PREGNANCY: TO SURF OR NOT!

Can I surf when pregnant? We’ve heard it asked many times.

Any extreme activity when pregnant can be controversial. It’s a personal decision on how active you want to be and how much risk you can handle while you’re pregnant.

Over the past couple of years, amazing women such as Bethany Hamilton and Holly Beck have been good examples of women surfing while pregnant. These mermaids are an inspiration to women who want to keep active while pregnant.

Bethany and Holly are professional surfers and know their bodies and limits. They consulted with their doctors and MI OLA highly recommend you do the same before hitting the waves with your bump.

MI OLA Ambassador, Elise is 5 months into her pregnancy and still surfing! We caught up with Elise to get her valuable tips on this questionable subject.

 

Surfing When Pregnant by Elise Fennollan

Bethany Hamilton is such an inspiration for me! I am not a pro like her but I will continue to surf if it doesn’t put my baby in danger and as long as I feel comfortable.

Surfing pregnant is a very special feeling. It’s like sharing the wave and my pleasure with my baby. I think he feels everything inside my belly and that’s awesome! Moreover, it brings me confidence and serenity.

Now that I am five months pregnant, I feel better and better, but my surf sessions are shorter. I get tired much faster than before I was pregnant.

1. Always Consult with your doctor. My doctor said, I can surf if I feel ok! He said also no big or powerful waves, no shore break, no big wipeout and beware of the reef. For the moment I continue with my shortboard because I can paddle on my belly, but if I start to feel pain I will stop. I think very soon I am going to need a longboard to paddle on the knees because of my growing belly!!

2. Surf waves that are gentle and easy to catch. I am much more selective with waves - I only paddle for waves I know I will not fall off of. If I am not sure I’ll catch the wave just right, I don’t paddle as I don’t want to risk it. Avoid wipeouts and try to limit falls and any contact with the ground or with the board!

3. Work on your breath. An important thing for me is to practice breathing. I have less breath because the baby is taking a lot of my oxygen. Practicing yoga is helping me out a lot here.

4. Only surf if you feel like it. If you are too tired or if you feel any pain, don’t go. Listen to your body! I am very thankful to be able to surf thus far in my pregnancy! It’s really a special feeling to surf with my baby. My core /sense of balance is not the same so I don’t try any tricks. I am just searching the good vibes and to follow the rhythm of the wave.

5. Choose a board that is comfortable to surf with. I can still lay on my belly but not for a long time because it isn’t that comfortable. I try to do my best to keep paddling to a minimum. My 5’5″ shortboard is now too small for me. The waves I am surfing now are not as powerful and it is tiring to paddle. I am surfing on a 6’2″ Epoxy fish shape and it’s perfect for me. It floats me a lot and it is easy to catch waves. My husband and I also bought a longboard so that I can knee paddle in the future months when my belly is bigger.

 

MI OLA is not providing medical advice or suggesting that you get out there and rip while pregnant…this is your choice. However, if we see you out there, we’ll definitely give a shaka to you and your belly!