An In — Depth analysis of everything that scares surfers and how to
overcome these fears
As a ISA female Surf Instructor I have had 1000’s of students over the years of my 15 year
coaching stint, and the fears that pop up with my students are predominantly the same
things that occur again and again.
Some of the fears are due to not understanding the way the ocean works and therefore
getting into trouble, other fears are about getting hurt, other people in the water and the
mental games we play on ourselves.
So here is a list of the common themes for these fears and how I coach people to overcome
them.
1. Drowning
2. Getting Hurt
3. Being taken out to sea
4. The take off
5. Sharks
Drowning.
The main time anyone thinks they might drown in their surf session is when they are
being tumbled by the wave. Or in a “hold down” as it is sometimes referred to. And I
get it, it can be scary. You are out of control and your body is being twisted and
turned. Sometimes it feels like you are down forever.
The main way to overcome, or get used to this is to relax. Fighting with your body
against the force can cause panic, and when the brain is panicked it thinks it needs
to breathe immediately.
The first thing I get my students to do on land without them knowing beforehand, is to
hold their breath. I say,
“ok I want you to hold your breath now!” I then count slowly to
10 seconds and get them to exhale. Anyone can easily, without even taking a big
breath in, hold their breath for 10 seconds. Then I tell them the longest they are going
to need to hold their breath is about 2–3 seconds in most waves. If you’re surfing
double overhead size (10–12ft face waves) then maybe you might need to hold it for
6 seconds max. But by that time that you’re surfing that size waves, you would have
built up a tolerance for calm breath-holding and going with the wave.
So when the waves tumble you, relax the body and let it take you, it will release you
after a few seconds and then you can pop up to the surface.
When you come up you can rest on your board, even from the side in the water.
Catch your breath for a few seconds then side back onto the board facing the nextoncoming wave and make a decision.
“Do I paddle back out, or catch a wave back
in?” No one is forcing you to be there, so if you’re scared, paddle back in, use the
next wave to bodyboard your way to the beach. There are more days to surf.
Getting Hurt
This category has 5 sub categories
1. Your board Hitting you -
I jokingly tell my students from lesson 1, the board is always trying to kill you. This
means you need to learn board control. Because most people get hurt when they let the
board loose and it flys back and smacks into them or other people. So learn to do your duck
dives and turtle rolls!! Please take the time to get a surf Instructor to show you how to do
this, it will save you time and injury. Often people who think they know how to turtle roll are
not doing it correctly.
The most dangerous thing a surfer can do for themselves and others in the water is to
abandon their surfboard. If you’re holding onto your board it can’t hurt you. Maybe it can
rip out your hands on a turtle roll, but then it’s ripping away from you, while you’re
underwater so it won’t hurt you. Get your surf instructor to explain how to go out from shore
with the board, so you are in control of the board from the moment you leave the beach.
There are ways to lift and drive your board over waves from the beach safely.
Never wait around in the impact zone when you’ve fallen off your board. Get back on
immediately and see if you need to approach the wave and do a turtle roll. You never want to
be in the situation where you are beside your board when the wave is coming.
Another time your board can hurt you is on the Take-off. Please see the
category of Take off for this one.
1. You Hit Someone Else.
This might sound harsh, but if you hit someone else with your board, then
they are usually the one in the wrong because they’re either on your wave, or
in the impact zone as you’re taking off on a wave.
If this is the case normally you won’t be hurt and the other person will come
off worse.
Sadly if they haven’t been taught properly by an Instructor, this is how people
will learn that they are in the wrong place. Sorry to say, but surfing is getting
busier and busier and people need to understand surf etiquette for their
safety, as well as others.
I’m not saying go and smash into people on purpose, I’m just saying you
cannot worry about everyone else in the water when you are trying to go for
waves.If you are the force ploughing into them, usually you’ll have a split second
before that moment, that you can bail off to the side.
If your board is damaged, they should pay. Of course it’s never nice when you
collide with someone. Check if they are ok, but knowing you’re in the right
makes it easier to still surf busy waves. You just need to mentally block
everyone out of mind and focus on the peak and nothing else.
As an experienced surfer and as a compassionate female surf instructor I
understand that people are learning and it’s a lot to take in when you first
start. So if it’s a 1–2 ft day on a beginner wave area, I know that there will be
beginners there making mistakes. So either I don’t surf for myself or I cut a lot
of slack for those trying to figure things out. Hopefully other experienced
surfers do the same.
If it’s a 3–4ft day I expect people to have the basics down about surf etiquette.
So if you’re someone who abandons your board regularly, please reach out to
an Instructor for a good lesson on how to do the perfect turtle roll, and how to
read waves.
But getting back to my earlier point, if you are closest to the peak, it’s your
wave, and everyone else should move out the way.
Obviously if you have time whilst paddling for the wave on the take off to pull
back before smashing into someone, then of course you will do this. But if
someone is sitting like a duck in front of your take off area, perhaps say
something to them after you have pulled back and not take it like “Hey, please
move out of the way when someone is about to take off on the wave.
”
And as I said before NEVER abandon your board then YOU won’t hit
anyone else that way.
I have a video with more details on surf etiquette on my IG @pixiesurf
2. Someone Else Hitting You.
Once you understand Surf Etiquette and Surf Safety you should be able to
avoid this from happening.
The golden rule here is, as soon as you fall off the wave and are in the impact
zone, DO NOT HESITATE FOR A SECOND, reel in the leash immediately
and get on the board and head out towards the channel, paying attention to
any surfers that might be catching a wave. If they are coming towards you,
paddle away from their line and sacrifice yourself into the white water in the
opposite direction to where the surfer is going.
If you happen to be sitting on the “inside” for smaller waves and you don’t
paddle fast enough to get out of the way, and do accidently get hit by them, it
is customary to apologise and pay for any damages to their board.
Whatever you do, do not abandon your board.. Even when you’re sitting on the inside, make sure you are looking out to sea
and can see when a bigger outside wave is coming. Start moving immediately
to get out of the way. If you do this there is always time. Even if that’s just time
to realise you must move towards the white water to sacrifice yourself. If the
wave is too big, and you are afraid, and can’t handle the turtle roll, you
probably shouldn’t be out there. Turn around in the white water and boogie
board back in.
●
All of these situations can be avoided with surf etiquette and proper
turtle rolls, and duck dives. Again, check out my surf etiquette video
@pixiesurf
3. Other People
Mainly I have already covered this category with the 3 other bullet points. But
I’d like to add a note here. Now the majority of people I coach are women, as
a woman surf coach, and especially on my surf retreats and it’s just for
Women. Women seem to care much more about others in the water. Or at
least they are more vocal in telling me this than my guy students. And I
understand that the peak can feel a bit intimidating. When I started surfing 20
years ago, I was nearly always the only woman surfing and the pack of guys
around the peak could seem a tad unfriendly. But remember no one owns the
ocean, and closest to the peak gets the wave. With more surf spots around
the world becoming more crowded you won’t get a wave unless you head for
the peak. And taking off on the peak is actually easier than taking off on the
shoulder. This is because the shape is less vertical and the wave momentum
isn’t as fast before it has broken. Contrary to most people’s assumptions. So
paddle over, give a smile, and wait your turn to move into position to get
priority. When any experienced surfers see you practicing surf etiquette they
are usually a lot more chilled and pleasant.
4. Hitting the Bottom
I’m happy to say this is more of an irrational fear that students have. You
never really hit the bottom sand, reef or rock when surfing.
As long as you are surfing the point you should be in deep enough water. When you hear of
people “bouncing” off these things it is usually very experienced surfers going for Barrelling
type waves. This is because when a wave barrels it is usually due to shallow water sucking
off the reef, rocks or sand that will create the shape of a hollow barrel. So again, by the time
you’re ready to attempt barrelling riding you should be aware of the risks involved and have
great experience at falling off waves well.
A good practice, mainly so you don’t get hit by your own board upon resurfacing, should be
to cover your neck and head with your hands and bring the elbows in to cover the face. As
Surf Instructors we teach this to our students from lesson 1, especially because the white
water first sessions are usually in shallower water where the surfer can walk out waist depth
to catch white water waves.If you are surfing “fat” green waves there will always be enough water underneath. So don’t
worry about hitting the bottom. It won’t happen. Just shallow dive off to the side of the wave if
you don’t land properly on the take off, and you’ll be fine.
When riding a wave also be aware to hop off the board before you get too shallow into rocks
for example. You can always crouch back down to the board, place the hands on the board
and hop off to the side.
●
Golden rule : If you are afraid of hitting the bottom, never surf a break at low tide, and
be aware of where the rocks are. If you are unsure of a surf spot, snorkel the area on
a flat day and get an idea of the topography of land beneath the break.
Being Taken Out to Sea
The first thing I teach my students on lesson 1 is about rip currents
Here is a diagram of a rip current:
As you can see they used an example of a swimmer. Good thing to know as
well if you have lost your board surfing. Rip currents will dissipate beyond the
back line of the furthest waves out to sea. So they will never take you out into
the middle of the ocean.
As surfers we like them because we use them as a “channel” for an easy
paddle out the back to the waves where we will then paddle across and into
the line of the wave. You can’t paddle or swim against a rip current. If you
want to come back to shore you must paddle across it into the wave area and
let the waves push you to shore. Always ask a surf Instructor, lifeguard or
local surfers where the rips or channels are and they will explain. In El
Salvador where I teach we are blessed with well defined point breaks andthese all have clear channels. Again, don’t be afraid to ask where they are.
Normally they are in between the wave points or next to a fixed point like a
cliff or spit.
If you have lost your board and need to come out to the channel to rest. Get
your breath, float on your back if necessary and be aware that it will be
moving you out to sea, and at some point you must cross back into the wave
line to come to shore. I recommend on small beach wave days, try body
surfing the waves to build up your ocean confidence.
Take Off
Everyone who surfs has the adrenalin on the take off! This is the excitement
of surfing, and it never goes away.
You must learn to harness the adrenaline and use it as your superpower.
On the point of being picked up by the wave, that adrenaline kicks in, and
sometimes the brain goes into, fight, flight or freeze. THE MOST
DANGEROUS THING ABOUT THE TAKE OFF IS NOT COMMITING.
Injuries occur when surfers give into the flight or freeze and let themselves go
over the falls of the wave getting hit between the lip of the wave and their own
surfboard.
So we must learn to override the brain and properly launch into the take off.
If you are doing a take off correctly about 75% of your body weight should be
on the front foot to drive down the wave keeping the momentum going.
I say to my students that the first wave of their session should be a kamikaze
take off. By this I mean that they are fully committed to going and popping up
no matter what. By doing this and launching into the take off, you will either
make it, by landing the feet correctly with the weight on the front foot and ride
down the face of the wave, or your feet won’t land properly and you fall off,
diving forward to the side of the board. By doing this you will dive cleanly into
the water and the board and wave will continue over the top, safely leaving
you behind.
Here is a picture of me, on a kamikaze take off on a big wave in Indonesia.I successfully dived into the bottom of this wave and was unharmed. My
board however got smashed by the lip and broke in 2. But the point is, my
board never hit me and I wasn’t injured.
This is an extreme wave of course. But you can see with my commitment to
the take off I dive off to the side of the board. So either the feet land in the
right place, or they don’t. Either way this is the safest way to take a wave by
fully popping up and committing. So launch into it! Even if you fall you will see
you are unharmed and it will give you the confidence for every other wave for
the session.
So commit, commit, kamikaze!
For proper pop up technique check out my video on “the 4 versions of the pop
up” on my ig @pixiesurf
Sharks
As an ex- scuba diving Instructor I know better than anyone that this is an
irrational fear. In fact I just put it in as a joke really. The chances of being
attacked by a shark is maybe 1 in 5,000,000. So if you’re afraid of sharks, buy
a lottery ticket because you’ve got the same sort of odds. In fact if you want a
terribly sad statistic human beings kill around 80 million to 100 million sharks
every year! So for the very few attacks worldwide a year that happen to
humans, I think we’re doing a lot better odds wise than they are! I love sharks,
they are beautiful and intelligent creatures who don’t want to eat humans. So
for your own Karma, eat less fish and let them keep their food source, and
remember they are very important to our ecosystem.
But if the fear of sharks is going to put you off surfing, don’t surf anywhere
near a seal colony, or a great white, or tiger shark nursery ground or where
they bait the sharks for cage diving. Or like me, surf in warm water places like
El Salvador where we don’t have those kinds of big sharks.
Have fun and enjoy the waves!
