Surfing
Surfing
The psychology of surviving a big wave wipeout, then going back for more
A discussion on the psychology of big wave surfing and the aftermath of a treacherous wipeout, with Dean "Dingo" Morrison.
Dean “Dingo” Morrison needs no introduction – but just in case, we’ll give you a quick rundown. He was born in Coolangatta in 1980, became housemate to World Champ Wayne “Rabbit” Bartholomew by the age of 15, was a CT competitor by 2002 and transitioned into big wave surfing by 2012. Now, in his mid-thirties, he continues to chase swells around the world – reaping the rewards, but also copping the beatings.
One wave he has a very close relationship with is Pe'ahi, aka Jaws – which, in case you hadn’t noticed, has already provided some of the biggest swells of the Hawaiian winter. Back in 2016, Dingo took quite a beating – one that earnt him entry into the Wipeout of the Year Awards.
With the beatings and floggings of 2018 just beginning, we decided to sit down with Dingo and find out just what goes into surviving a big wave wipeout, and the psychology behind it.
2 min
Filmers At Large Peahi Maui
Maui's heaviest wave delivers again as El Nińo keeps on keeping on.
Obviously when you wipeout, there are the physical complications – but what about the mental side of things?
Of course, if you take a fall on a big wave you will be sore. Very sore. But it’s weird – I spoke to a few of my mates who surf big waves, and because your adrenaline glands are up for so long, and so intensely, you have this really weird sort of comedown. All your energy is depleted and you feel flush. Usually when your adrenaline is up it’s only for a couple of minutes, but because you’re out for six hours or more, your body ends up really drained.
Is it just a tired thing, or could it be chemical? Maybe a loss of serotonin?
It’s a serotonin thing I think. It’s like you’re on edge – I feel wired. It’s hard to relax. You get pretty down, but if you just cruise and ride it out you’ll be OK. I was speaking to Albee Layer and he was saying that he gets the same thing.
How do you prepare yourself for something like that – such stress on your body and mind?
You just try not to think about it too much. You have to really understand the situation that you’re about to put yourself in, and when that happens, your mind can go to some weird places. You just have to not pay attention. You hit that fight or flight mode. Everything in your mind is telling you that it’s bad, and you just have to not listen to it – you have to override your mind. You know that there’s a good chance you’ll die – and you just can’t focus on that. You have to go out there and see what happens, and let go of all the fear.
That would take some serious training. I mean, I couldn’t control my mind like that…
Haha, no, I wouldn’t recommend it to ya. That’s for sure. But I think anytime you get out of your comfort zone there will be feelings that naturally arise, that bring fear. And once you’re out of that zone and you push it, and break through those fears that you have, you realise the things that your mind was telling you weren’t actually true. Then you keep pushing and pushing and build more and more confidence, so the next time, those inhibitions aren’t as huge. You stop letting your mind go places that bring a lot of fear association. You let go of that and try to be in the moment. I guess the biggest thing is not letting yourself get attached to what could happen.
But you’ve taken pretty bad beatings… how do you keep telling yourself to ignore the fear?
It is hard because on those big swells there are always one or two people that end up going to hospital, and that could easily be you. You kinda just trust in your preparation – that if you find yourself in a bad situation, you’ll be able to handle it. The biggest thing is how much you panic – if you can relax, then no matter what happens you’re going to have the best chance of surviving.
Do you do breath-holding courses?
Yeah, but I think one of the best things to do is yoga, because it deals with the mind and body and detaching the two. Yoga is one of those things I do to prepare, and I know a lot of the other big wave guys do too. I also do a lot of cardio though, as well.
Do you think your physical strength is more important than your mental strength, or is it the other way around?
Oh, your mental stamina is by far more important. You can by the most physically fit guy in the world and if you get into one of those situations and hit the panic button, you’ll be in big trouble. Whereas if you’re mentally fit then you can just relax in the situation and not worry too much about the outcome – that’s the way to give yourself the best chance. If you can just let go and enjoy the ride, then no matter what situation you’re in, you’ll come out.
On average, what would you say the hold down time is out at a place like Jaws?
Geez. I don’t even know. To be honest my mind goes blank when I wipe out – I just lie back and enjoy the ride. It feels like you’re going over waterfalls sometimes, and then you’ll be shaken up like a dishwasher, or whatever – it’s not like I’m counting the seconds thinking about how much air I have. I’m just trying to relax as much as I can. Out there guys get held down for a few minutes, a few waves, and they just kick back. One of the best things I’ve ever heard is that you’ve gotta enjoy the ride after the ride.
A lot of people say that big wave surfing is addicting. When you wipe out, how do you decide if you’re physically OK to go back out?
You’ve gotta listen to your body, because if you just keep charging and charging and you’re tired or a little hurt, that’s when you can do some harm to yourself.
