Chronic Fear of "bigger" waves

Raddadbrad is right, if you want to surf when it's big your gonna take a beating every now and then, but it's also ok if you don't find beatings fun. I know I don't enjoy it much anymore as I've gotten older. The end result is that knowone cares or would ever notice if you never surfed a wave over chest high. There have been lots of days that I walked over the dune, watched for a few minutes and left knowing it wasn't my thing. One less guy in the water means more waves for the guys who are into it.

 

I was happy to take off on a closeout just to get in but with the rip and the size of the waves and my small board I literally couldn't catch a wave. If I caught one I was gonna be way to late and never make it to my feet just get pitched over on a 15 footer...so yeah I'm glad I paddled in just bad timing... ):

 

My advise to you: When you paddle out on any big day, commit to the very first wave that comes your way. You're going no matter what. Even if its a total no chance late takeoff go anyway and try to get to your feet. If you don't make it and get drilled paddle back out and come to the realization that that wasn't such a big deal and see you survived. The rest is cake. The best big wave sessions I've had were after an early wipeout. The worst thing you can do is sit out there and pull back a couple times.

Honestly, I worry more about getting hurt when its small than anything else. My fear is that awkward fall goofing off with the shorebreak in knee deep water or the clueless beginner on a longboard or SUP.

 

^^Not that I'm any sort of a big wave rider, but in my limited experience, I've found this to be true.

 

As some one who has only surfed up and down the east coast boogie boarding from a wee age to surfing in high school. I've had scary hold downs, wipeouts, rips etc. but I only just started surfing winter this season. The cold temps mess with my head. Double overhead closeouts in myrtle beach barreling over a shallow bar with a fresh layer of broken concrete with Arthur's eye a hundred miles offshore was less of a big deal than surfing 4-5 feet almonding barrels, 40 degree water, 30 degree air. I see fear as the bottoming out of the wave of adrenaline, the more fear, the better the barrel(adrenaline rush), the more turns, barrels, airs you score before you your parasympathetic nervous system kicks in. Your problem is that you are either out of shape or out of practice in big surf, the moment you catch one of those mater fater's you will probably still respect the size, but just "trying to paddle for them" won't be good enough. Hope this helps Brah!

 

Some people just don't dig big surf. Just like some dudes don't dig little surf... or don't like cold... or don't like crowds... or don't like surfing alone... or don't like beachbreaks... The list goes on.

The only thing wrong with you, is the fact that you don't like the fact you don't like big waves. You just gotta be ok with who you are and what you like and don't like about surfing. Your surfing life should only be about what brings you satisfaction, not what tortures you. Make it the one thing in your life that's perfect.

 

Solid advice.

 

Yep. The longer you go without catching a wave, whether you make it or not, the more you get in your own head. I'm the same way. I start doubting myself and second guessing.

 

who the fk says i surf hawaii style waves..be a man and measure from the face... dont try to be all hardcore and down play the size it just dooshy..

 

Holy friggin pep talk this is getting way to wierd.... Surfing is what I do to unwind and relax. We dont get waves big enough to worry about on the right coast. Just Go and if you dont get in, work on your cannonball technique, thats what I do and it makes all fails fun.... Enjoy the pounding find the bottom and spring to the suface!!!!!! NO WORRIES!!!!

 

It is a great thread but I just want to see you overcome fear, never submit to it. Fear and panic kills my buzz. Some of my best waves were waves I thought I would never make but some how I made it and surprised myself. They are the ones you remember bro. Even if you get pounded and hurt pain reminds us we are very much ALIVE....... EDDY would GO!!!!

 

Attaboy

 

howgooda swimmer r you...if you can pound anaerobic reps of 50y/m free on short or long rest & 50/100 y/m fly on mod/long rest and you have some sound judgement i don't think you'd have as much of an issue...maybe a little tentativeness, but not as much anxiety.

try to get better at swimming in general...then maybe watch some dudes paddle out and score on the "big" days and see what they do to make them sux-eggs-ful

 

Learn abdominal breathing techniques

 

Embrace the fear my friend, it's what makes us human. I used to be freaked out every time it was overhead, hesitating on every wave I paddled for and just psyching myself out. Which honestly, probably put myself in more danger since you can get hurt when you hesitate... But you just gotta go for it and push yourself a little bit. After session after session, wipe out after wipe out, it didn't seem as bad as I thought it was going to be. Like CJ said, just go for that first wave and make that commitment to go no matter what. Either way you'll either make it and get an awesome ride, or wipeout and come up realizing it wasn't that bad of a time in the spin cycle. More or less what gets to me no isn't the fear of how big the waves are, it's the mental frustration of whether I'm surfing at the level I think I should be. Sometimes I forget to just go out and have fun. The juno swell was epic, but I got inside my own head that day and struggled to enjoy my time out in the water. The spot I was at had a current ripping down the beach and you either caught a wave, or drifted so far passed the lineup and in both cases had to walked back up to paddle out. I blew my first two waves and drifted and after that it was almost game over. I got into a war with my own head telling myself I suck, why am I in the water, everyone is ripping but me, I can't get a wave cus everyone has priority over me right now, blah blah blah. Took me three hours to get one decent wave because I couldn't get my mind to shut up. Just one of those off days that make you question why you're in the water at all (that every single one of us has had at some point or another), until I finally made a drop on a bomb, pulled into the barrel, made eye contact with my buddy paddling back out, then got decapitated by the lip. But that split second view in the shade and laughter after with my buddy made it all worth while. I think as surfers we over think and over analyze things too much. It really just comes down to why we go out there, to have fun. Just need to shut up and surf sometimes

 

next large swell event ,more than likely a front,or tropical system, watch the forecast and go when the swell is starting to build. if 1-3ft is comfort level go then and stay slightly longer as the swell builds, next event or even same go 2-4ft etc etc,,soon before you know it 3-5 will be your comfort level...ec tropical swells uually build slowly over days so many chances to catch right sized ones and increase slowly