punch the 3aves up more steeply and with more force. Sand moves around with the changing swell. If Zuma has a rock bottom then the waves are consistent in their breaking some readin and setting up,for waves is easier.

As for sharks and other stuff that can kill you, , surfing since 1958 haven't even been close to being killed by anything yet. California traffic is more likely to kill you on the trip there.
Jelly fish you may get stung, Australia has deadly ones, I don't think California has them. While you are paranoid about all the risks you won't ever chill........

Take little steps improve your swimming strength. Which will help your confidence and help you be stronger inpaddling.
Enjoy little by little

thank you for your advice. i'm a 17 year old, 5'7 145lb female, currently using an 8ft wavestorm soft top. i'm going to practice swimming and treading water so i can get more comfortable. with some of the risks, what makes surfing worth it to you?

Big H wrote: As for wanting to know what goes on under the waves, what lives there and how deep the water is, grab a mask and fins and go swim the break on a flat day....you'll probably see more than you bargained for. But honestly, you're hard pressed to trick anything into biting you...most things run away at the sight and sound of us. Divers seek out large pelagic marine life and it is hard to get near most of them.

i'll try that! i think this will make me more comfortable with the ocean life and my surroundings.

RobSF wrote: The one thing I would say as a beginner myself is that if you're afraid of looking like an idiot, surfing is probably not your thing. Of course any other effort at learning how to do something will also not be your thing. Embrace your inner kook. Don't try to look like an idiot (mainly because you won't have to), but let go of that degree of self-consciousness. One of the big points of being out there is to forget about yourself and ride the void, not to get too crunchy granola about it.

that's so true, i was thinking this too when i'd get self conscious, thank you.

Dealing with the risks is different for every surfer. I grew up in the ocean, was dog paddling in a tide pool at 4 years old. Then had a near drowning event and my parents enrolled me in repeated swimming classes. By the time I was in the fourth grade I had taken the highest level class (Red Cross Advanced Swimming) and in the sixth grade took Junior Lifesaving. At that age I could swim faster than every kid my age and most kids a couple years older. I joined the swim team. I learned to body surf and got really into it and eventually body surfed waves with up to 20 foot faces although the bigger waves weren't much more than just taking the drop then getting pounded. Then I started body boarding and rapidly went out in bigger and bigger surf. I didn't really start board surfing till I was 18 years old but the fear of ocean was long gone at that point. I learned to stay safe and not get injured. Other than minor injuries I have been fine. I did almost drown one day surfing waves that had about 30 to 35 foot faces, but I survived so far. Surfing has been totally worth it to me and if I died tomorrow surfing there would be no regrets but then I am 63 years old. If I had died back in those huge waves I also would have no regrets but in between then and now I valued staying alive more.

It sounds like being in an uncontrolled environment has you very nervous, you't can control the waves or currents, nor the creatures in the water. The best thing you can do is educate yourself to the local sea life, the features of the locations you wish to surf, and do the things you can control to feel more comfortable in your environment.

Wear booties or aqua shoes to protect your feet if you are surfing or swimming near a rocky bottom. Wear a full wetsuit or bodysuit to protect yourself from jelly fish. Don't go out when the waves are big. Develop your swim skills and muscles in a pool first. Get comfortable swimming in the ocean in an area supervised by life guards. Find a surfing buddy with patience.

As you get more comfortable and confident with your skills and the environment, push yourself out of your comfort zone into more challenging conditions. Stick with the foam board until you have the basic skills of surfing down: catching unbroken waves, pop-up, bottom-turn, top-turn, and trimming down the line.

Learn how to read a surf forecast so you can know what to expect:

http://surfforecasting.magicseaweed.com/?p=41

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=20305

Watch videos to help you learn and understand techniques:

http://surfsimply.com/surf-simply-tutorials/

I've had some interesting experiences in the ocean both good and bad: I've had my board fins cut my leg and foot. My leash broke in heavy surf and I had to swim back to shore with a leg cramp. I've gotten pummeled by waves and held underwater to come up for a quick breath of air and just for another wave to hold me under the water again. A surfer tried to start a fight with me. While riding down the line the lip of the wave hit the side of my head so hard I had a sore neck for days. I saw a shark jump out of water about 100 yards away. I've also had dolphins, sea lions, seals, and sea otters swim within arms reach of me. I had a mysterious giant fish beat it's fin and body against my thigh. I get to see the whales migrate, I've gotten barreled and have had so much fun surfing over the last 2.5 years. It's worth it, but it isn't always easy and sometimes frightening. Do your research and prepare yourself. Someday you will have a story to tell us about.

I was talking to a friend not too long ago and I mentioned, assuming that everybody else would feel the same way I did, that I would absolutely jump at the chance to go into outer space. My friend thought I was crazy. For him just looking at the horizon gave him feelings of terror. If he found himself in outer space, he would be completely mortified he said. The idea of all that space out there just filled him with dread he told me. I figure that's similar to your anxiety over the deep water that's under you while you're surfing. I was surprised by my friend's fear of open space since I find the horizon totally beautiful (it's probably one of the reasons I love surfing), but I have discovered that my friend's fear is pretty common. I've asked people if they would like to travel to outer space and, to my surprise, found that many of them don't want have anything to do with it. That's helped me to think about my own anxieties.

I don't care for heights. There is a set of solidly built wooden steps up the side of a cliff that no matter how often my rational mind tells me they're safe, I still try to get off of ASAP. There are also times when I find myself alone in the ocean when the vastness of it, the unknown of it, sends a shiver down my spine. When it gets blown out and windy and seems to be telling me to leave, the ocean can definitely creep me out. I used to go out on horrendous days when I started surfing and just stay near the shore practicing my popups, but I finally realized that I just didn't feel comfortable in those conditions no matter how safe I rationally knew it was. I also looked like a complete kook. Nowadays I only go out when I feel comfortable and the conditions look fun. Sometimes my mood is pumped for choppy, chaotic, large conditions and at other times I'm just not feeling it. One of the rules I made for myself early on was that I would only go out when the conditions were inviting and I felt no unease. I've followed that rule for a while now and it's done wonders for my confidence and my skills. I would recommend that you stick to surfing in conditions you feel confident in and allow yourself time to get used to the ocean. Find someone to surf with too. It's nice knowing you have somebody watching your back.

The buddy system is a great idea, fun shared is double, nervousness shared is halved.
Challenging each other and bouncing off your shared progress. Priceless!

Dee

If you love surfing, then just paddle out on a small day, you will notice waves break in shallow water, at point breaks like Malibu.
Waves at Zuma and beach breaks are unpredictable, deeper water, and hard to catch. Malibu will be crowded, try to hit it, on a small weekday. Watch out for the crowds, and be carefull in super shallow water. Good luck and have fun.

I go out in conditions that make the lifeguards who are on the next beach over worry about my well being. However I think after seeing me out there repeatedly and not getting in trouble they probably now worry that someone will follow me out and get into trouble. I however have become good at judging my ability to handle the conditions that are present and this is partly due to me being out in the ocean from when I was a wee little kid. I enjoy being in the middle of all that chaos all by myself. I find it peaceful in a way. I get into a state of vigilant relaxation. I stay calm and alert for what the ocean is doing. It's like meditation, I clear my mind and it's just me and the ocean, what more do I need?


Before I started surfing in earnest, long ago, I borrowed my brothers board and went to a beach that looked like it had easy to ride waves. I wondered how deep it was where I was sitting on the board so I dove down to the bottom. I had my eyes open and could see it was about 8 feet deep but right as I got near the bottom a huge fish swam right between me and the bottom. I figured it was probably a shark but it was too fast and unexpected for me to actually see it. I think I flew out of the water and landed back on my brothers board and decided it was time to go in. I guess sometimes it might be better to not know what's out there But in reality I knew there were sharks at that beach and once I did start surfing I ended up living near that beach and surfed it frequently (and saw lots of sharks)

I have never had this issue but I have had friends who have. If your scared of stingrays and crabs you can try wearing booties on your feet while surfing, not only will it keep your feet warm, but offer a layer of protection. And most California jellyfish are either harmless or won't be able to sting you through your wetsuit. I am constantly at the beach and I have never seen a shark while in the water, and shark attacks are extremely uncommon, and most sharks that will be near the shore are 2-3 ft swell and nurse sharks, which can't do much damage. My friend got bit by a swell shark once on her foot and didn't even feel it until she came out of the water and had a tiny (2inch) bite mark on her foot. Working on swimming and treading water will definately help your comfort in the water. I reccomend learning how to eggbeater (the way water polo players tread water) as I am a water polo player and it makes it easy to tread water and you can do it in shallow or deep water. I know it seems like there is a lot to be scared of but just getting used to it and being in the water will help.

jaffa1949 wrote:The buddy system is a great idea, fun shared is double, nervousness shared is halved.
Challenging each other and bouncing off your shared progress. Priceless!

Well said!

It might be helpful to take a group lesson. Not only will you pick up skills but you'll meet folks at your level that can share the surfing adventure.

Not sure OP is still around, but if you are in southern california watch for sting rays! The sting will hurt like $#!%. Always shuffle your feet when wading into warm water.

Thought I'd chip my two cents in. I was paranoid about sharks for a long time. I couldn't sleep well the night before surfing because of it. I lived about an hour drive from the beach. However, now that I have moved right next to the beach and surf several days a week, I feel far less concerned about sharks. In fact, I rarely think of them. I guess it's like a form of exposure therapy

lachyd333 wrote:However, now that I have moved right next to the beach and surf several days a week, I feel far less concerned about sharks. In fact, I rarely think of them. I guess it's like a form of exposure therapy

Yeah, they've seen you so much out lately, they got used to you too, being out there with them.