Back surfing

[Aussie Chris]

Hi all,

Today marks the 11 weeks since surgery and I must admit I am getting a little impatient to get back into activities such as surfing and swimming. I have been going to cardiac rehab now once a week for the last 5 weeks until it stopped for the Christmas break. Rehab has been really good for getting back to levels of activity that I would have hesitated to achieve on my own. For the last week I have been going to the gym doing things like rowing, bike, light weights etc.

While on the Christmas break I decided to join my kid?s sand tobogganing, and managed to do that with minimal discomfort. That was a great thrill on some large sand hills. With that under my belt I have been itching to see how I would go at surfing again. To be on the safe side I took my son with me who has just qualified as a Surf Lifesaver to give me a tow if I got into difficulty as I haven?t done a stroke of swimming for probably 4 months now.

Lying on the board sure felt different to before with a bit of discomfort but that was far outweighed by the thrill of catching my first wave in over 4 months. YYAAHOOOO! With 2 rides under my belt I thought I should call it quits and just check that I haven?t strained anything.

Two days later I decided to try again. The mistake I made this time was that the swell had increased, and so had my confidence. I was now paddling for the wave with a lot more effort and this time I came away with a chest strain. I will now have to rest up until the strain goes away and next time, take it a little more gently. Oh well. As long as we learn from our mistakes

I would be interested to hear from other surfers and their experiences(mistakes) in getting back on the waves.

Cheers,
Chris

 

[MrP]

It is still early since your surgery for your chest to take such a pounding when paddling out in such large swells. I know exactly what you are talking about....the second summer after surgery was much better.

 

[kodi]

I've never been on a surf board so I can't help there but congratulations on getting out there. I think that once we find something we like to do and can't do it for a while, we just itch to get back there. Once were back there then we inherently want to be just as good as we were before. I found that isn't going to happen easily and I think that you're finding out the same thing. You'll do better with each time out. Good luck.

 

[Philip]

Good stuff Chris!!
It must have felt great. Your post and all the other success stories in Active Lifestyles are inspirational.
Philip