For me the 'know before you go' thing never really settled in until I moved to Hawaii.

I remember seeing guys watching the surf for a half hour or more before they would grab their board and paddle out. And for good reason. When the surf gets big in Hawaii.... it has danger written on it. H3O = heavy water.

So watching the surf, knowing if the swell has peaked or still coming up.  Counting the number of waves in a set and timing the sets so you know what's happening in the water is smart.

I remember surfing a spot on the west side one winter day when the surf was a little inconsistent with sets in the head high plus size. But, about every 10 - 15 minutes or so three or four waves twice that size would roll through. The bigger sets would almost always pick you off.... Sets with 3 or 4 waves aren't terrible, sets of 8 or 10 waves are a whole other thing. So knowing how many waves you might encounter on big days is smart.

Being in heavy surf can bring on fatigue in short order. Being short of breath can bring on panic. Being panicked in the ocean is the opposite of a good thing. As well, being physically conditioned to be in the ocean even when the surf is small is smart. There is a lot to the saying 'Know before you go'.

In all the years I've been fortunate and not gotten in much trouble surfing. There have been moments but nothing real serious. Though this one time there is no doubt if not for being lucky things could have turned very bad. You can read the story here. And another story about not being strong enough to get past in coming sets is here.

D.R.