Secrets to Safe Surfing

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Secrets to Safe Surfing

Safety is the watch word when it comes to surfing. Forget about the crazy adrenalin rush that comes with each swell of the wave. Trading safety for excitement can have undesirable consequences. Granted, there are exciting places to surf like Montezuma, Santa Teresa, Hawaii and so forth but there is no need to fling safety to the gutters in a bid to have a good time. If I’m thinking of having a really good time like surfing in Montezuma for example, I’d take the following safety precautions just to make sure I live to surf for another day.

<strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Acquire adequate swimming and fitness skills

In as much as Montezuma surfing can really prove to be exciting and worth my time, I’d first of all make sure I have already acquired strong swimming skills. Open oceans and beaches are not every day run of the mill pools; there is a great difference between swimming pools and swimming in the open where anything can happen at a moment’s notice. While treading in the comfort of a swimming pool is enough to keep me afloat, it is not nearly enough to keep me safe in the open oceans where the weather conditions can change rapidly. I may need to propel myself against the currents in a bid to reach safety while avoiding rock and cliffs. Montezuma surfing requires that I have great swimming and fitness skills to be on top of my game.



Sure, the scenario above may sound melodramatic but it is the reality. While great swimming skills is indispensable, you need to have your wits around you to complement your strong fitness and swimming skills. A large swell can take anyone by surprise, so it’s best to be prepared for eventualities bearing in mind there will be no Montezuma surf guides to help you out of the water quickly enough to avert an impending doom.

<strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Take time to study the weather

This bit of advice is especially important for beginner surfers. Learn how to forecast the weather. If it proves too much of a challenge to forecast the weather, the least one can do is to use weather forecast resources available on the net. Know which patterns are likely to cause a drift; this will help you avoid being caught up under a pier or even worse. While you are busy enjoying yourself in the ocean, the weather may have ulterior motives and transform those wonderful waves into ugly monstrous waves that you cannot be able to control. Here are a few tips of keep a wary eye on the weather while surfing:

· Set your time before ridding out into the waves

· Keep your eyes peeled to where the waves are consistently breaking

· Are fellow surfers drifting? How fast are the drifts and are they making much effort to stay stationary? This is your clue that the waves are fast changing.

· Ask fresh surfers what the weather conditions are on shore.

<strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Know when you’ve simply had too much

Knowing your limits will expose you to less risk while paddling in the waves. It is all too easy to get lost trying to challenge yourself into riding bigger waves. That is fine but you should know when you have exhausted your limits. Don’t tempt fate by taking on radical waves that you are unsure of. Take some time off and head to the beach and observe how the waves are behaving.

Listen to your inner self; it won’t do to be sorry later on. If you notice that your fitness levels and swimming skills don’t match the swell ad weather conditions, please back off and try again later. You risk being seriously hurt if you ignore those feelings. If the waves are crowded, it complicates things the more. It is best to avoid the risky waves and live to surf for another day

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