How Big‑Wave Legends Survive Wipeouts by Relaxing Underwater

How To Stay Calm During a Wipeout

If you're up and riding on a wave, odds are you can see what's about to happen. That lip's going to fall on you and steam roll over. The other scenario is, you're paddling out and get caught inside, with a wave breaking either right in front of you, or on top of you. This is easier to manage than a wave breaking way out back, as negotiating the white water that comes with it is relatively minor. But when it's right in front of you, that's when you get hit with all the turbulence that comes with the territory.

Rather than fight it, you've got to go with it. Imagine it's similar to surfing a fish, where you let the board do the work vs trying to over-engineer everything like a more traditional thruster. Let the waves rag-doll you around and set yourself up for knowing you can swim up after the rolling around under water. Remember to relax your body. Let your limbs go wherever. If you're really concerned, you can protect your head to prevent copping a fin to the face – that is not fun.

Next, try to stem any panic. If you're new to surfing, the instant action is to react. Do not do this. Stay calm and you will recover much quicker. Do not try to swim up under the turbulence. If you see the wave coming towards you, take a deep breath before impact.

If you make it to the surface and immediately see another wave about to hit you, get a few short, deep breaths in and let it take you again. Same technique, don't fight it.

Mistake Surfers Make During Hold-Downs

Fighting it. The turbulence will end, the pressure on top will pass, you just need patience and relaxation. Then swim up. Think of it this way; relaxing is just a way to save energy.

Breath-Hold Training for Surfing

If hold-downs and wipeouts strike some fear into you, you can always sign up for some breath-hold training to add some confidence to your sessions. The aim here isn't to hold your breath for four minutes (we're looking at you, Cotty) but to have the knowledge that you're going to be ok if you cop a few on the head.

There are many breath-hold workshops around, but you can focus on static breath-holds, underwater breath drills, meditation and mental control, which all help with the mindset during those chaotic moments.

What About Fear?

If you think big wave surfers aren't afraid, think again. But it's more about what they do with that emotion and how they harness it, turning negative reactions into positive actions that make a huge difference to surf confidence.

Fear creates a fight or flight response in the body. Some surfers will sit in a busy, heavy line-up and wait for hours to catch their first wave. It can be a mix of fear, adrenaline and the potential of only surfing one wave in the session and needing to make it all count, that eventualy amounts to scoring a great wave.

Harnessing all that energy pushes the body past a stress response and into something else. The same is true of hold-downs and wipeouts; fear can play a huge part in that response. Having your breath-work dialed in, and focusing on your body and mind will help push you into heavier scenarios, if that's the path you want to go.

That also translates to smaller waves and beginner surfers as well. Learning to surf can be a chaotic experience, but learning to cope when things go wrong is a huge part of the journey.