bodysurfing
Catching waves barehanded
Bodysurfing is riding waves without a board, using only the body to catch and glide on breaking waves.
The swimmer positions themselves at the wave's crest and extends arms forward to plane across the water's surface: We spent the afternoon bodysurfing at the beach.
It requires timing and technique but no equipment beyond swim fins, which are optional.
Complete, catastrophic failure
- glideMove with effortless continuity
- shorebreakWaves breaking at waterline
- handplaneTool for smoothing wood
- proneInclined or face-down
streamline · hydroplane · timing · positioning · kick · paddle · drop · angle
Enlarges or billows
- barrelHooped cylindrical vessel
- shorebreakWaves breaking at waterline
- beachbreakWaves cresting over sand
- backwashWater pushed back
lineup · peak · curl · face · crest · tube · whitewater · break
Directional flows of movement
- tideOcean's cyclical swell
- undertowSubsurface seaward current
- riptideDangerous outward current
- saltwaterOcean water, chemically speaking
surfzone · seabed · sandbar · channel · shoal · swell · drift · surge
Quick sudden movement
- exhilarationIntense joyful excitement
- adrenalineEmergency response hormone
- euphoriaIntense emotional high
- freedomAbsence of constraint
flow · stoke · connection · immersion · primal · raw · pure · natural
wipeout
Complete, catastrophic failure
- glideMove with effortless continuity
- shorebreakWaves breaking at waterline
- handplaneTool for smoothing wood
prone · streamline · hydroplane · timing · positioning · kick · paddle · drop · angle · trim
swells
Enlarges or billows
- barrelHooped cylindrical vessel
- shorebreakWaves breaking at waterline
- beachbreakWaves cresting over sand
backwash · lineup · peak · curl · face · crest · tube · whitewater · break · section
currents
Directional flows of movement
saltwater · surfzone · seabed · sandbar · channel · shoal · swell · drift · surge · seafloor
rush
Quick sudden movement
- exhilarationIntense joyful excitement
- adrenalineEmergency response hormone
- euphoriaIntense emotional high
freedom · flow · stoke · connection · immersion · primal · raw · pure · natural · elemental
swimfins
Foot-worn underwater propulsion
goggles · flippers · boardshorts · sunscreen · leash · noseclip · earplugs
- island activitiessnorkeling, scuba diving, beach volleyball, parasailing, sailing
- swimmingswimming, swimmer, swimmers, swim team, swim teams
- boardsportsskateboarding, snowboarding, wakeboarding, longboarding, kiteboarding
bodysurfingstand-up paddleboarding
Upright board paddling
surfboarding · longboarding · kitesurfing · boogieboarding · bodyboarding
bodysurfingscuba diving
Swimming with air tanks
snorkeling · lap swimming · floating · deep-sea diving · treading water
body, surf, bodily, surfer, surfing, surfed, surfers, bodysurfers, bodysurf