What to do when a wave holds you under

When a wave holds you under, the job is to stay calm, protect your head and neck and wait for the water to settle before you try to surface. Being pinned under moving water is frightening, and the urge to fight, grab for air or kick hard is strong. Those reactions use up oxygen quickly and often make the situation harder. A calm, deliberate response gives you the best chance of coming up at a safe moment and in a condition to take the next breath.

Surfers do not need a complicated plan for this. They need a few habits that they practice until they become automatic. Most of those habits concern how you fall, how you handle the board and when you come up. A qualified instructor can teach them in a controlled setting, which is far safer than learning them for the first time during a large set.

Stay calm and stop fighting the water

The first step is to stop struggling against the water. A wave that holds you down is pushing water over and around you, and each frantic kick burns oxygen that you need. Relax your body as much as you can and let the turbulence pass rather than trying to force your way up. Keep your mouth closed and resist the urge to inhale. Calm does not mean passive. It means conserving breath and waiting for the water to become less violent.

Many surfers find it helps to focus on one small goal, such as keeping an arm over the head or counting slowly. Panic tenses the body and speeds up breathing, so a steady rhythm helps. If you have been under longer than you expected, remember that the hold-down will end as the wave loses its force. The most useful thing you can do is save your energy for the moment you need to surface.

Protect your head and neck on the way down

Most hold-downs start with a wipeout, so how you fall matters. When a wave is closing out over you, cover the back of your head and neck with your arms and tuck your chin. In deeper water, a flat, relaxed dive under the breaking part of the wave often works better than trying to stay on the surface. In shallow water, do not dive headfirst toward sand or rock. Protect your head, let the whitewater carry you and try to get your feet down first when the bottom comes into reach.

Head and neck injuries are a real concern in the surf. Sandbars and reef shelves can sit only a short distance below the surface, and a wave can drive a surfer into the bottom with force. Learning to fall well takes practice, and a good instructor will teach it on a gentle beach before you attempt bigger waves. If you hit your head or feel neck pain after a wipeout, stop surfing and seek medical advice.

Deal with the board and the leash

Your board can help you surface, but it can also pin or pull you. The leash connects you to the board, and a leash that wraps around a leg, catches on the reef or drags you through the wave is a serious hazard. Check the cord before every session for cuts and fraying, and keep it out of the way of your limbs.

Under the water, the board is one of the things most likely to hurt you. Release your grip on it rather than hanging on, because a board being thrown around by the wave can strike you or pull on your arm. The leash keeps the board tethered, so it will stay near you. Keep your body and the cord clear of it as the wave moves you.

Detaching is a separate action, and it is a last resort. If the leash is snagged on the bottom or wrapped around you and it is holding you under, open the cuff's quick-release if your leash has one. Know that this leaves you without flotation, so the board may drift away from you. Use it only when the cord is pinning you, not as a reflex whenever a wave holds you down.

Once you are clear of the wave, find the board. If you are still attached, it will be close to you. If you have detached, locate it and do not swim toward it if it is close to rocks or other surfers, since a board moving in the surge can hit people nearby.

Wait for a clear moment to surface

The final step is the one most surfers rush. Do not try to come up until the turbulence has eased and you can feel the water moving more calmly. If you are disoriented and still attached, follow your leash up to the floating board, since the board is on the surface. If you have detached, watch which way your bubbles rise and swim in that direction. In clear water, look for light above you.

Surface with one arm reaching over your head, which protects your face and head from the board or the bottom and lets you feel for the surface. Swim up with the other arm and kick steadily, and break the surface face first so you can take a breath.

Once you are up, take a breath and look around before you do anything else. Check for the next wave, since sets often arrive in close succession. Keep your head up if you can, and get into position to dive under the next wave or turn the board to face it. Expect your breathing to be ragged for a minute or two after a long hold-down, and breathe slowly and deliberately before you start paddling hard.

After the session, check yourself for injuries. Dizziness, numbness, persistent coughing, chest pain or shortness of breath after inhaling water need prompt medical attention, even if you felt fine at first, because symptoms can appear some time after the session. Rest before you paddle out again. Being held under is one of the more frightening events in surfing, and taking time afterward to recover is part of staying safe.