Where’s the wildest place you’ve been cold water bodysurfing? For me, it was in the frigid waters off the coast of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. My dear friend and talented in-water videographer, Hannah Walsh, joined me for a cold water bodysurfing session and captured some beautiful moments (see video below) before brain freeze took over. Here’s what Hannah…

As a surf instructor, I know the thrill of riding waves and the joy that comes from sharing that experience with students. Yet it wasn’t until recently that I fully grasped the importance of bodysurfing for surf instructors. I am a former surf instructor and Red Cross lifeguard and NOLS-certified Wilderness First Responder. I’ve taught surfing for a variety of…

Growing up in Bermuda (yes, like the triangle), I’ve always been drawn to the ocean. In fact, I spent nearly every day at the beach for my first 18 years of life. But it wasn’t until recently that I started bodysurfing. For me, fear of the ocean hardly ever existed. Well, maybe at some point it did. But for as long…

Bodysurfing can be a life-saving tool if you know how to use it properly. I believe bodysurfers, using their unique skillsets, are perfectly suited to assist any beachgoer in need of rescuing. Ideally, bodysurfing should be a prerequisite skill for any ocean bather, swimmer, surfer, or lifeguard. Bodysurfing teaches us how to identify strong rip currents and stay calm while…

I recently took a surf trip to a distant part of the tropical country where I live. The goal of any surf trip is always the same: to score perfect waves. Yet true to the sport, when we got to the surf break it wasn’t exactly what we imagined. As a matter of fact, it was a lot better! Huge…

A few years ago, I started [deliberately] bodysurfing. It was something that I had sort of done, for years. Not as a way of play, but as necessary, during (say) a surf lesson when I wanted to quickly get to my student.  I most definitely wasn’t any good at it, but I could sort of launch myself into a wave…