How to take a beating

[oldmansurfer]

I guess most of you want to know how not to take a beating but getting pounded is just a part of surfing....well at least surfing anything over waist high. I used to bodysurf sometimes fairly large waves like up to 20 foot faces. On those waves almost inevitably I got pounded and held under the water for at least 30 seconds. I learned to deal with that before I surfed so bigger waves didn't scare me as much as they do other people who haven't experienced the pounding you get from them. Other than bodysurfing and getting used to getting pounded by waves I have some other thoughts. First you should have good cardiovascular conditioning. It doesn't matter if you do it swimming or running or hiking or riding a bike or whatever but you should get your body used to working without enough oxygen. Number two is being able to paddle well and swim well. These will help to keep you from a worse pounding. Three is being able to hold your breath. I rarely practice breath holding but prior to surfing this time around I was diving and holding my breath and long ago when I first learned to surf I was a swimmer and just for fun I tried to see how long I could hold my breath underwater and how far I could swim underwater on one breath (2 minutes and 100 yards back then). Although I did this unsupervised I don't advise you dive alone or hold your breath underwater alone because if you blackout then you will die if you are alone. But you could practice some safe place like sitting on the sofa so if you pass out it's a soft landing. I have tried recently breath holding once just to see if I could do it for a minute and I could but I never pushed past that. What got me into this dialog is reading a recent article by a big wave surfer Kohl Christenson and his thoughts on it. http://www.surfermag.com/features/how-to-take-a-beating/

[drowningbitbybit]

My biggest piece of advice when getting a beating... stay down.

Don't try and fight for the surface - you'll panic, you'll lose your energy, you'll get tossed about by the whitewater, and when (if) you break the surface you'll end up with a lung-full of water.

If you're reading this, you're probably not in six inches of water over a sharp reef with a double overhead monster on top of you, so just stay as deep as you can until it's all over.

[oldmansurfer]

I forgot to say whatever you do DON'T PANIC!!!! Just relax and go with the flow unless you are on really big waves you will be back up soon. Panicking makes you use up oxygen faster as does futile struggling. Also learn to keep track of where the bottom is in orientation to you. This is a skill I learned bodysurfing. If you are just learning don't surf shallow reef or rock breaks till you learn to avoid the bottom on shallow sand breaks (at least not more than waist high waves). Learn to roll and flatten your body in relationship to the bottom. Also don't worry about getting pounded instead be prepared for it so it doesn't worry you.

[dtc]

Somewhat lunatic big wave surfer Ross Clake Jones says that when he is held down, he imagines he is in a disco surrounded by beautiful women and great music and having the best time - and he doesnt even want to surface sometimes, its so much fun underwater.

The difficulty is learning to hold your breath longer - hypoxic training can be dangerous (there was a kid in Australia last summer who died seeing how far he could swim underwater in his backyard pool) so dont do it in water; but usually the greater cardio fitness you have the longer you can hold your breath

I think there is a statistic that the average hold down for a big wave (head high +) is 12 seconds. For smaller waves its probably around 5-7 seconds at most, often much less. Knowing you can hold your breath for 20 seconds means you can survive virtually any hold down (obviously there are exception, huge waves, being caught on a reef etc). Of course, when you pop up there may be another wave to duck under almost immediately, but by then you are in control a bit more.

That said, the more adreneline running around your system the faster you will use up the oxygen - 12 seconds at high adreneline is not the same as 20 seconds sitting on a couch. So back to the 'stay calm' principle... dont fight against the ocean, let it take you as it wants then, when its a bit calmer, swim up.

[oldmansurfer]

Perhaps this type of training would help get you over the fear of getting pounded

[oldmansurfer]

When I body surfed bigger waves it was really difficult to escape being sucked over the falls when you cut out. Just about the only way was to air drop then tuck under as you hit (or you will hit the bottom) and swim like heck for the open ocean along the bottom and still you might get sucked over the falls. I learned to ride the lip over the falls on big waves because there was no ride to be had anyway on some of them and I would do funny things like hold up a peace sign or wave at the spectators as I rode the lip down. Then I would orient myself to land on my hands and knees and the lip would pin me into the sand for a second then I was free to swim like heck for the open ocean and if I timed it right then I got out of the pounding other than the intense 1 second of getting nailed into the sand on my hands and knees. If I did not escape getting sucked back over there was a repeating of being driven down toward the bottom but usually not hitting it then being sucked back up over the falls and being driven back down to the bottom. On the biggest wave I experienced that with I went through 5 and a half cycles of that and then went into the inevitable washing machine cycle where you are flying around every which way. During the washing machine cycle it was impossible for me to hold my arms and legs in any particular position so all I could do is relax and wait for it to let up. I did this so much I no longer feared it although initially I wondered when it would end. Funny but in surfing where i have wiped out on even bigger waves it was mostly just the washing machine cycle and rarely sucked over the falls and driven down. I am not sure but think perhaps I subconsciously do something to keep from being sucked over the falls or maybe it has to do with waves breaking in deeper water.

[oldmansurfer]

I enjoy a bit of getting smacked around by the waves to a certain degree. Sometimes I will hang in the shorebreak to cool down and get massaged by the waves after a session. I especially like negotiating the shorebreak when I am walking out of the water with my board. I like getting hit by a wave as I exit and letting it push me up the beach without knocking me over. I enjoy going out through the surf and doing various things to keep from getting pushed back in. Getting hit by waves is a part of surfing. Look at it like a skill, something you can learn to do , not only learn but you can continue to improve your ability to handle getting hit. The very best surfers are also usually the very best at taking a beating.

[opuwo]

Hi!
Thank you so much for sharing this on the forum it really is a pleasure to read this.

I've started surfing 2 years ago. And love it so much.
Nothing's better for me than a 6am sunrise in the water. Even in cold winter european waters...
But i'm stuck... And can't manage to make progress and enjoy it. Because i get really scared and stressed out by getting underwater and rolled around by waves. And i don't know why i cant manage to overcome it.
I've always had love and respect for the ocean. I did sailing when i was younger.
But i've always been quite panicked in waves even small ones...i 'm really ashamed to admit it.
I get really stressed out. And sometimes don't even go in.
I don't know what to do because i really want to be able not fear it. I would love to do the same things you do.
I'm not afraid in life and i'm not afraid of beeing shaken (i boxe, rockclimb, did rafting in africa, do mountainering in high altitude, handle super stressful job) but god these 5 feet waves turn my stomach upside down...
Surfers can be quite not understanding when it comes to that and i could never really share that with anyone.
In this sport you have to be "balsy" or you're called birds name...
I took what you would call a soft beating in morocco one year ago and since then it got worse. And as usual in these cases it's getting worse...
I have to say that surfing has been a very solo experience (living in a city and i like to travel alone most of the time.
I really want to learn how to enjoy waves.
Do you think i could ever overcome it?
What would you suggest to a person like me you who seems so at ease in this element?

Best from France!

Arthur

[BaNZ]

I would probably say take it slowly and build up your confidence from smaller waves and increase gradually. I took a bad beating in the first 3 months of surfing. Broke a board and cracked my ribs. Since then I always have a fear that I'm going to repeat the same mistakes. I was lucky enough to have 2 months off and just surfed daily. I built my confidence back up and was able to tackle overhead waves again.

I find that if you force yourself to surf waves that you can't handle, it makes the experience not so enjoyable and builds up your fear towards it.

[oldmansurfer]

The closer to the surface the greater the force the wave will have also the closer to where the lip touches down the greater the force and the deeper it will go. I got used to waves before I started board surfing while I was body surfing. Without a board, breaking waves are incredibly easy to handle, you just swim under them. I quit surfing for a while and when I restarted I found that I panicked when I got hit by waves or wiped out. It wasn't rational because I knew it was likely I would be ok but I could not stop that feeling. Then I started working on my cardiovascular conditioning more. I already hiked up and down a fairly steep grade hill but I started pushing it so I was out of breath slightly and gradually increased it so that I was always trying to catch my breath. Coincidentally the fear went away when I got pounded. I suspect the reason is that I got used to the feeling of not having enough oxygen and so I could relax under water. So if you aren't doing prolonged exercise that forces you to breath hard then do so. It may solve your problem as it did mine. Also if you aren't a good swimmer learn to swim better.

[Surf Hound]

The fear of wipe outs is the not knowing what its like.... your mind has or is probably making the potential wipe out seem much worse than a bad one really is. It's natures way of protecting you. It's good to push your limits, if that is what you want, just push slowly. More time in the water = comfort in bigger conditions. I know people that have surfed their whole lives yet won't go out in anything over head high which is perfectly fine. IF you do want to go bigger, go at it slow and your confidence will be there naturally,thus you will have the ability to stay calm in hairy situations. I don't surf monsters but double over head, clean conditions are about my limit. Assuming the water is not too shallow or coral heads popping up, the wipeouts are really not bad. Maybe 5-8 seconds under water with a fair bit of thrashing but its definitely not going to kill you. The body surf guy was right, I grew up body surfing at Sandy Beach in Hawaii until I was maybe 12 years old. I spend many a days getting barreled and smashed to pieces bodysurfing on every way. There is no way I could do that at my age now, just the pounding alone will make me unable to leave the bed the next day. But those early years at Sandy's gave me my confidence on a board. I would say my worse wipeout surfing would not hold up to the pounding I took on every wave as a kid at Sandys. By the way, don't get discouraged watching groms paddling out at 8-10' without a care, this kids now days have more hours in the water by age 12 then I did growing up in Hawaii through my mid 20's. They have earned their comfort level by spending hours and hours in the water. Remember - take it slow, never panic, and push yourself gradually. Oh yeah train cardio like a m fer as well.

[dtc]

The guys above make some good points - surfing/water is not natural, you naturally feel stressed or worried about it. But you do get somewhat used to it after a while, it just takes time - like anything (were you stressed when you started driving? But now you probably just don't even think about it).

The other way is to attack it from the other end - make sure, before you go in, that you are ready. This will include knowing you can swim in if needed without your board, having a bit of strength (core strength, a bit of overall strength), some flexibility, able to hold your breath. Then away from the physical aspects, knowing how to fall, how to avoid hitting yourself with your board, hitting the ocean floor - its not just as simple as falling off and hoping. Then the last risk is other surfers, so knowing how to avoid them, the etiquette, where to place yourself etc. Oh, of course, checking your equipment - making sure the leg rope isn't nicked and the connections are in place etc

So you go out feeling confident that you can avoid most problems and you are able to deal with any problems that can occur. That gives you more confidence to surf, which in turn gets you more used to surfing, which gives you more confidence etc.

If you feel confident going out, you aren't stressed about being in past your comfort or safety zone, and can focus on the surfing. Of course, there will be times when you don't feel confident, in which case don't go out or find somewhere just a little bit more protected.

[6two6rob]

30 seconds sounds like a very very long time...

I learned that as you get more confident, you can handle bigger surf. I think being relaxed is a big part of it, and knowing what is underneath you (rocks or reef). Practice makes perfect!

[oldmansurfer]

I just read something interesting that I hadn't thought about but in those really big waves like 30 foot Hawaiian you don't want to try to dive under completely the wave because you use up more oxygen going deeper. Not that any of us will use this info but it was interesting and something I never considered. So just incase you are facing a 30 foot wave don't dive to 60 feet just go down about 20 or 30 feet

[BoMan]

I enjoy a bit of getting smacked around by the waves to a certain degree.

I surf...but oms SURFS!

[oldmansurfer]

30 seconds sounds like a very very long time...

I learned that as you get more confident, you can handle bigger surf. I think being relaxed is a big part of it, and knowing what is underneath you (rocks or reef). Practice makes perfect!

On the first wave that I got held down that long bodysurfing I thought "OH NO! I am going to drown." But I also told myself not to panic since there was nothing I could do but wait for the wave to quit thrashing me. I thought it was quite long but then I caught another wave and it held me down just as long. I went in thinking maybe this is a dangerous situation. What if it held me down longer? I walked up on the beach and stood by a fellow body surfer who was watching the huge waves. I told him " I think I am getting held down for 30 seconds on each wave." He answered "28 seconds. I timed it" and showed me his watch. I know from surfing I was only held down that long once on a 17 foot (Hawaiian) wave. Other than that humongous wave there has been nothing close to it. And part of that was due to being dragged underwater by my leash for a good period of time. There is something different about surfing that allows you to get out of the power of the wave compared to bodysurfing. When you wipe out bodysurfing you are on the surface of the water but when you are surfing you are above the water and fall into it which allows you to penetrate deeper into the water. I think that is a big part of it. But that break in particular was powerful and that was probably the rest of the difference.

[oldmansurfer]

One of the differences of wiping out bodysurfing at that break compared to surfing is it would initially pick you up and drag you over the falls sort of but underwater then it would drive you down toward the bottom then back up in a huge arc and back to the bottom and repeat this on bigger waves up to 5 times then you would go into the washing machine cycle where you were flung every which way then ti would suddenly stop and you could surface and breath. The most I get surfing is sucked back up over the falls once then into the washing machine cycle. No repeated dragging back up and back down into the bottom.

[billie_morini]

OldMan said: "I used to bodysurf sometimes fairly large waves like up to 20 foot faces. On those waves almost inevitably I got pounded and held under the water for at least 30 seconds."

Maybe it goes back to teenage days racing motocross or playing organized (American) football, but I simply love rough ocean experiences like this!

[dtc]

Was just reading an article about big wave bodysurfers and one guy said

"Once on the wave you knew you were in for a ride, the faces were step and bubbling as you shot down. The lip then threw over to make an awesome barrel but as you learn with bodysurfing, you don't make it out of many. What ensued was a slow motion contest between me and the wave to go as long as possible, hoping someone from the shoulder saw how shacked I was before being rag dolled."

All of them said they used handplanes on the big waves (note: these are not big waves surfing wise, 2-3X overhead)

http://www.coastalwatch.com/surfing/170 ... uper-swell

[oldmansurfer]

I just read Mark Cunningham handboards good sized Pipeline.