Summary: This guide outlines 10 essential bodyboarding safety rules, ocean awareness tips, and wave etiquette to help beginner bodyboarders prevent injuries, understand priority, and stay safe in the surf.
Bodyboarding is one of the most accessible and exciting ways to enjoy the ocean. Many beginners are taking to the water for the first time to catch their very first waves.
You’ve got your bodyboard and swim fins, and you're ready to head into the surf. However, unless you have basic ocean safety knowledge, it’s easy to get in over your head.
Here are 10 essential ocean safety tips to help you bodyboard safely and ensure you have fun in the water.
1. Knowledge of the Ocean
As simple as it sounds, the ocean and breaking waves can be unpredictable at the best of times. Understanding different types of waves, shorebreaks, and how waves break will help you determine which waves to ride and which ones to stay away from.
2. Don’t Get Washed Away
Rips and ocean currents are major hazards for inexperienced bodyboarders. Because bodyboards are shorter than surfboards, currents can sweep you out to sea or into heavy breaking zones quickly. Make sure you can identify where rip currents are and stay away from them. Patrolled beaches usually have signs on the sand identifying rips and currents—always look out for them.
3. Use the Right Gear
Always use a proper bodyboard leash attached securely to your wrist or bicep so you don't lose your board in breaking waves. Wearing bodyboarding swim fins (flippers) with fin tethers provides the propulsion needed to catch waves, kick out of danger, and navigate ocean currents effectively.
4. Develop Bodyboarding Awareness
Don’t be an "Unidentified Floating Object" in the lineup. When out in the water, stay constantly aware of your surroundings—including swimmers, stand-up surfers, and other bodyboarders—so you do not become a dangerous obstacle in the wave zone.
5. Understand Wave Etiquette and Rules
Just like any ocean sport, bodyboarding has rules to keep everyone safe. The primary rule in surf etiquette is avoiding "dropping in"—which means taking off on a wave when another surfer or bodyboarder already has priority closest to the breaking peak. Always respect wave priority.
6. Beware of Shorebreaks
Bodyboarders often ride waves close to the beach, but shorebreak waves that dump directly onto shallow sand can cause severe neck, back, and shoulder injuries. Beginners should avoid dumping shorebreaks and stick to gently breaking waves in deeper water.
7. Don’t Overdo It
Bodyboarding requires constant kicking and core strength, providing an intense full-body workout. Know your physical limits and do not overdo it. If you become fatigued or cramped, return to shore immediately to rest before heading back out.
8. Stay Cool in the Water
If you find yourself in a situation where another surfer or bodyboarder is heading straight towards you, keep calm. Stay attached to your bodyboard, keep kicking, and hold your line or dive safely under the wave. Never ditch your board loosely near other water users.
9. Respect Experienced Ocean Users
Experienced bodyboarders and surfers have built a deep understanding of ocean dynamics over thousands of hours in the water. If an experienced rider offers safety advice or points out a hazard, listen to their guidance to keep yourself and others safe.
10. Be Bodyboard Savvy
Expanding your ocean knowledge ensures a safer experience in the surf. Taking lessons with an ASI Accredited School will help refine your kicking technique, wave reading skills, and safety awareness.
Where to Learn
Bodyboarding is a fantastic pastime that anyone can enjoy. The more educated you are about the ocean, the safer, easier, and more enjoyable it will be.
Learn safe bodyboarding techniques and ocean awareness from qualified instructors at an ASI Accredited Bodyboarding School.