Surfing Waves

I used to surf pretty big waves, about 12 foot. I recently have an incident while surfing which ended pretty badly and now I am afraid to surf. Can anyone please give me advice on how to overcome this fear. I try to push myself to surf big waves but I just can’t go in.

How I always approached everything about surfing is to take small steps. There is a size that you are afraid of and a size that you aren't afraid of so you should focus on waves of the in between size. Just go a little bigger than you are comfortable with. Eventually you will get comfortable with that size and then try waves that are a little bigger than that. Eventually you will get comfortable with that size and on and on. If you have set backs maybe it's time to consider that bigger waves just aren't for you. It's no big deal as everyone has their limits. One of the things I did to get used to bigger waves was to get used to later takeoffs on smaller waves. I would just lineup a little deeper than I was comfortable, so I would line up as I usually do and then go a yard or two deeper to that. This was in waves that did not scare me. If I wiped out I knew I would be fine. After a while I can take off really deep and the size just bigger than that is no longer scary to me so I do the same thing. The takeoff is the most scary thing in catching a wave but I got to where i loved late takeoffs so bigger waves when I am not doing a late takeoff were not too scary. In my life of surfing the size I will go out in has changed but I hopefully still know my limits. I don't try to push myself to do something that is scary to me although perhaps in the moment I might do something I would never do because the thought of it would scare me yet because I am not thinking I am not scared about it LOL I am still an adrenaline junky.

What size board were you using while riding 12 foot waves ? Is it your 5’10” ? Since you have a hard time duck diving, how’s you get out to the line up with 12 foot sets ?

I am always curious how surfers close to being novices assess wave size, without going into hawaiian size scales.
I just know that difficulty in duck diving would be a major preventative to getting out into the take off zone.

California has had some big surf recently epic malibu and other spots,

the jaffa scale of wave measurement from the smallest

Double underhead = dead flat

ankle height = maxing out at one foot to knee high

waist high sort of 3ft

Chest high 4ft

Overhead = call it 6ft unless the surfer is a pro basketball then you can say 7ft

Double Overhead = 10ft unless you are stacking those pro basketballers,
Beyond 10 ft serious surf size take off gonads required
From about 6ft up at most beach breaks unless there are defined rips combined with good beach reading skills and capable paddling most people are not able get out.

We tend to over or under estimate wave size,the skill and speed with which we do things on the waves we ride.
It comes as quite a shock when you see a video a video of a wave we think we really ripped.
This comes from the fact we were too busy riding to really notice.
.
As for whatever scared you , you can share it here, and you can recover your nerve by small but increasing size increments.
Remember we have all been shocked and awed and scared too
Go bigger increase difficulty almost exponentially.

ultrakook wrote:I used to surf pretty big waves, about 12 foot. I recently have an incident while surfing which ended pretty badly and now I am afraid to surf. Can anyone please give me advice on how to overcome this fear. I try to push myself to surf big waves but I just can’t go in.

Can you share the story? Maybe someone here can offer some constructive insights as to what you could have done differently.

Like the others say, you just have to progress slowly. But for me, learning to be comfortable in progressively larger surf was directly tied to my paddling ability, strength and endurance as well as my developing ability to read the surf. Knowing what is coming more or less and when it’s coming is a comfort. Conversely, I remember the first time I was caught inside on a clean up set when I didn’t know what a cleanup set was and thinking that the waves would never stop and not sure which way to go.

One other thing that gave/gives me confidence in bigger waves is practicing breath holding. To be able to relax underwater takes a lot of the anxiety out of getting smashed by a big wave. Practice out of the water and don’t hyperventilate. We don’t want any shallow water blackouts. If you don’t know what that is look it up along with apnea training.

Besides, we all like a good story. Maybe you can laugh about it now.

waikikikichan wrote:What size board were you using while riding 12 foot waves ? Is it your 5’10” ? Since you have a hard time duck diving, how’s you get out to the line up with 12 foot sets ?

I was using the 5’10 but getting to the lineup was pretty easy. I found it easier to duckdive that board with your feet.

So I was surfing next to a jetty but not close. The jetty was on the right and I was in the lineup. I turned right and I thought I could make it but couldn’t.
I fell off next to the jetty and I thought I was fine. But there was a rip that pushed me into the jetty. My leash got stuck into the jetty and huge waves rolled above my head. I was slammed on the jetty.

I would not surf that break when it was big. You have good reason to be afraid..... it's dangerous. Now you want to forget that it is dangerous?

jaffa1949 wrote:I am always curious how surfers close to being novices assess wave size, without going into hawaiian size scales.
I just know that difficulty in duck diving would be a major preventative to getting out into the take off zone.

I've that same problem, but I think I tend to downsize waves
I usually measure hawaiian scale, so 6ft for me is close to double overhead. When it gets much bigger then it starts getting hard to be accurate that way, so I could say the face size but I'll make it clear, like "12ft faces". Also being honest, I'll sometimes be scared of going out on days where I can paddle out fine (maybe there are lulls or a strong rip). In the past I've found myself almost finishing the paddle out and thinking to myself "do I really want to make out there?"

ultrakook wrote:I fell off next to the jetty and I thought I was fine. But there was a rip that pushed me into the jetty. My leash got stuck into the jetty and huge waves rolled above my head. I was slammed on the jetty.

Doesn't sound like a beginner break, on big days at least. One thing is pushing yourself because your mind is holding you back on some conditions your skills are ready to. Another thing is pushing yourself on a situation you can't handle. I didn't see the break you were surfing or what happened, but the way you describe it's possible the safest way out was to remove the leash and swim away. Would you be able to do that? Be conscious about the limits you are pushing and like OMS said, take baby steps.

I was in a motorcycle wreck that was traumatizing. I wanted to ride again but was afraid. Things that helped me were being around bikes, getting comfortable driving past where I crashed, and reflecting on what went wrong and enforcing a mental change so the same thing wouldn’t happen again. It took some time to get comfortable riding again, then to get comfortable on highways, etc.

Go easy on yourself and don’t rush it if you’re not ready.

I'll tell a story. A pretty modest, kooky contribution, but you might find some value.
On a 5'8 mini simmons that was simply not suitable for my low skill level or I think the beach break itself, conditions went from being about waist-3ft to 5-6ft in the span of about twenty minutes, with short intervals.
Not huge, but big enough and coming fast enough to knock a weak paddler like me off a too short board I couldn't paddle well to begin with, or duck dive due to the MS wide nose.
Knocked off, inevitably a big wave swept me, held me under, and spun me. I panicked while under, disorientated, and unsure when the set would stop, would ever stop.
I surfaced thankfully. Adjacent to the beachie was a rock reef, which I was being pushed toward.
Not ashamed to admit it, but I screamed. I realized as I grew tired, I'd either drown and/or get slammed into the rocks. I was right to fear the latter I'd find out: a fairly skilled surfer had been killed at that reef a few years earlier. Just an accident.
Not sure what happened next honestly, but something just clicked in my brain: I realized if I kept panicking, I'd die. I was in the military, did a tour, maybe it was some residual training or instinct? No idea. Somehow managed to paddle in/belly ride broken waves close enough to the rocks, and miraculously got on the rocks without serious injury, or dinging that damn MS oddly.
Still no idea how I managed that.
Anyway, I was terrified of the line-up period after it. Had trouble even getting in the water a week after.
Gradually I got a more suitable board, got comfortable with it in the shore break, progressed to smaller days in the line-up, built up confidence, got a little bolder, even started dropping board size a bit. Like OMS said, baby steps.
I found it is helpful to always have an exit plan before even paddling out, a way/path out of the lineup in case conditions change (read this enough, but didn't practice it before), and not be ashamed to ride one in if conditions are changing beyond my comfort level or even look to be.
Also devised means to control the panic, which isn't easy. Enough hold downs and spins in smaller conditions taught me to hold my breath, feel where the leash is tugging, follow it to the surface, quick breath, quickly assess if I'll have to go down again, and for Godsakes don't panic and ditch the board into someone's face behind me.
Eventually you can surprise yourself: found myself again in head to a little overhead conditions at a beachie. Panicked on the size of the first drop: "Why did I paddle into this!??!" Got rolled and held down, but it wasn't so bad. Paddled back out. Got some great waves. Conditions held, went out again the next day and got even better, really memorable waves and even bloody shacked.
Pretty kooky modest, but I hope this helps. Waki is right: healthy fear is good. If I'm not comfortable, I'm not ashamed to stay in, and I can still be timid out there sometimes. That being said, I'm glad I took the baby steps back at my own pace.

Some breaks have an inherent danger to them as does that break. It has a pier that you can ride into or get swept into. Other breaks there are rocky shoreline that you can surf into or get swept into. Some have shallow reefs. This makes your surfing more dangerous than it already is. My philosophy has always been to avoid such conditions (as much as possible lol when I can't help myself I will go out in such conditions). A way to approach any beach is to observe the conditions before you go out and think of all the particular situations you might get caught up in and what you have to do to stay safe. Observe the waves and what they are doing. How far in do they remain powerful? If you are caught inside what are your options? Look for currents and consider how they might help or hinder you. Look for hazards including other surfers. Think about how this will affect your surfing. If it seems like there is no way to stay safe then you shouldn't go out.

"A way to approach any beach is to observe the conditions before you go out and think of all the particular situations you might get caught up in and what you have to do to stay safe."

Thanks! I remember reading advice to this effect in the book "Surf Survival" after the incident, and honestly I wish I'd picked up the book sooner.
Solid advice overall, thanks OMS!

It just takes time. I got jaw and ribs broken on separate occasions. Almost drowning followed by water puking, etc. Bunch of broken boards.

I am pussy for a few months and then reckless again.
Never surfed 8+ waves. And, probably I never would.
How old are you?
I have gained 20 kg recently and I wouldn’t dare surf anything more than 5-6 because I understand that the risks are too high based on my current fitness condition.

I’ve been through something similar after a wipeout that shook me up pretty badly. What helped me was taking small steps back into the water — starting with smaller waves where I felt totally in control, then slowly working my way up again. Confidence builds gradually, and there’s no rush to prove anything.

Also, don’t underestimate the mental side of it. Visualization, breathing techniques, and even just watching others surf can help reset your mindset. Sometimes fear is just your body’s way of keeping you safe until you rebuild trust in yourself.

It’s kind of like preparing for emergencies on land people feel calmer when they know where the safe spots are. For example, I came across this - www.askaprepper.com/us-fallout-shelter-map/ - U.S. fallout shelter map and just knowing something like that exists can reduce anxiety. Same goes for surfing: having a plan, knowing your limits, and easing back in step by step makes a huge difference.