what should i do to overcome my fear of big waves? i love surfing but only if it isn't big. help!?

well l do not know how big you're talking; but for big waves, u need training, which means building ur strength, fitness & stamina: this will really increase ur confidence. Bodysurfing & swimming r really great for ur fitness, & also practise holding ur breath for long periods of time underwater & swimming in (fairly) rough sea, if u master this stuff then bigger surf wo not intimidate you. I'd say just gradually build up ur confidence by trying out slightly bigger waves than you're used to & just keep going from there.

stop surfing pick a sport your better off with what is the point of surfing if you dont like BIG waves

look into knitting

Heres one for you..

l surf right, but l cant even swim!

Few months ago there was classic swell here & l dived into 10 ft waves with my 7 ft 6'' & almost got totally TRASHED

That freaked me out, but then l went to this beach on my own (stupid l know) & same thing happened but l soon realised it was a dangerous beach not meant for surfing anyways.

Sooo basically u just gotta take a chance sometimes u know, its do or die.

If its not worth u risking a few bruises over then youll surf like a pansy, wondering if the wave behind the next one is a few feet higher than the one thats just knocked u over.

Try taking a lesson on a big day, & really go for it, that way youll be advised on how to cope & youll learn to love it : )

Good luck.

that just tells you that you need more time in the water to be more confident. It does not exactly mean you're a scared wimp it just means you're mind is telling you that you just cant handle this type of wave right now and you need more experience.

One of the major keys to surfing & surfing well is how good of a waterman u are. You have to have a sense of the ocean & u have to be in great shape. Body surfing & diving help to bring u into condition. surfing itself brings u into condition but spend time in the water without ur board. Diving a surf spot when there r no waves helps u to understand how the wave breaks & why it breaks where it does. this helps u with ur lineup positions & confidence. Put in the hours man. One day u will be out in really big waves & wipe on takeoff. You will be in the middle of the lineup & fear will grab u for a second or two. And then. u will suddenly realize that they r just waves & u can handle it. Body surf in on a 10 footer & all ur fears will be gone. Until u hit the 20 footer of course. Without the fear it would not be half the fun!!!

simple, grow some balls. if you feel like you're going to die on the wave you're about to takeoff on, then it is perfect. paddle hard!

Big is relative so what may seem big to u is not really big to others. Just try to push ur boundaries a little at a time. Plus, try to think about what specifically u r scared of (ie underwater coral, washing into obstacles, closeouts) & try to work around those fears. Understand how to duck dive as u paddle out, watch a few sets before u even go in the water to asses the situation, & make a plan as where u r going to paddle out, where u r going to wait for a wave & where u r going to go once u ride one.

Personally l am not afraid of the size of waves, they do have some additional challenge, but closeouts & shorebreaks pose real dangers & do scare me. Realize that shorebreaks r a dangerous situation that really can not be avoided without simply avoiding the water altogether at that spot.

Also, risking life & limb for a handful of waves on a bad day is not worth it to me. You r not alone in fear of big waves. l know that even professional surfers will avoid waves bigger than maybe 15 ft under certain conditions & maybe avoid 20ft under any condition.

Whatever u do, panic in the water is the worst thing to have happen because it leads to rash decisions that could get u hurt.

just get sum one to take u out the back when its big not to big 6 to 7ft best if its a mate ay.sit out the back for a while and watch the sets roll through when u think u can handle it.drop in mate.thats what happen to me now im hittn 10 to 12ft and its sht when the swell is small.good luck dude :)