Bodysurfing, as you probably know, is the sport of catching waves with your body and riding them as far as they’ll take you.
It can be a blast, and it’s much faster to learn than board riding, and of course the only equipment you really need is yourself.
So, here are five tips for having more fun when you’re doing it:
(1) Don’t be a wave snob. Small swells that break close to shore can be powerful and give you great, albeit shorter, rides, so don’t turn your nose up at them. Plus small to average surf is what you’ll see most of, so if you pass on them, you’ll be taking yourself out of the action a lot.
(2) Positioning is crucial to effective body surfing. Literally, you have to go where the waves are breaking. Most people screw this up by staying in the shallows or just missing the bigger breaks. Study the sets as they break and make a mental calculation as to where you’d need to be as the next wave curls to its peak. Then, maneuver to that place in the water before the next set comes in. That’s the spot to get your rides.
(3) Timing is also very important. If you have to swim more than a stroke or two to catch your waves, you’re too early in the break formation, and as you look toward the shore you’ll see they’re breaking several feet in front of you. This is an avoidable frustration. Most of my rides don’t require me to swim at all. I look like I’m falling forward and catching them at the last possible second.
(4) If you can, bodysurf with a buddy, or have a lookout posted on the beach, or do it in front of a lifeguard tower. Surf can pound you and you can swallow water fast and need help, so you want it to be available. Rest before you’re fatigued. Go sit on the sand for ten or fifteen minutes, at least, and then head back out for a shorter period. If waves are so big that they scare you, heed that fear, and stay away from them.
(5) Watch people who are good at it, that are catching half or more of the waves that they’re trying for. Where are they positioned? How is their timing? Which waves are they selecting? Learn from them; they’re out there!
Today, I followed these tips and I had a great time, and I have the memories to prove it!