If you surf, these tricks can save your life in the water and almost nobody knows about them

Water is a vital and life-sustaining resource, but it can also put your life in danger if you get on the wrong side of it. Summer offers ample opportunity for surfing and swimming in the sea, which means it pays to be aware of how to act if you unexpectedly get into trouble in the water.

Freediving Central, a company which offers diving courses, has offered up several “surf survival techniques,” which could also apply to participants of any water-based activity.

These techniques can help you survive in the water

The techniques can be split into two types: mental and physical.

Mental: stay calm during moments of high stress

Staying calm and recovering from moments of high stress are two key factors when it comes to overcoming issues in the water.

Freediving Central recommends using these three mind control strategies to prepare yourself for potential problems while surfing or swimming.

Box Breathing: structured breathing to calm your mind and regulate your heart rate.

Visualisation: Anticipate scenarios that could play out in the water to feel prepared and confident about how to deal with them.

Meditation: Mindfulness can help reduce panic and allow you to respond effectively to stress.

Remaining calm also enables you to conserve oxygen, and vice versa. Try CO2 tolerance training, which helps you hold your breath for longer in high-stress situations, and O2 breath-holding drills, which improve the efficiency with which you use up oxygen.

Physical: flexibility and strength key to water survival

In physical terms, being both flexible and strong is hugely advantageous when it comes to getting yourself out of trouble when wet.

Top freedivers and swimmers are big advocates of yoga, which can help increase mobility in the water. The cat-cow pose (spinal flexibility), cobra stretch (improved breathing and lung capacity) and hip openers (reduced cramping) are considered especially important for fans of water sports.

And as far as strength goes, dynamic planks (which mimic surf movements) and leg raises (increased abdominal strength for improved underwater recovery) can help you deal with rapid currents, while all yoga poses are also beneficial in this aspect.

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