Don't Panic - Surf Survival Training...

We’ve all been there, that hold-down after getting nailed by a wave and rolled round like a rag doll, that feeling that you’re not coming up and fast running out of air.

Dealing With Hold Downs

Inevitably in this situation your movements become faster and more desperate the longer you are under. This will use up what oxygen you have left in your body even faster, causing you to panic even more.

Over the years there have been many suggestions on how to deal with a major hold-down or wipeout, but the fact is there really is no perfect way to train for it. Many surfers say they try to relax during a long hold-down, which is what we should all do in an ideal world, but actually putting this technique into practice can be easier said than done.

A more practical solution is to increase your lung capacity. This will enable you to take on increased levels of oxygen and give you valuable extra seconds under water. Specialized training in a pool can help you prepare for this unavoidable situation and is known as hypoxic (low oxygen) swimming training. And with the big autumn and winter swells a few months away, now is the time to start. 

The 12 Second Rule (of Wave Hold-downs) Posted on February 28, 2011 by balisurfstories

Mark Tipple's Underwater Project

Before reading further, hold your breath for twelve seconds.

Seriously. Twelve seconds.

Easy as a mouthful of black rice pudding, wasn’t it? (If you’re old Bali; if you’re new Bali, make that easy as organic tofu scrambled with sun-dried tomatoes with a side dish of wild brown rice, seasoned with natural sea salt and hand-picked jungle herbs).

One lesser known but quite relevant fact of surfing is that most waves, even ten foot boomers, do not hold you down for longer than twelve seconds, and of those that do, most let you up by fifteen seconds.

I was told this fact some twenty years ago by a heavy water man, an Alaska fisherman, North Shore regular, blue water speargun hunter. We were out at Nusa Dua. This was the wet season that Nusa Dua Did Not Stop, and after days and days of double overhead surf with spring tide currents to match, that afternoon was a pleasant overhead on a calm neap tide. I did not believe Mike when he told me. I said no way. After all, I’d spent not an insignificant fraction of my life during the previous week proving him wrong. Those hold downs were way longer than twelve seconds.

But then I started timing my hold downs, and counting others from cliff tops and channels and boat railings. And sure enough. He was right. I did some checking around, and it appears that Rabbit Kekai was saying the same thing way back in early North Shore days.

When my son first started paddling out to big surf, I told him about the 12 second rule, and I believe he found it reassuring.

However, there are a couple really big caveats. One is that the 12-second rule isn’t all that comforting when you pop up in time to see the next wave of a stepladder set ready to dump on you. You still have to get comfortable in heavy water.

Mark Tipple's Underwater Project

Another is that there are bound to be Exceptions to the Rule. If the surf’s ten foot, chances are pretty good one wave in a session or two is going to hold you under for, oh, thirty seconds, with the heels of your foot torqued over your back and scratching your scalp, which seems about five times longer than fifteen seconds. Most surfers, looking at heaving ten to twelve foot surf, are probably thinking about the exceptions to the rule, instead of reassuring themselves that they’ll be all right mate, only a twelve second hold down.

Related to this, it isn’t just how long you can hold your breath underwater, but how quickly you can expel said breath and inhale a big deep one as the wave explodes in front of you. This takes a lot of aerobic conditioning and strengthening of diaphragm muscles.

Also, the real danger isn’t hold-downs but knocking yourself unconscious on your board or the reef, or your leash getting tangled up on the bottom, or a fin chopping through a major blood vessels. Deaths by long hold-down drowning are pretty rare. Off the top of my head, I can only think of Todd Chesser’s drowning as in giant surf as one (it’s believed Mark Foo had his leash tangled up).

I have in the past, during sporadic fits of discipline, worked on my breath holding at the gym. A treadmill is convenient. Jogging at a comfortable pace, hold your breath for twelve to fifteen seconds, exhale and inhale, and hold again. Jog for thirty seconds of normal breathing and then repeat the cycle. This can be varied of course. I’ve discovered that a few weeks of this really truly does help me be less winded in big surf (since I wipe out or blow it with embarrassing consistency, thanks in part to my lousy vision & lack of depth perception). You’ll discover something else that’s interesting. The second breath-hold is actually less difficult than the first. What’s causing the distress and pain you feel isn’t lack of oxygen but the CO2 buildup, and the second time around your body is adjusting. (Note: I am not a fitness expert. I am also not an idiot: DO NOT DO APNEA/BREATH HOLD TRAINING IN THE WATER WITHOUT AN OBSERVANT PARTNER—you can go unconscious via shallow water blackout and drown).

Oakley Surfers Go Through Surf Survival Course

oakley Published on Apr 10, 2013

Nearly every surfer has experienced the sensation: pinned to the ocean bottom, trying to swim for the surface, desperate for a few quick gasps of air to avoid what might happen if they don't. It's a scary moment and therefore, a tough time to stay composed -- even the pros say so. According to Kurt Krack, who teaches a surf survival course around breath holding, composure is key. While on the North Shore, six Oakley surfers took part in Krack's two-day course to better prepare themselves for the type of hold-downs and life-threatening situations that come with competitive surfing and freesurfing waves like Teahupoo, Pipeline, Jaws and many of the other heavy-water breaks around the world.

During the course, the crew of guys -- which ranged from big-wave surfers Danny Fuller and Rico Jimenez to WCT vets Melling and Tommy Whitaker to upcoming pros Eric Geiselman and Thomas Woods -- learned the science of how the body is affected by a lack of CO2 and then got in the pool to put into action their live-saving education. As you'll see, learning to stay submerged for upwards of four or five minutes isn't a feat strictly for NAVY Seals -- one of the guys added almost four minutes to how long he could hold his breath based on what he learned and applied.

Surf Survival Training Camp with Maya Gabeira and Sally Fitzgibbons

redbull Uploaded on Dec 13, 2011

Maya Gabeira and Sally Fitzgibbons take part in a surf survival course that trains them in breath holding techniques that can be applied to surfing.

http://redbullusa.com

SSI Freediving - Submersion Survival Course

Mike Wells Uploaded on Dec 4, 2011

SSI Freediving Submersion Survival Course @ Snorkel Safari.

17 Surfers who love Big heavy waves were looking to improve on their ability and confidence in Huge Surfing conditions where longer hold downs can be an issue.

Throughout the 2 Day program Surfers were introduced to the many benefits that Freediving has, Surfing and Freediving already have a great symbiotic relationship with breath-holds bieng the catalyst.

The Surfers embraced the 4 main points of Freediving
- Conserving 02
- Flexibility
-Equalization
- Safety

Now Armed with Knowledge skills and experience in the realm of Breath-hold and stress management these surfers were stoked!!!

SSI Freediving Instructors Mike Wells, Tanguy Crusson, Brett Davison - Assistants Jeremy Wells, Sdnei Avelar.