SURFING TIP: Never Turn Your Back On The Ocean

Here is one of the first and most important surfing tips everyone should know:

NEVER TURN YOUR BACK ON THE OCEAN!!!

When i was a kid and first learning to surf I saw one of my friends start to take his leash off right at the waters edge. The wave picked his board up and slammed it into his face knocking one of his front teeth out ( you know what he was asking for for X-Mas!)  I never forgot it and I make it a point to learn from others mistakes as well as my own! I have also taken these lessons and passed them on to my students.

I have seen unsuspecting tourist turn their backs on the ocean after they have rinsed off in the water.  Without having any clue they turn there back on the ocean and walk back up the beach totally unaware that there is a huge shore break wave about to eat them up, slam them down, roll them around in the sand and suck them back out to sea or be pounded again to repeat the same process. The one I remember the most was at Sandy Beach, Hawaii (Known for its deadly shore break) Luckily the lady was at least 250 pounds or it may have broke her in half. She was also lucky that after the third time she got rolled far enough up the beach and to safety and not pulled out to sea in the under tow.

And then there was the chick who thought she was so hot in her little bikini and high heels with the two macho dudes with her.  She somehow made it out to the end of one of the Jetties in Newport Beach (no easy feat even when you are barefoot). First I warned her that the tide was coming up but she ignored me. Then she was looking towards the beach when I yelled out a warning again, this time for the freak wave that just popped up out of nowhere. Too late. The wave fully broke right over all three of them like they were in a tube, then exploded everywhere.  The two guys only cared about saving themselves as she got washed into the rocks and almost dragged into the water. They were off the Jetty before she realized what had even happen. Hair plastered to her face, make-up running, knees scrapped and one lost shoe not only humiliated her but pissed her off when she saw the boys already standing safely on the beach. I doubt they had much fun for the rest of the day. In fact she probably dropped them both and was looking for some new dudes!