For your safety it is important to review the surf conditions prior to entering the water and plan a course to the victim in the case of a rescue. The following are considerations of particular importance.
- Landmarking — make note of a fixed landmarks (such as a sign, a building or a tall tree) that can be seen from the water, and use these as a guide for maintaining your position through the surf zone.
- Lulls — time your entry into the surf to coincide with your swim through the surf zone, especially the ‘breaker line’, with a lull between sets.
- Other users — review other surfers’ possible impact on you and your safety. Avoid swimming out through the break zone as swimmers, boardriders, surfers or beachgoers may not see you if obstructed by waves or white water.
- Rip currents — review the location and strength of rips along the beach for any need to change your course to the victim. Use a rip current as a means of quickly getting out beyond the surf zone faster if it will not take you off course to the victim.
- Sandbanks — identify the location of sandbanks and their distance from the shoreline. Calculate whether you could reach the victim faster and conserve more energy by using a sandbank instead of a rip current.