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Risk Assessment in Surfing

Risk assessment before going into the water

  • Before getting into the water, let someone know! Ideally, you should always go surfing with a partner, especially if you are not a very experienced surfer. But this isn’t always possible, in which case make sure you tell someone that you’re going surfing, including the location and the time you expect to be back.
  • When choosing a surf spot, make sure to inform yourself about the local weather and surf forecast and before paddling out, give yourself some time while standing on the shore to observe the current conditions. Be honest with yourself regarding the suitability of the conditions for your skill level.
  • Factors you should consider include, but are not limited to: familiarity with the surf spot, especially with regards to possible local hazards (e.g. potentially dangerous rock formations, shallow reef, occurring rips), suitability of your equipment (board, leash and wetsuit) for sea and weather conditions, compatibility of your surfing skill level AND fitness for the wave conditions, time of day (how much daylight is left), UV exposure and sufficiency of current UV protection, etc.
  • Also, when surfing at an unfamiliar spot, asking locals about surfing conditions and potential hazards can give you a big heads up and make your surf experience safer and a lot more fun.
  • These simple steps may seem trivial, but constitute basic measures of precaution you can take before going surfing.

Risk assessment while in the water

  • The best surfer in the water is the one having the most fun AND keeping safe!
  • Sea and wave conditions can rapidly change, so make sure you stay observant of your surroundings during your session.
  • Things you should be looking out for include, but are not limited to: constantly changing tide levels and the possible exposure of low lying sea bed e.g. reef and rocks, changing daylight levels, rapid change in size or power of waves, rip tides and currents, surrounding fellow surfers and their skill levels (do you trust them to behave safely around you?!), marine threats (jellyfish, urchins, men in grey suits), and remember to also assess yourself, especially regarding your own personal health and well-being – How are you feeling? Are you having fun? Are you feeling tired or fatigued? How long since you last had something to eat and drink? Are your muscles starting to cramp up? Could you be suffering from low blood sugar, dehydration, hypo- or hyperthermia? Do you feel safe?
  • We all love pushing ourselves to our limits, but unnecessary, avoidable accidents can overshadow even the perfect surf day, so it is therefore important to know when you’ve had enough and consequently head back to shore, when the current conditions start to make you feel unsafe.

Emergency plan for an accident during the session

  • Hopefully you will never need to use an emergency plan, but it is very important to have one ready at hand. It goes without saying that an emergency plan should be organised before entering the water and that various precautionary measures should therefore be taken in advance.
  • Things you might want to incorporate in your emergency plan include, but are not limited to: Someone knows where and when you are going surfing at all times, you have identified the best way to exit the water safely by yourself or while helping someone else, you know how to perform basic CPR (ideally you have already mastered and internalized the BSLS (Basic Surf Life Support) and/or ASLS (Advanced Surf Life Support) course J), you have a first aid kit nearby, you have a phone handy, you know the local emergency contact numbers and the location to the nearest hospital.

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