How To Survive the Wave Impact Zone! (Hawaiian Shorebreak)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 16 ก.ย. 2024
- Koa Smith explains how to survive the struggle of the wave impact zone. Wether you're a beginner or experienced surfer who's had a gnarly wipeout, or just a swimmer out of your depth, this tutorial will help you handle yourself in big waves. #surfing #howto #hawaii
Filmed at Keiki Beach on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii.
Filmed and edited by Michael Veltman
/ shmikesss
vimeo.com/mich...
Follow the Smith brothers on Instagram:
Koa Smith - / koasmith
Alex Smith - / alexsmith_
Travis Smith - / triggtrav
Smith Brothers IG - / smithbroshawaii
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DISCLAIMER:
The Smith Brothers channel insist that no one attempt to re-create or re-enact any stunt or activity performed in this video. This video is for educational purposes only and to help those who are in a serious situation. The Smith Brothers and the producers of this video are in no way held liable for any injury or death. If in doubt, don't go out!
The worst part is finally standing up after being taken away with a huge wave, and then you wipe your eyes to see which direction to go and another wave hits you straight in the face.
Can confirm! That’s the worst 🤣
The other worst is trying to stand up but the water going back is so powerful your feet and legs start to disappear in sand and even if you try to run you can’t move your legs that fast because it’s so powerful and all of the sudden you get hit straight on the back and facepalm the sand.
I felt that on so many different levels 😂
Happened to me
Yes been there🤪
Happened to me on a beach, i had just learnt how to swim like a year back. The beach had frequent waves and i was at a point where my feet couldn't touch the ground(just maybe 5 inches above the ground but felt like several feet!) I looked back at my friends at the beach and a wave came and hit me. I was tumbled around violently and by the time i came up with water in my nose and stomach, another one hit me right in the face, again without any prep. Came out and there is another wave, but this time i dived and ducked it. As soon as I came out my partner swimming with me told me to just make a run to the shore. I was so unsure of myself in that moment and so afraid of the waves as they were more violent closer to the shore. Ducked the next wave and then just swam as fast as I could until i could stand with a solid footing. I have never been so terrified in my whole life. That is the main reason I keep watching these videos! The panic I feel still is so powerful. Recently went back to the same beach after two years and good swimming experience, the waves there are so strong and although now i love swimming in such waters but being on that beach just made me panic so hard that i kept freaking out and not swimming well. At one point the same shit happened, i looked at the beach and the waves there are so frequent I got hit without any warning, this time I knew what to do in the situation and realised I should immediately head back. I started swimming back and got hit by a wave on the way back and the water kept pulling me and I felt like I wasn't able to get to the shore as fast as i should. Again, i was panicking otherwise this would be just another fun day at the beach. Never ever swim when you are not feeling confident. Never!
Honestly, the best advice is to stay relaxed while getting pounded. It's pretty counter-intuitive, when you're under for a while and can't breathe, your instinct is to try and swim your way up for air, but if you can just be patient, and allow the wave to take you however it wants, you'll always have enough oxygen to make it. The only times I ever got close to drowning was when I was trying too hard to fight against the wave.
i loved getting pounded
thats what she said
@@psychologienerd7546 Damn
@@psychologienerd7546 ROFL
It was easy when I was young. While being tumbled, I judged up by an air bubble in my mouth.
Thanks bro I'm currently caught in a rip current, in-between sets of getting pounded and found this useful.
same bro I’ve been getting pounded all day
@@jacksouthey6694 me too, check out my only fans
@@jacksouthey6694 oh?
@@jacksouthey6694 bro?
@@jacksouthey6694 Bro?
this looks super fun but only if there wasnt something called drowning.
And getting really hurt from the impact
good point😩
I agree
It wouldn’t be fun mate , fun stand at the end of fear .
@Riah Raf all “UwU”s and “OwO”s and “TwT”s just ruins every single sentence you say with it tbh
"Why did I put myself here?" How many times in life is this self question appropriate? Excellent beginning.
Who am I is the ? and then what is my purpose? To trust in Love is the answer. I am Love.
Who tell me had to paddle out here? Jajajaja lol
Good God right!!! If I could only edit a playback of my life ... Smh hahaha
Many, many times in many, many situations 😊
For clicky clicky
Hard to “focus on your breathing” when you’re not breathing.
My thoughts exactly 😂
you are breathing out, he means that you focus on how much you breath out so that you can hold your breath for longer
@@neib5731 why would you breathe out? surely hold all that air in right?
@@finn2219 exhaling CO² is as important as inhaling
@@finn2219 the reason why you breathe out is to get rid of the CO2 buildup
The worst feeling is looking up and seeing a 8-foot wave crash on your head.
Haha had a 7 foot random wave catch me on the inside today, ducked under and thought I was clear.... NOPE into the spin cycle I went.
it’s the best feeling coming up unscathed though also the best place to be when setts are smaller best fun
Then there’re those of us who just want to go to the beach
Worst is having it happen around the reef.
@@deemaunik seen a few people scalped because of reefs lol
one tip i never see mentioned is how to figure out which way is up when your leash breaks/eardrums burst while you’re in the washing machine. if you lose your sense of direction and are unsure which way to swim, put your hand over your nose and exhale a tiny bit of air (not too much!) whatever direction you feel the bubbles going is up.
Yup that’ll work when your spinning around and all the wash is around you.
Why do you need to know which way is up, if you can’t swim and are caught in the washing machine until it ends and leaves you?
@@kikokimo2 as it clears, you get a sense of where the surface is
I usually whip out my compass and head north
When I was 14 I got caught inside on an 8 wave set of 25 - 30 foot faces. It was terrifying. Especially because my friends had already gotten washed inside by a massive set and this set was even bigger. Needless to say I survived it, but I realized that a large part of being out in massive waves is a mind game. I tend to get spooked really easily and I noticed that the mutant surfers that had no fear rarely got spooked. Being spooked is irrational. And you can't let your mind go there especially when you're being driven down into black water and your own surfboard is down there with you. So I realized that it was a mind game and every time I got caught inside thereafter I would go into my zen systematic way of breathing and going under and coming up. However, now that I'm 50 years old I realize that you absolutely have to be in shape. When I was young I took that for granted. I was in shape and didn't think much of it. I've been doing yoga, meditation and deep breathing for 25 years, mostly vegan and in decent shape. But man things are starting to get stiff. It's kind of a bummer. As you get older you really really have to work at staying in shape.
AMAZING STORY! Thank you so much for sharing! Yeah even when its 50ft! You still cant get spooked! Have to keep your calm no matter what which is soooo hard to do. But puts you into a deep meditative state. You are not in control any more, the ocean is. All you can do is relax and go with it!
@@itskoasmith I agree! Thanks for all your insights! It is much appreciated.
You’re a legend
why were u out surfing 30ft waves when u were 14
@@josh1248 All my friends were going out so we all charged. That's what you do when you're young and dumb. To this day that's the biggest swell that I've seen in Southern California. It's nothing compared to what these guys deal with in Hawaii though.
looks fun!
Right
i follow u on TikTok but I'm not yet subbed and I see u in a comment section im gonna go sub to u now lol
no....
Hi
@@chazenboi i do it and it is xd
i grew up in the ocean and learned getting slammed was just part of the game early on. learned how to fully relax my body when a big wave comes and when it swoops me up its honestly fun. sometimes some slight injuries here or there but having something so massive pick me up and throw me around is weirdly one of my favorite things. i always come up with the biggest smile and belly laugh
omg me too bro, nothing like a nice 3-4 foot wave with lots of foam just absolutely dunking you. it’s weirdly enjoyable.
Yessss!!!
Yeah my gf likes getting picked up and thrown around too :^) It's weird though, she's never been surfing..
so, are you merman?
@@ellasedits_ Have you see, how funny is dive into wall of monster waves, it enjoyable.
Being born and raised in Hawaii, going to the beach literally every weekend is how I learned how to swim. I was thrown in there and had to figure it out. Always, ALWAYS swim UNDER the wave. NEVER try to go up and around it or you’ll be pounded. I almost drowned many times, but did actually drown 1 time while swimming at tracks, originally known as Kahe Point on the West Side before Hurricane Iwa came and demolished that beautiful beach. I saw my body laying flat on the shoreline as I floated up in the air watching my parents partying and having a great time. NO ONE was there watching me bcus I was a good swimmer. I was around 6-7 years old. I didn’t know what was happening to me and why my body was on the shore and I wasn’t! I could even see my family all happy enjoying each other, and at that point it made me sad bcus I realized I drowned and didn’t want my parents or brothers finding me like that. I wished so hard to go back into my body, AND I DID! 🤯🤯🤯 No one was there to witness it bcus it was late evening. That’s when I stated to research near death experiences, out of body experiences, etc...there’s no way I could’ve told anyone what happened to me or they’d laugh but 40 years later I still remember that faithful day as if it was yesterday. There is a God, and his name on Earth is Jesus. I yelled for him to help me, and he “showed up” so to speak. He allowed me back into my body with no injuries. Ever since then, I look at life and the world thru an entire different perspective. Thank you Jesus for saving me, literally. I love you ❤️
That's isnane to think about, thank you for sharing this and glad your ok.
Like this is hard to believe but again if it really happened nobody would trust it unless they saw it
why didn’t jesus stop you from getting into the near death experience itself?
Wow. That's an incredible story. Glad you survived.
God is good 🥹
I have been extensively researching lung capacity this year after have my lung collapse and a little chunk taken out of it. After fully recovering from surgery I realized I couldn’t inflate one lung as much as I could inflate the other. Since then I have been focusing on my breath and expanding my lungs. I’ve compiled a list of remedies and figured I’d share them in hopes that someone might find it useful.
1. Cardio is your best friend and will give oxygen to the rest of your body when you need it. My favorite type of cardio is HIIT cardio or running.
2. O2 tables can greatly increase your length of breath and keep you out of dangerous scenarios. Also they will build your tolerance to CO2 and allow you to pass that feeling of wanting to breathe.
3. Keep calm! Especially when massive waves are about to slam you to the bottom of the ocean or you are fighting white water to catch your breath, you have to keep your heart rate down in order to use less oxygen.
4. Force yourself to breathe through your nose. This will also build up your CO2 tolerance as well as allow you to take deeper meaningful breathes.
5. And last but not least, always breathe more than you need to, especially when doing physical activities. There were 10-15 different times this week I caught myself choking on water because I simply didn’t take a deep enough breath. Add that to the panic of not making past an outside wave and you have yourself a wild ride.
hey, good tips, but i dont think you should breathe through the nose? If you breathe through your mouth you can take in the oxygen much faster which is crucial shortly before a wipeout. But when breathing out, breathing through the nose can be beneficial and keep you calm I think.
@@1olp1 There is a lot of research that shows nose breathing gives you 20% more oxygen in each breathe.
@@travistarp7466 cool, didnt know that. interesting
@@1olp1 yes a lot of the research is centered around something called the Buyteko method. Has to do with balancing CO2 and O2 appropriately. Plus getting more nitric oxide which improves vasodilation, etc. etc.
@@1olp1 in my experience I try to breathe through my nose as much as possible! But when It’s necessary definitely breathe through your mouth
I feel like this needs to be played on every flight landing in Hawaii. Great job!
why???!?!
@@arturox431 I've watched waikiki go from nice calm chest high waves to double, triple overhead twice this summer and there are people that go out on rental boards and end up having to get rescued
Actually videos like this should be shown on all flights if the destination country is known for its beach culture. Here in Aus it would be one explaining Swim Between the Flags. When my family were new to Australia we got sternly told off for not swimming between the red and yellow flags. We hadn’t a clue.
Feel or think?
Or into Sydney lol
"They will notify a lifeguard or a local legend to come save your ass...hopefully"
No one gonna talk about how the guy got smashed at 2:06
Looks like he put himself there to body surf in. Ballsy
That looked sore 🙊🙊🙊🙊
fax broooo
Was looking for this comment haha
@@skeeblyboggs4914 same lmao that shit had he dying 😂
Thanks for sharing. I nearly drowned at Barking Sands Beach on Christmas Day(!)1995. I thought for sure I was done for, but somehow I remembered to not panic and curl up in a ball. The impact zone was so violent, the Ocean ripped my trunks off my body. When I made back to our family picnic on shore, everyone was surprised to see me w/o my shorts and was wondering where I have been. I almost ruined Christmas for forever for my family. Respect the Ocean. Thank you Jesus. Mahalo.
Thank you the smithbrothers for droping this vlog. Literally 48hrs after watching, I got stuck in such a situation while surfing a rocky reef break on the Canary Islands. In the water your advises popped up in my mind. And even, after signaling that my board was gone, closest surfer (a local) went straight with the next wave to get it before it got caught in the rocks. While that, my friend was checking the situation during the set from the shoulder.
In the end, I always felt save, did not get my board smashed and I could surf the rest of the day.
I think, we all should take care of the people around us in the water. One day it might be you. 🤙🏼
Great video. Huge waves. Surfing these waves is cool.
me when i type the ending of my essays
@@yomama3929 lmfao relatable
@@yomama3929 i was thinking the same thing lmfao
Yes
Just like a dream. . STOP to dream.!!!!!!
Was unexperienced and got caught in a sudden rip current coupled with 7-foot breaking waves in Costa Rica. It had been extremely calm just moments before, and I was caught completely off guard. In about 15 seconds I had been pulled out around 100 feet from shore, and then I got slammed repeatedly by massive waves, most of which caught on my swim shirt. This turned it into a sail which pulled me rapidly to the shore by my neck. It was a frightening wake-up call which left me shaken and out of breath. I'm just glad I didn't smash into a rock once I hit the beach, as there were many near by.
know exactly what u mean dude, i live here n i see the snarliest waves on the daily
Excellent content. I think the real key take away here is not panicking and I know its easier said then done! I was visiting my dad out In NZ a few years ago, hadnt been in the water for over a year, (big city/shitty life) and arrogantly thought i could just head out and try mix it with the local groms in 10-15 foot waves. After nearly drowning during one set, catching zero waves, one of the kids asked if I was okay and I took the hintl! Know your level, dont get cocky and keep up your fitness. My ego nearly killed me that day and a 12 year old kid made me realise it wasnt worth it.
Yesterday I got caught in a set of three waves, the tallest probably 9ft high, at a Rio de Janeiro beach. It was all white water around me. I panicked so bad. Instead of relaxing, I set myself in a straigth position heading the beach (as fast as I could tell where it was, which was relatively easy because of the tall buildings) with my arms extended forward. It was a flat position, not a rounded one, like a surf table, and I kept swimming with my feet. I kinda notice surf tables generally are perpendicular to the beach when caught by a wave...
Not sure if it was a good strategy, but I am sure that if I would've get two or three more of those waves, I wouldn't been here writing about this experience.
I feel so grateful of being alive.
A few years ago on a stormy day i broke my leash. I remember how light my ankle felt compared to the usual strong pull of the wave dragging the board. It's a scary feeling realizing no one is comming to save you and you are too tired to swim. By luck, divine intervention or some biological thing the fear i was experiencing was abruptly replaced by a calmness followed by a burning sensation on my chest around the heart area. The adrenalin rush gave me the energy i would need to swim back to shore, i just had to swim down the crashing waves...or so i thought. When you have a board with you the float it has gives it immense stabilization when you cut under a wave but when its just you, it feels like you are a twig inside a tornado. I instinctivily curled up into a ball and just waited as i sort of spinned underwater. Once i could go back up i started swimming and trying to avoid getting hit hard by waves until i got to tired, then i remembered seeing someone in a similar situation alternate between front swims and backstrokes. That worked really well as my back muscles werent as tired and although struggling a bit i managed to get back on shore just before this big storm hit it. Being calm, knowing how to conservated energy and being in somewhat good physical form can be essential in a situation like this. Always keep in mind how thin the thread between life and death is (sometimes quite literally) and avoid being in situations in which you can die if something small goes wrong.
All these stories are reminding me of putting myself in a very sketchy do or die situation on the side of a mountain with my skis with nobody around to help. my only option was to ski to the best of my ability or better, thankfully I did
Difficult to tell yourself ‘everything will be ok’ when the first word that crosses your mind is ‘oh shit’
Facts bro. Happened to me today. Had steady 12ish footers all day. Im out way past the break bc i was SUP today. I lose focus for a moment and an absolute bomb set of waves destroyed me. Snapped my leash and i was in trouble. Got in enough to the point where another surfer let me chill on his board for a bit bc i was exhausted as i was just about to be done for the day. Absolutely terrifying.
@@JackL-xe1le God. I freak out when I get smashed by 7 footers. Crazy
Survival is about 99% a mental game. What kills you most of the time is mistakes made or opportunities missed due to mental panic. Learning to control your emotions in emergency situations is an absolute must. If you can stay calm and rational your brain and body can generally work out a solution and take a decent beating doing it to keep you alive. Just like this. Relax and let the energy you can not fight just wash over you. Fight it and it will pound you and break you. Know that you need to get a good breath of air immediately and you may get hit by a cooler more waves. Or they may be spaced out and you can get lucky. The tumble under is only gonna last 10 to 15 seconds. It will feel like an eternity. That's panic. Take control. Scared is fine. Panic is not. Panic kills. A healthy dose of fear keeps you alive.
When you're in a hairy situation out in the water always try to stay calm. Theres a big difference between panic and fear. Its natural to experience fear, especially in a situation like getting caught inside. And once two, three big sets land on top of you it's easy to go into panic mode. Great video though🤙🏽
Yup. Fear is what keeps you focused and alive. It gives you the adrenaline burst. Panic... it just robs you of rational though. Any benefit you get from the fear is gone amd now your are just reacting instead of acting. You make stupid decisions. Miss the right ones. Amd you die. Panic kills.
@@mycroft16 💯💯
I wish I had a relationship as strong as his grip on the camera😐
Me to gurl
Ditto
Well we can friend each other in games?
Omg. haaa
😎🤙🏼🤙🏼 watching from Maui
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In my younger days, I've encountered the Impact Zone countless times here in So. Cal. Once I was stuck in such a place during storm waves, when I was the stupid enough to be the only person out in the water (in this case, with a Boogie Board), to try to show off to a few people. I just knew that I was not strong enough to handle the massive crashes of the "walls." At one point, I was ready to panic. I then had this weird conversation in my head. I told myself, if I panic, I will die. So, knowing I had to stay calm to survive, I somehow managed to put fear out of my mind, and concentrate on getting back to shore. I was getting quite exhausted from the pounding of near endless sets of fast-moving storm waves. I saw a particularly dangerous looking set was coming, and made the decision to ride the first wave, which was relatively slightly smaller than what was coming later. Because Boogie Boards don't cut through the water as fast as surfboards, I dragged back to the top of the wave, and then the wave, pretty much toppled (very top-heavy). I was being thrown down head-first, and had a death-grip on my Boogie Board. It felt like I was falling from at least a 3-story building. Before I hit the water, I instinctively took in a deep breath, and then experienced the intense action of the powerful whitewater, which I suppose can be somewhat compared to being caught in a show avalanche. Fortunately, I was pushed quite a ways towards shore, enough to at least to be able to stand on the sand bar, sort of. A couple of other following waves whitewater pushed me the rest of the way to shore, where I literally lay totally exhausted on the sand on top of my Boogie Board. A lifeguard had just raced up in his jeep. Once he saw I was OK, he scolded me for being out there in those storm waves, and said that if I let go of my Boogie Board while I was falling from the big wave, I would have died. Bottom line, my experiences confirm much of what you said in your video. Even though I grew up around big waves in So. Cal., I realize that there are times to back off, and know your limits. For example, I learned that taking rip tides to get out past the Impact Zone works great, but if doing that is the ONLY way for you to get out there, you really should not be out there. In that case, I was on a surf board. Thanks for your video, which was on the verge of triggering my PTSD...
Sorry but no way I’m reading that.
@@DukeTheMonkey. LOL, I used to have a very short attention span, too.
@@DukeTheMonkey. he almost died. Moral of the story dont go into storm waves and hold onto your board if you are getting too thrashed
@@heartdisciple ok
what so cal beach were you at?
Rip to the guy at 2:07 who got flipped like a skateboard by the wave
thanks for doing that for us !
whenever i'm getting pummeled, i go into ragdoll and for some reason start humming in my head? until it's over lol
احبك
Ummm. Yea. I would drown like a motherfu*ker. Lol. Quickly. All you men and women that surf, thank you for your bottomless courage and spirit. I'm a HUGE fan of the sport and always have been. We live through y'alls eyes because we can't do it ourselves. Aloha and all the best!
100% with you on this one! Mahalo nui loa! 🤙🏼
I’ve been in front of one of those waves and scorpioned into the shore. Thought my neck was going to snap. Ever since, much respect is paid to those waves.
Same here, huge 8ft wave tumbled me forward right into the sand and I thought I was gonna land on my neck way too hard. Not only that but had to stay under and gasping for air for atleast a minute. Really gets you tired in the moment. Glad you’re okay though
@@predispose and naturally, the universe placed us along this harmonious path, where we united, harmoniously, to share our similar experience, based on her ruthless nature. Blessings on to you as well. We live and we learn.
You are awesome for doing this. Not just surfers need the info- just swimmers in general and a rip tide scares the begezees out of me. I’m so afraid that it will pull me out forever. I’m 58 and live in NJ. Swam all of my life in Long Island which is much tougher. I’m too afraid now to enjoy it anymore. Only on the calmest of days do I go in. I miss being out there so much.
I got caught in whitewater between breaks yesterday. Frightening experience. Still, I'm thinking about increasing safety, since it is a lot of fun.
@@davidpinto0 I have learned to used measured doses of exposure out there again. It’s invigorating and energizing in measured doses and with a friend keeping an eye from on shore or staying with other swimmers. Im grateful to have gotten back in.
Many kids have died even with the 3-8 foot waves we get here in Michigan. It’s very important to know your stuff
Him: opens his eyes under water
Me: what is his sorcery???
If you have no sunscreen on your face, it doesn't get into your eyes if you open them under water. That works for me 🤷♀️
The water just magically doesn't get in your eyes after you open them underwater
@@Helelena95 Probably
My dear friend did you believe your note is correct?
My dear stop to dream ok....
Damn...I was bodysurfing in Nicaragua a few years ago...put myself into a situation where I was starting to freak out. I was just about to yell to a surfer for some help; he was actually about 150 feet away, at least. Fricking barely made it back in on my own...
In the beach of Ipanema in Rio sometimes we had sudden big waves that came by surprise and made a huge wall of water.
I used to dive deep as much as I could to escape the turbulence zone generated above me and literally grab the sand with my hands to stick to it to avoid being pulled because the current above was so strong.
Another thing is if you are trying to swim under the wave crossing it pay attention to your legs and feet: sometimes you're almost done then the turbulence area pulls you by your feet. You can clearly feel the difference between the safe zone when you can make it and the one that will pull you back to the game of being smashed in the sand...
Good tips. I think a lot of us have experienced this before, where you're in no-mans-land and all the water gets sucked out from under you. You're standing in 4" of water and realize you're about to have 10 swimming pools dumped on top of you. Since there was no place to go, I just laid flat on the bottom and waited. It was violent, but it didn't peal me off the bottom. I've surfed for many years and thought I could recognize a potentially dangerous situation......but I was taken by surprise. Thankful I made it to shore.
Can’t wait for the vid to drop💯💯
YEEEHAAA
The mind part is key. And knowing that your oxygen in your lungs and your fat cells (if you have - I gratefully do!) will float you to the top. Thank you for this!
honestly I hasn’t been to the beach in a while before this summer. A lot of the diving techniques came naturally to me. My friend taught me to dive under waves and stuff. I never turned my back to the waves and I always stayed calm if I got sucked up by a wave. I love swimming at the beach because of the adrenaline rush it gives you. All I can say is don’t have too much pride when swimming in the ocean because it can seriously take your life.
Useful tips, but you should say that wearing fins makes it a lot easier (I don't know how many people noticed that you were wearing fins). Fins make a lot of difference.
I found myself in a scary situation a couple of times and it's really not that easy to keep calm when you start swallowing salty water, coughing, ecc...it gets difficult to inhale...and think straight...
I got myself in this type of situation once when I was in the Maldives for a marine ecology workshop. One morning we were collecting some data 500mt offshore when I realized that we had left some equipment on the shore and the hightide was about to come. So I told the supervisor and he sent me back ALONE to go put it in a safer place. Big mistake: for security reasons you must never EVER be alone while diving or swimming in open water. I didn't say anything, because I didn't want to look like a wimp, so I made my way back to the shore and long story short: hightide+wind-->waves + one of my legs folded on itself because of a cramp, and boom: I was in danger all of a sudden. Too far from shore, too far from the team that couldn't even see me or hear me. I was so exhausted that I could barely keep my head out of the water. Panic attack. Now I know how pure terror feels like. To this day I still don't know how exactly I got on the shore because my head just blacked out at a certain point. And I'm a really good swimmer! I never told anyone in the team about this to avoid putting my supervisor in danger and I still get frightened every time I dive, but to try to fight that trauma I got a scuba diving license. I think I will never ever get rid of the fear, anyway.
The second time in Malta, a couple of years after, I jumped into the water to save a girl that was drowning because she and her friends decided to jump in cause the big waves looked so cool and fun (a lot of dumb people do this) and eventually got dragged by the waves. I was about to freakout again, cursing myself for my impulsiveness but I managed to get out of the water with her unconscious, and I swear I will never ever do that again, let the dumb people drown, fuck! (Indeed, could one just stay there and stare at people drowning?! Not me.) After some CPR the girl started to breathe again, fortunately.
So, stay out of the water when there are waves higher than your chest and you're not a pro swimmer. Otherwise you put yours and your rescuer's life at risk. Well, actually in any rescue course they teach you that SAFETY comes first but, again, could you just stare at people asking for help saying "sorry, not safe for me"?!
Da kine! My grandson Keoni is starting to surf. He needs this. Thanks
Serious, this is the gift that keeps on giving this week.
Reflecting on how this content has altered the way I live - thanks again for putting it out there. Unbeknownst, you and Ian Walsh's vids helped in so many ways since then. This past year, watching all of you, has soothed the ache of bitter losses. As the big seas fire, you all will be in my prayers.
Not a surfer but as a kid I loved the impact zone and surfers paradise beach really put that to the test haha kept going back out without taking a breather and jumped into a big one but started to find it hard to hold my breath for long enough. Best beach ever
I was caught in the current of the tide going out an inlet.I tried to swim parallel to shore, but I was going out way to fast for that to do any good. The waves were about 6 feet, so I kept my head on a swivel to avoid being hit by a boat when I was on top of the wave. Luckily, a boater spotted me and took me back to shore, away from the inlet. They asked why I was so far from shore and I explained I had a lot of help.
Awesome video brother..I been surfing for many years now and I still learn things even if they are small bits of info ..love the channel ..keep em coming
*Solid tips. I think trying not to resist is the most important thing. When your body is flexed the whole time you'll be gasping for air at a minimum*
When I saw that sliding intro I immediately clicked the subscriber button
Very useful.
1- Stay calm. Your heart is beating fast because you’re exercising and then you’ve to be conscious that you really will not pass more than 15 or 20 seconds under water but you need to be calm to keep the air these seconds. Sometimes is difficult when a wave throw you suddenly but manage well the little quantity of air you can take.
2- Relax. Don’t try to go to the surface very quickly, dive and wait under the turbulence till the turbulence of the wave passes.
And 3- cover your head to protect from surfboard fall o rocks beating. I have a big scar on my head when I was starting surfing, one day with very little waves my surfboard kept flying over me, fell on me and a keel wounded me. 😁
2:05 "Waves usually come in every 7-15 seconds" Me waiting ten minutes for a good set :
Edit: Yes I know he said depending on the swell
I grew up in waves like this in Durban South Africa and have been living in Mauritius now for the last 13 years.
Unfortunately you cannot find a shore-break like this... ever and I miss it incredibly.
But yeah the advice here is solid.
I have been caught in many bad situations with massive waves breaking on top of me and shortly in front of me. Worst is when it breaks right in-front of you, especially if you're on a board, as it is hard it duck-dive at that point and the board with leash does not allow you to get much/any depth.
ONE time I was paddling out to backline when I saw a massive wave approaching. I made the worst decision which was to change direction and go towards the shore because I THOUGHT the wave was going to break far ahead of me. Instead it just got bigger and bigger until it crashed about 2 meters from my position, at which point I became like a dead fish in a washing machine.
Best thing to do is to stay calm, take a big breath, go as deep as possible and go into a ball. All of which was covered in this video which was nice to see.
Great philosophy for life in general!
As a watersmen I would never tell anyone to put themselves in danger, however I'm glad you did this, to show people visiting our Island how to be prepared if you ever find yourself in this situation. The one thing you should never do is panic. BTW Sandy's is the craziest shore break. Highest broken neck and back injuries. Safer beaches down the road.
I got stuck in a rip current when I was 7 years old. I went out way to deep and I was not a strong swimmer. This was terrifying. I had some dude come out and save me.
A similar thing happened to me when i was about 12 or 13. Needless to say i generally don't go out very far anymore.
@@Spacegoat92 That has never happened to me, but when I was a child I stayed clear of deep water. I always had a fear of being swept out into the ocean and being carried away.
Same it’s scary
@@theamerican3970 same, but at my closest beach you have you have to go far away from shore to get deep water
I needed this video because every time I go to the beach there is a day when the waves are massive and I always think I won’t make it.
Epic content idea, great to have advice like this out there for people
Nothing more exhilarating than to have to heave yourself over the impact zone just to make it back to shore every once in a while... good to hear from a pro’s perspective
Thank you very much for teaching us how to stay calm and safe out there 🙏🏿
After 21 years out of the water, I can truly say, I can't wait to get back in!!!
I almost died in one of these here in brazil I was out of breath when I touched the sand then I " stranded up" and pull as hard as I can and luckily I got to the surface the difference is that beaches here are like 3 meters deep ( in the wave impact zone)
You should make a video of how to deal with the impact zone on any surfboard
it's all fun and games until you see a 8 foot wave above your head and it smashes on you so fast that you have no time to think-
This is exactly what I was looking for!! I love doing this stuff, but I always hate the feeling when it starts dragging you out back into the water after the wave collapses. Thank you for the tips!
ONE BULLET COFFEE THEN WE GO!!!
I miss the beach hope end year i could go, i always take a ride with these powerful waves because it's super fun.
This was actually so helpful!
Ahh broke my leash today in some mean surf and had no idea it could be so scary. Great tips. Subscribed!
I tried swimming against the current once and I was so exhausted. Then I remembered: "Swim to the side, to stay alive" 😂😂 That's exactly what I did too
Same! and that very thought was what probably saved me and my wife from drowning one time, we haven't returned to the beach since that experience but I hope can go back soon and try to face that fear. Information does save lives and I'm glad you made it too
Okay I didn't know that brothers sounds pretty awesome out there, right time and right blue day🌞🌞🌞🏊♂️🏄♂️
Thank you Koa! Could you tell us more about dealing with rip currents? Once I was caught inside by a rip current and unusual impact zone at the same time. Could move back or forth or even sideways while beeing constantly pounded . But the waves where not stronger than the current, it really took forever to escape it somehow. So exhausting...
I used to do this for fun at the beach in Chile, lot's of people does it too. We used to run towards the waves and dive into them, the water shakes you around sometimes but if you dive deep enough, almost touching the sand (let's say, 1 meter) it wont shake you that much, really fun experience.
Great advice. You should also explain how to survive a giant wave impact in Jaws
I will never be able to hold my breathe for so long
Actually the human body can survive 3 minutes without air and that number is increased because its easier to hold your breath underwater, even if you can hold your breath purposely for only like 7 seconds on land, and being underwater in those waves are like 4 seconds, so you will definetly be able to hold your breath for long enough.
This is awesome and I know all the viewers appreciate the courage it takes to be in The Impact Zone!.! Let me introduce you to Grand Designs Bali .......My husband has been a Block Layer, Brick Layer, High rise Builder and even Tennis court builder hahaha....Well here we are stranded in Bali due to Corona Virus ???Agenda 2020! SO my brother has gifted us a 100K to Lease a block of land in a great spot on Bali and build a "Retro Fit " Home. Ben The builder's first home build on Bali is being documented via daily video footage to be viewed by anybody who wants to share in this Loving experience. We need all the support we can get.....This is The Ride of our Lives, to date?
My advice is to go out there and practice these tips as if the situation were real. Otherwise, you will forget everything you've learned today!
Love it! We need some more 'day in the life's' right now to fire everyone's energy up!
0:46 😳excuse me?
lmao
You heard him 😂😂
I remember a couple months ago I was on the big Island and I swam against the current, this taught me a lot. Thank You!
almost drowned last year shit was scary gon stay away from waves for now
It happened to me on St. Lucia island. It was one of the scariest moments in my life to be tossed under water being hit against the bottom and stones. Thank God I wasn’t seriously hurt apart from scratches all over.
"its a perfect place to go get pounded, test out these tips" ayoooo?
came here just for that, "testing out those tips" 😏
With my skill level as a surfer, I've discovered all of these tips to be spot on.
What about when you've got a leash around your ankle connecting you to buoyant fiberglass projectile?
use thy projectile to duckdive I guess. idk i only surf soft-tops cuz im a pussy
I went over the falls backwards with the lip at the wedge. After the washing machine ride let me up I had the leash wrapped around my neck and the next wave was about to dump on me. Just a few seconds to gulp some air and "here we go again" . Luckily, that wave pushed me close enough to shore to crawl out. Had to call in sick at work cause I had seawater blasted up my nose. I got worked.
how’d y’all know i needed this. help from maui 💕
who else likes to sit their and get plumbed for fun at the beach.
Me lol
It's about time someone showed you how to survive these waves. Thanks!
Please give more tips| From Sri lanka 🇱🇰
One time I was surfing at my local spot, and this gnarly set comes in, and I’m right in the middle of the impact zone.. I ditched my board and dove under the first massive wave. I got smacked around and tumbled across the ocean. The second wave comes in, and smacks my head. The third one comes in, and I give up and just let the wave take me to shore. By far one of the most scariest yet exciting moments of my life
Who doesn’t love doing this
60 now, probably never be in this situation, but knowledge can be transferred, maybe my 17 yrs daughter can benefit.
Thanks for the great tips.🤙
Part II - going over the falls💯👍🏻
I learned almost all you explained by myself back when i was 14 yo, i started to play with little waves to find the physics and how they work, i found that when you see the wave coming, go under the water and let it push you back to the beach. Another method is ride the wave before it lands what i mean is, when you see the wave is starting to take shape, go over it but a little back, swim to the direction the wave is going and that's it, you'll be ok because you are riding on the wave's back.
When I was 10 my family was on vacation in Mexico, I was swimming way out and a monster 15 foot wave threw me around the sea floor, I eventually got back to land bruised and terrified, since then I have had a huge fear of waves, this video helped a lot and I even went surfing on the CA coast and got some big waves, thanks!
Great video! I body surf Hapuna beach on The Big Island every winter and the impact zone is deadly here, keeping calm and having good cardio helps in the impact zone. I wear Da Fin with ankle tethers when going out into the waves so telling people to wearing fins in the ocean is Always a good thing when swimming and there is waves. Although you can still drown wearing fins so know what you are getting into and know the ocean before going out! There are days at Hapuna where the lifeguards only allow those with the right fins and boards to get in on Big days!
*Me clicking on video knowing damn well I never go to beaches*
This is awesome . Even if it doesn’t help anyone ... it’s great that he was able to put himself in sketchy positions just to try to help others . Not many others willing to do that.. And best part I learned something néw!
2:44 My man is dead
Went surfing for the first time last week in Biarritz ( France ). Learned pretty quickly how to stand up and catch waves so on day there were supper big waves and i was stocked to try and catch my first big wave. Kinda stupid looking back on it because I don't even know how to duck under a wave with my board. I did catch one big wave though, was litteraly the best feeling ever, but also got pounded in the ass later on and happened to be stuck inside the impact zone of those big waves. I happened to just do exactly what this video says and even though I almst drowend I must say these tips definetly help. Any ways good video man I will def rewatch it again next time I go surfing, be safe yall and go have fun !!!
Shaka ✅
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