Caught Inside

It’s inevitable, some day you’ll paddle into a wave and not make it, and as you start your turn to paddle back out you suddenly realize you can’t see the horizon. Or you’re waiting for a wave and suddenly realize the head-high wave you thought was close is actually far away, and it’s not head high, and it’s already feathering

Uh oh.

Prevention
The best solution is to not get caught inside to begin with. There are a couple of things that can help a lot. First be aware of your situation all the time. If you’re paddling after a wave, is it likely to have a big brother right behind it? If you miss the wave you’re after, which way do you need to turn to have the best chance of making it over big brother. For that matter, if there’s no one going for that second wave, then a Mulligan may be in order. Even riding a wave into a closeout is better than going over the falls.

If the waves are stairstepping, or some of the sets are really big, consider starting farther out, or at least doing your time waiting for your turn out further where you’re less likely to be taken up by the “Clean Up Woman”. Face out to sea so you can see the big mommas coming early, and start paddling for the horizon sooner. Sure, it’s cool to be casual in the big waves, and I know you want to hang out with the guys and talk story, but if they’re sitting in a bad spot you might not want to get worked with them. Maybe they like it. Maybe they’re a lot faster than you.

Caught
So what are you going to do? You can sprint for the top and try to push over, but if you’re certain that you’re not going to make it over, paddling up the wave until it takes you over the falls backwards is a terrible idea. Lots of opportunity to be smacked by your board and a much worse thrashing than is necessary.

On a Sup board you have the advantage of being in position for an effective dive. Aim for the base of the wave and dive deep. Arch your back and time it right and you’ll pop out the back of the wave like an otter, though this otter is tied to a big board that’s turning into a speedboat on the other side of the wave. Catch a breath on the backside if you can, but don’t fight the sleigh ride. At least you’re not under the lip getting worked. It will all be over soon. If you have a chance, look at the next wave to get an idea of what’s coming. You might have as much as ten seconds before the next wave hits. That’s enough for three or four fast hard breaths. Doing this will hyperventilate you a little bit and give you more oxygen in your bloodstream. You can hold your breath longer and with more comfort.

If that didn’t work out, and now you’re bouncing around in ten feet of whitewater there’s really only a few things that can help you. First, stay calm. If you panic and try to swim against the currents, you’re hosed. You can’t do it. Tons of water are swirling you around and you’re trying to overcome them with a few pounds of muscle. Ain’t happening.

Pull yourself tight (arms in and crossed across your chest, knees bent, eyes open) and wait it out. A long hold down is thirty seconds. If you’ve been doing some hypoxic training you can hold your breath that long while you’re doing jumping jacks. If you haven’t done any training then you can still hold your breath that long if you’re sitting on the couch. So relax, be one with the currents, wait for the bubbles to begin floating upwards and follow them up. Pull yourself up your leash if you need to.

Watch for approaching boards as you break the surface. Get a big breath of delicious air right away–there might be another wave about to drop on you. Assess your situation. If you can hug the tail of your board the next wave might push you in a bit, but if it’s macking on your head, go back down to the blue room and try again.

Above all, stay calm. The more often you’ve done this, the calmer you’ll be. Hopefully all your surfing progression has been from small waves to bigger, and you’ve learned a lot along the way. If you’re relatively inexperienced and you’re in big waves, then all I can do is wish you well.

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