No Silver Bullet

By Marcus Braid on March 11, 2015 in

“Wow Andrew was flying out there today; I wish I could swim like him!”

That’s a remark I got from one of my morning ocean fitness participants, Jacquelyn, about one of her fellow swimmers after a particularly challenging session in big choppy swell at Bondi recently.

“You know why he’s swimming so well?” I started rhetorically. “It’s because he’s booked into two sessions a week with OceanFit, he’s always on the hunt for spare spots and I see him down here swimming on his days off.”

It’s a theme I’ve heard a thousand times throughout the summer from participants looking for the ‘silver bullet’ – that is, looking to become a gifted ocean swimmer overnight.

The reason Andrew was flying is because he’s been putting in the hard work. He identified that he needed to swim more efficiently so he got help to fix his stroke. He needed to swim stronger and faster so he targeted this with structured pool sessions. The major factor that helped him on this big surf day, though, was his surf sense.

Surf sense is that instinct you develop from having an in-depth appreciation of how the ocean works and being at one with the ocean when you’re in the water. It’s like having a sixth sense.

You can’t develop your surf sense overnight, it can’t be taught and you definitely won’t have it by the end of the summer. Surf sense is developed through experience by being out in the ocean in every condition, every day, whether it be swimming, body bashing or surfing.

There is no ‘silver bullet’. Get the knowledge and skills you need from the experts and then get out there! Start your journey with OceanFit. Visit oceanfit.com.au.