Chronic Fear of "bigger" waves

I personally hate big waves if they are at all unpredictable. Surfing was never about chasing big waves for me just about ripping up small to medium waves. Big waves are about throwing yourself over the edge and running for the shoulder 90% of the time either through a barrel or around. Unless your in Central America on a point or California, by the time the surf would be considered truly big on the east coast the fun factor drops fast. When I was in El Salvador there were days that it was friggin huge but those waves were totally ripable. Still scared at times but so good. I think it's smart to be scared of really big waves on the east coast.

 

usually fears a good response to the situation . Helps mind speed up to solve problems fast , fight or flight response . During some sizable swells take a few swims out into the surf with a pair of fins . Stay in the impact zone and just take a few good poundings . Take a swim test and see what your capable of handling without the board . I have that same fear ,big east coast waves are no joke , not as big as other parts of the world but have industrial strength in a compacted wave on curtain days . Remember when sh!T hits the fan and leash snaps or board breaks , your swimming your @ss in . If you are not comfortable swimming that day , surfing will also be uncomfortable . But with 29 years of experience you should know what your limit is , just dont be afraid of raising your limits . A good humbling days sets things straight .

 

get a pair of fins and bodysurf it. after a few waves bodysurfing you'll feel amazing when you take a board out

 

go to where there actually are big waves but not hawaii type cause they'll crush you.
peru has a good spot - pta hermosa - where one can work up to it incrementally and - probably - not
get hammered in the process. if you do this focus on equipment, conditioning, and never under-estimate
the importance of your leash.

 

Please never do this again. I despise people that do this. You hold guys who would go off of good waves in the process. Good waves end up going unridden because of your sacrilegious acting. People will drop in on you after that, and you have no right b!tching about it.

Guys that will go, can usually spot this act from a mile away, so you're not fooling anyone. Unfortunately it takes you burning a few good waves for the line up to recognize it. If you're nervous or what ever, stay away from the line up, where you would potentially f people out of good waves. Figure your sh!t out down the beach, don't dump it on the innocent.

 

Any surfer that tells you that when they go out in big waves is not afraid is lying. It is a normal biological reaction to a perceived threat. Some fear in larger waves is healthy, it is what makes you ride them better. It is also what keeps you alive for the next session. Anyone completely free of fear eventually errs and is finished off by big waves.
Experience in larger waves attenuates fear, but never eliminates it. It commands us to respect the ocean and to proceed courageously perhaps, but with caution as well. Controlling your fear is the challenge in big wave surfing.
Been there done that. I am still alive to express my opinion and advice, for better or for worse.
Have a great day!! I now have to go dig out off yet another damn blizzard. Wish I had gone to PR this week!!

 

I can't give ya any advice man because I feel like you gotta be the one to answer this question. Maybe have a meditation session with some magic shroomies and seriously try to wrestle some buried demons out. Might be painful at first but after you address some underlying psychological issues you have, you'll come to accept them and will be able to move on or at least work on becoming better.

As for me, I'd say, conservatively, I've been in 7ft (hawaiian style) surf. I was grossly undergunned that day, and was paddling for my life. I thought that if one of those waves detonated on me, it wouldn't be pretty. Not that I couldn't handle it, but I knew it wouldn't be fun. If you're scared, its because you aren't at very confident in yourself. You almost have to psych yourself up. "Yah dude I know I can make it back up after I get pounded, I've seen dudes at 30ft Puerto Escondido take way heavier beatings!!" Just have to relax man and watch it. Figure out which ones are gonna be make-able. you've dropped in countless times before man just f'en tell yourself you're going man get a little crazy I mean hell we're kinda crazy paddling out in freezing slamming EC shorebreak. Get it!!

 

Your opening statement said your afraid, your just not really sure what exactly your afraid of. That's the problem. Gotta figure that out. Scared your gonna get rejected on the paddle out? Get held under? Gonna be cold? Gonna eat **** on the drop and everyone will laugh? Figure out what it is your scared of then replace that thought with the thought of the one decent sized wave you know you will probably make and be stoked on. Thats what I do. Think about the barrel your gonna make, not the paddle, the drop, the beatdowns, etc. Worst case if you get crushed then you just come in. It's really no biggie and it is all in your head. Substitute the fear for the stoke.

 

I kind of feel like if you know you are at your limit you should push it just a hair to see where you can go next. I've had a couple pretty scary experiences....this summer in Indo 3x OH and crazy barrels ....A couple times at Puerto ....and I actually got stuck in the ocean once in Panama at a remote beach ...the surf jumped from 2xhead to friggin huge and the tide was dropping rapidly as it does there. Next thing I know its massive closeouts with crazy rips coming up the faces....I was out there for an hour and half without catching a wave and conditions were just getting worse and worse. I could barely see all these people sitting in this beach front bar watching me prob wondering "wt f is that guy doing and how is he gonna get in?" Finally I admitted to myself that I needed to get to shore somehow and I wasn't gonna be riding anything on my 5'11". So I just waited for a set to detonate and then started paddling my arse in as fast as possible. I got about 30 ft in and then the most massive set loomed and well...it was BRUTAL....I took eight waves on the head and it was one of those situation where your board is dragging you around and pulling you down....I thought about ditching it but didn't I was just trying to survive.....I finally got washed through to the inside and just held on to the board and kind of floated into shore...literally crawled out of the water coughing up water and heaving. A couple guys come running down from the bar "you OK man? you need to go to the hospital?" "Nah just a beer-"-that beer was good. The weird thing was I felt like I couldn't catch my breath after that for days...

I don't know what this story does for you but maybe let you know that even in the worst situations you're gonna survive. I just thought of that and started writing. My problem is I never grab a bigger board for bigger conditions so I am always undergunned. I always think man I don't wanna be learning a new board while dropping into bombs.. Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend--cheers

 

I hate to say it but I second this big time!!!!

 

im always undergunned and always take new boards out on new swells i dont know why i havnt learned by now......crazy story though.

 

Nick, don't listen to these guys. When you go for a wave, just yell out, "Party wave". That makes everything okay, whether you catch it or not. Bwahahaha

 

Seems to me you are doubting your ability. With practice, you will reaffirm your own skills and confidence. The fear may still be there but probably will diminish and be outweighed by your ability. Just don't practice on the best break with the best surfers.

 

Dude you need to just except the fact your goin to get hammered sometimes, even the best of the best take beatings. Thats why its so adrenaline packed fun... No danger no thrill.