How to Safely Swim in Ocean Waves If You’re Used to Pools, Rivers, or Lakes
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Navigating ocean waves when your main swimming experience has taken place in the calm waters of pools or lakes is a bit like charging over rocky terrain on a mountain bike as a neighborhood cyclist—the core skill might be the same, but the settings are wildly different. Floating around or taking laps in a contained body of water is no match for learning how to swim in the churn of the ocean, which is essentially an animal of its own.
Just look at what an ocean does, Sara McLarty, head coach of the Swim Like A Pro Masters club and Triathlon Team in central Florida, tells SELF. “It beats against rocks and turns them into sand.” And when you’re bobbing in its midst, it’ll show you no mercy either, she says.
The key to learning how to swim in the ocean is working with all of its power—rather than waging a (losing) battle against it. Read on for everything you need to know before you wade out into the tide and brave the real deep end.
First, consider whether it’s safe to get in at all.
You’ve likely heard about the beach flag system—but it bears repeating because these signals are there to keep you safe: If you see a green flag, you can expect calm conditions optimal for swimming, but otherwise it might be in your best interest to pass. According to Bernard Fisher, the Director of Health and Safety at the American Lifeguard Association, a yellow flag means there’s a moderate surf and currents, a purple flag points out the presence of marine pests like jellyfish, and a red flag is a sign of very rough conditions (in some circumstances, signified by a double-red flag, the water will be closed to the public).
Flags notwithstanding, there are also a few scenarios where staying landside is always your best bet—namely, if you’re at all uncomfortable in the water when your feet are off the ground. There’s a common misconception that if you feel fine standing waist-deep in a pool or lake, the same will apply in the ocean, McLarty says. But what often happens, she explains, is someone will go out there planning to bob around or watch their kids play (with their feet firmly planted), and then a series of waves crashes and they get knocked over and can’t stand up. So if you’re not really comfortable swimming in a pool or lake, it’s best to avoid even shallow ocean water when waves are breaking.
Another way to think about it is, you should be able to doggy paddle while keeping your head up and out of the water before you go into the ocean, McLarty says. This skill is essential for spotting other swimmers in the water, looking for the shore, keeping an eye on the next wave, and calling for help.
Speaking of help, it’s also wise to swim only in areas with a lifeguard present, Fisher says, as they’re trained to spot potential dangers and provide immediate assistance if needed. (Fun fact: The risk of drowning in front of a certified lifeguard is almost nonexistent: 1 in 18 million.) By the same token, you should swim with a buddy versus venturing out solo, he adds.
You’re also going to want some gear.
It might seem appealing to splash into the water with nothing but a swimsuit on, mermaid-style—but you’ll probably regret that later. Goggles are essential for keeping the salt from driving tiny little daggers into your eyes and for being able to see potential obstacles in the water, as well as when the next wave is approaching (more on that below).
And if you have hair long enough to cover your face in the water, a swim cap will also ensure your line of vision remains clear and “that you’re not coming up gasping for air and having a chunk of hair in your mouth,” McLarty says. Pro tip: Put your goggles on first and then your cap to minimize the chance that the goggles fly off from the force of a big wave.
McLarty also recommends a SaferSwimmer buoy, a small neon inflatable pouch that you can wear with a waist belt so that it floats above your thighs while you’re swimming (belly down). Not only does the bright color allow you to be easily seen by people watching from the shoreline, but also, if you get tired while you’re out in the open water or get swept up in waves or a current, you can grab onto it as a floatation aid.
Navigate under—not over—breaking waves as you swim out.
The waves that crash and spray near the shoreline can be deceiving. What you see from the beach is just the tops of those waves; what you don’t see is that, if water at the surface is coming into shore, the water that already hit the sand is also flowing back out to sea beneath, McLarty says. So as you get into waist-deep water, you want to use the force of the undertow—which is rushing in the direction you want to go—to move forward, versus fighting against the tops of breaking waves by trying to push through or swim over them.
In practice, this is called “dolphin diving”: When you see a breaking wave pummeling toward you, you’ll dive below it and ride the outgoing current until the wave crashes, and then you can pop up on the other side. While you’re bobbing down and up through consecutive waves, it’s easiest to use a breaststroke, McLarty says, so you can get your head fully out of the water for visibility during each pause in the action.
Once you’re past the breaking waves, let yourself flow over the rolling ones.
After you dolphin-dive your way through all the foam, assuming the conditions are calm (again, green flag!), you can start swimming how you might in any other body of water—freestyle, breaststroke, backstroke, you name it. Keep going for about 10 yards (there might be a rogue wave that breaks earlier) and then turn parallel to the shore, McLarty says.
The waves at this point will be bigger and slower rolling ones that you want to rise and fall with, McLarty says. If you’re doing a freestyle stroke, it’s also smart to swim in the direction that allows you to breathe and look at the coast (for instance, right-side breathers should keep the sand to their right), so you have an easier time maintaining a consistent distance—and avoid drifting off into the horizon, she adds.
But if you ever pop up to breathe and all you can see is water in every direction, don’t panic; chances are, you’re just in the trough (or the low point) between the waves, McLarty says. Before long, you’ll start cruising up the next wave and cresting over the top, where you’ll have a better view of everything around you (including the coast).
If you get caught in a rip current, your priority is to stay calm.
It’s tough to spot a rip current—a fast-moving channel of water heading away from shore—until you’re stuck in one. Before you wade into the water (and while you’re swimming!) keep an eye out for a column of churning or choppy water, a line of seaweed or debris moving toward the horizon, or an area that is noticeably different in color (including a swath that’s either darker or lighter than its surroundings), Fisher says.
If you feel yourself getting pulled into a rip current, the most crucial thing to do is stay calm—really. It may sound like a platitude, but in actuality, panicking can lead you to expend a ton of energy, and exhaustion is one of the common ways that people die in rip currents. You don’t want to use all your force to fight the current and muscle your way out of it either; you’re never going to win in a tug-of-war with the ocean because you’ll always tire out first, McLarty says.
Instead, you want to quite literally go with the flow: Relax as much as you can, and let yourself float with the current, McLarty says. Yes, you’ll be pulled out to sea, but the good news is, you won’t be sucked underneath the water. The more energy you conserve by drifting on the surface, the better you’ll be able to swim back to shore once the current dies down—which will typically happen within a few hundred yards out.
Keep your head on a swivel and an arm out in front of you as you swim back to shore.
Once you turn toward the coast and approach the foamy breaking waves, you’ll want to do the exact opposite of what you did to ride them out, McLarty says: Instead of dolphin diving beneath every wave with a big breaststroke to catch the undertow, you want to coast with the top of each one (as they’re now heading in the same direction as you’re going).
Two other things to note about the way back from McLarty: Because you’re now moving from deeper to shallower water, it’s important to keep one arm in front of you at all times so you don’t get shoved headfirst into the fast-approaching ground (the tops of the waves can be aggressive). And because the waves are now coming from behind you, you’ll also want to be regularly looking back to see when the next one is rolling your way.
Just before each wave forms, you’ll actually feel yourself getting sucked backward a bit—that’s the water being drawn toward the sea ahead of making that C-shaped curl and spilling in the direction of the sand (at which point it’ll whip you forward too). You’re going to get churned and splashed around a bit, McLarty says, so take a nice big breath right before each wave hits. Once you can put your feet down, you can walk the rest of the way. (Just keep turning your head back periodically to look for waves so you don’t get caught by surprise and tipped over.)
Each time you plunge back into the ocean, you’re bound to find the waves a little less intimidating—and yourself a little more capable of predicting each swell and maneuvering it with ease.
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Originally Appeared on SELF
