Safety Tips For Surfers: What Every Beginner Should Know
Despite being one of the most fun activities to participate in, surfing is inherently risky no matter the size of waves or your skill level. As more and more people learn to surf, it’s important that everyone understands some basic safety in order to keep everyone in the lineup safe. This quick guide is meant for Charleston surfers, however; it applies to almost any surf spot we can think of. Depending on where you live, there could be other hazards not discussed here, but this should serve as a general guide to staying safe.
Tip #1: Know your skill level and limits. It can be hard to be honest with yourself, especially around the hype of a big day of surfing, but understanding your surfing ability and limits of your physical and skill level is crucial to avoiding getting into trouble. You need to push your surfing out of your comfort zone, but you also need to say no and pass on days that seem too dangerous for you.
Tip #2: Watch conditions before every surf. Watching the waves for 5 minutes prior to paddling out can make all the difference. Are there any rip currents or hazards like jetties, reef, submerged structures, etc you need to know about? Have you seen a set break yet? These small details help prepare you for a fun and safe surf. The more information you can soak in, the better off you’ll be during your session.
Tip #3: Size up the crowd. We like to surf away from the crowds, but it’s inevitable you will have to surf amongst the crowd from time to time. Getting an understanding for the crowd can come in handy. Are you surrounded by veteran surfers who can handle themselves or is it mostly beginners who don’t have good board control on the wave and ditch their boards duck diving? Knowing this can be the difference in avoiding getting hit by someone else board. As a general rule, never paddle directly behind someone on the way out to the line up. If they do ditch their board, you would be in the worst spot.
Tip #4: Surfing with friends is always the move, but if everyone is busy you can always surf near other people if you feel more comfortable. Strike up a conversation and meet some new friends. We also think it’s a good idea that your group of friends have some general first aid training and know how to preform CPR. Take a course together or if you are already certified you can run your friends through the basics so your group is better prepared to handle and situation that may happen surfing or in general in life.
Tip #5: Don’t underestimate the ocean. The big and gnarly days of surfing usually catch out attention the most, but in our experience, most accidents happen on the small days in shallow water. Always be aware of your surroundings and understand that things can go wrong even on the smallest summer days.
Bonus Tip: Know where your nearest urgent care or hospital is in relation to your local break and save your local public safety departments number as a favorite in your phone.
Folly Beach Public Safety: 843-588-2433