What do you do/think about during a wipeout?

[kyleisanoob12]

I've only ever surfed twice, so I'm a noob. The first time I ever surfed, I had no wipeouts 'til I was almost done, so I got spooked by it since I wasn't expecting it. This second time, it happened so much I lost count. Because of that first time, I'm super scared to get hit by the waves so my first reaction is to immediately resurface. One of my instructors said wiping out is fun, but not to me lol. So what do you guys think about when wiping out? [And do you have any recommendations for beginners?]

[oldmansurfer]

I try to keep track of my body orientation in relation to the bottom and the board. Try going out in smaller waves or if that doesn't fix it then I suggest you try body surfing or body boarding first. That will teach you how to deal with waves in a less harmful environment (no worry about getting hit by board) and it's easier to deal with waves without a surfboard. Work at overcoming the urge to panic. Cardiovascular conditioning should help with that also. I exercise so that I am slightly out of breath and keep that up for 5 to 10 minutes so that I learn to deal with that feeling.

[drowningbitbybit]

my first reaction is to immediately resurface.

By that point, the worst of the wipeout is already over and you can relax. You don't want to resurface too quickly - there's all sorts of bad stuff happening up there... waves breaking, boards flying about, maybe other surfers... so just stay down. Assuming you're surfing on a beach break and there's a nice smooth sandy bottom below you, just relax, don't fight for the surface and lose what oxygen you do have, just wait for the wave to pass on by, then come up hands first.
It might feel like forever but it's usually just a few seconds.

As for the first bit of the wipeout, that comes with experience but its mostly about making sure that the board isn't between you and the wave and that you're not going to hit anything on the way down.

Remember - the best place to be is always standing on your board, but the second best place to be is under the water away from your board

[BaNZ]

I do the worst thing possible. Try and resurface ASAP gasping for air and pray that someone won't be running my head over.

Actually I remember once when the wave were overhead to double and I had a massive wipeout. Tumbled in the white wash a few times. I lost my orientation completely and I was swimming to the depth instead of resurfacing.

[waikikikichan]

I had no wipeouts 'til I was almost done

Your (newbie) version of what a wipeout is versus what a average surfer knows might be very different. Just as if some said they fell off their bike or they CRASHED. Are you simply getting thrown off your board in the whitewater or are you getting pitched from 3 stories high, being tumbled like a rag doll in a washing machine, maybe bounced off the bottom for good measure ? If you only surfed twice, I don't think you've been out on head high+ sets, or have you ?

[dtc]

Big wave surfer Ross Clarke jones on wiping out (from a newspaper)

When he's being held under a surging cauldron, Clark-Jones visualises a nightclub. "It simulates the energy (of a wipeout). You've got the flashing light and the flashing lights of the sunlight (underwater) because you're being spun around and you're spun around on the dance floor bumping into people.Your noticing the lights, the interior of the floor, all these little details that take time to think about, and during that time you're getting thrown around and it takes up the time when you should be panicking. So you've almost deluded yourself into thinking about something else and all of a sudden you're up, it's over.'

So, basically - relax, appreciate you can hold your breath for at least 20 seconds and the average reasonable sized wave will hold you down for probably 4-5 seconds at the very most. Learn to fall properly ie away from and behind your board; and learn to locate your board before you surface and to surface hands first / hands protecting your head

No one likes falling, you can be twisted and tumbles and water goes everywhere. But you will survive and survive easily

[icetime]

I'm a floater meaning I float in water without having to swim much, so when I wipeout, I just relax completely, if it's more than 15 seconds then I start to get a bit nervous and rush to the surface but normally during a wipeout I just tumble and float back up, everyone says this and it's true the best thing to do when you wipeout is nothing, you save oxygen.

[Big H]

If it's going to be a short one I try to keep water from going up my nose.....hate that....other than that I try to stay aware of the board, the bottom and my relation to both as well as try to remember when the next wave was coming and if there was anyone that would be on it from what I saw last....longer and more violent ones I try to keep my arms in so I won't dislocate a shoulder, cover my head if it's shallow reef and I might get bounced, and above all stay as cool as possible to make my air last as long as possible.....often what I think about is how I wished I took a breath before going under, or how the impact jammed all the air out of me and how sweet it will be to surface and breathe again sometime......one time I got rolled so hard what I thought about was keeping count of how many times I went head over heels (8) in the washing machine.....

[BoMan]

Look at a forecast site like Magic Seaweed and choose a surf spot and day when the conditions are suited to your ability. Wipe outs in 2-3 foot waves should not be a problem.

[oldmansurfer]

Most of the time when I wipeout I intentionally fall in a specific way to avoid contact with the bottom and intentionally kick the board in a specific direction to avoid contact with the board or to keep the board from contacting others. How exactly I do these things varies with the situation

[drowningbitbybit]

Iwhen I wipeout, I just relax completely, if it's more than 15 seconds then I start to get a bit nervous and rush to the surface

If you've been in the washing machine for 15 seconds, a) you were surfing something that was treble overhead, and b) you're not coming up until the wave lets you.

This is the other thing to remember about wipeouts (at least at the newbie stage) - they're usually not nearly as bad as you think they are.

[drowningbitbybit]

Wipe outs in 2-3 foot waves should not be a problem.

Rubbish! I always hurt myself on tiny waves!

On big waves, I'm quite conservative - I don't commit until I know I can catch it without it landing on top of me, once I'm on it I concentrate on keeping moving and ahead of it, and above all I don't wipe out...

...give me something 2-3 ft on the other hand, and I'll surf like a right idiot and give anything a go!

[oldmansurfer]

Yeah on bigger waves I am more conservative and tend to make much less mistakes but on smaller waves I try to see what I can do with what I get by with, however I rarely get hurt either way. On big waves the potential is there like the time I got driven down by the lip on a well overhead backside wave I went so deep I knew I was near the bottom so I opened my eyes and I was like underwater with about 8 feet of water over my head I had flattened out so my body was parallel to the bottom. I did this reflexively because I knew I was getting driven deep. I just brought my legs under me and pushed off the reef sending me slowly up to the surface but I also grabbed my leash also and pulled my board to me. In that situation I couldn't eject from the wave and wipeout under control but I did flatten out to keep from going deeper. Then more recently on a small day I got in a wrong position and ended up going sideways to the bottom. I prefer to land on my back but didn't try to alter my trajectory because I knew it was shallow and I was going to contact the bottom quickly so stayed sideways but still I was prepared for it and while the little wave really drilled me into the (sand) bottom I wasn't harmed. I allowed a little air to exit from my mouth at the wave compressed my chest. Mostly everything I do is reflexive from years of getting pounded by waves. But I do take lots of chances on smaller waves and not much on bigger stuff.

[icetime]

Iwhen I wipeout, I just relax completely, if it's more than 15 seconds then I start to get a bit nervous and rush to the surface

If you've been in the washing machine for 15 seconds, a) you were surfing something that was treble overhead, and b) you're not coming up until the wave lets you.

This is the other thing to remember about wipeouts (at least at the newbie stage) - they're usually not nearly as bad as you think they are.

Waves at my break are always head high or overhead so yeah, I'm used to violent wipeouts but when I surf at calmer breaks it's great and easy

[saltydog]

OP, if your instructor is taking you out into waves more than 3-4ft knowing you are new to surfing and ocean in general, switch to someone else. You've got to gradually get used to wiping out if you are that uncomfortable. 1-3ft waves in waist to shoulder deep water should be a good place to start. Assuming the water isn't too shallow, staying underwater is safer than sticking your head out right under the breaking water ready to pound on you. And relax! Like everyone says, most beginner spot wipeouts will only hold you down for 5-10 sec. even in a spin cycle while people can hold breath underwater for about 20 sec. Let the water do its thing. Unless you knock yourself out cold against a rock underwater, you should be fine.

What do I think about during a wipeout? "Here we go again!"

[billie_morini]

true dat, waikikikichan

[BoMan]

Ugh.jpg (90.65 KiB) Viewed 1726 times

I wonder what (s)he's thinking about? The view must be nice above the lip!

[oldmansurfer]

LOL Yeah . When I was a young kid (around 13 or 14 years old) I used to bodysurf waves that had 15 foot faces. I would sometimes intentionally ride the lip over the falls. At that size the waves are hard to take off on and usually if you get into one it ends in a 30 second hold down but I discovered that I could ride the lip over the falls and orient myself to a hands and knees landing. The lip would drill me into the bottom for a second then release and if I was quick (and I was quick) I could swim back out underwater avoiding any major hold down and thrashing. I found this a fun activity. So I would swim like I am going to take off but just tuck down into the lip and the I would come out on the lip going over the falls feet first. I could make myself come out of the water so it was like a slide or still be buried in the lip with only my face out. On days like that it is mostly a spectator sport so lots of people on the beach but little people in the water. I was all for clowning around for the crowd so I would give them the peace sign or the shaka sign or sometimes hold my nose and wave goodbye like a total kook. I don't think anyone knew it resulted in much less of a pounding because it looks so horrible.

[oldmansurfer]

I did this on waves that I thought weren't going to result in a ride that was worth the hold down

[billie_morini]

More consideration for the original question. I'm "programmed" to think about these actions in this sequence:
1. arms up to protect head when tumbling along underwater (raise arms, one in front of face & one behind head, elbow bent at 90 degrees, hands clenched in fists)
2. relax
3. don't surface until conditions are calm
4. board control (minimize interference to other surfers and damage to own board)