Ehow.com has some great tips for Body Surfing. I have a very strong recollection of being hit in the snout by a wave, and pushed under while it cycled to shore. You only need to get tossed around like a starfish one time to understand the power of a current. It is terrifying to be sucked under water and drawn along with the flow, but the best thing you can do is stay calm, keep a clear head, ride the stream and remember not to inhale. In most cases, you’ll pop right back up when the wave cycle has ended, but not before you have time to think about all the things you’ve never done. Know what I mean?
- Figure out where the waves are breaking and position yourself slightly beyond them.
- Swim in the same direction as an approaching wave so that the wave overtakes you just before it breaks. Freestyle (crawl) is the best stroke for this.
- Decide which direction (right or left) you want to ride once you feel the wave begin to grab you. It’s OK to go straight, but a much better, longer ride is achieved by heading away from the breaking part of the wave.
- Stop stroking, but keep kicking. Extend one arm forward (right if you’re going right, left if you’re going left), with your palm down and breaking the surface of the water.
- Streamline your body and continue riding the wave as long as desired – or until your face is plowing through sandcastles.
Those are actually good directions for how to handle an onslaught of bad luck. Listen, you can’t stop a wave. The wave is coming. You can shout, scream, cry, wave your arms, jump up and down; the wave is coming. You can try to fight it and get beaten up by it, or you can eye it, size it up, and figure out how you’re going to position yourself to end up on top of it. And when you’re riding the crest of it, you’ll be able to see everything below you, including the sea floor exposed during the wave cycle. You’ll be better set to land on your feet at the shore.
- Figure out the root of the problem you’re facing. Treating symptoms doesn’t cure the cold. Find the root, get behind it.
- Move forward with the grain of the problem, picking up solutions as you do. Vaccinations are made from the disease.
- Decide how you want this to end. Picture what you want for an outcome, then aim toward it.
- Get focused and don’t panic. Keep calm and carry on. Do what you know is the right thing to do. The right behaviors will bring the right results.
- Be prepared for the end to come, and know that sometimes you land hard. Just know that the next step is getting back up, and getting back out there.
The Outside Lane 