Rock Training
Gray overcast sky with dark clouds scudding overhead. The howling wind whipped the beach water into a frothy, choppy maelstrom punctuated with white caps. Waves broke over the barnacle and algae covered rocks.
A group picked their way gingerly across the higher rocks, which were only covered in white, foamy water intermittently. One person, older and moving confidently up and down the rocks, leapt from a higher rock, tucking his rescue tube firmly against his body in midflight, and landed smoothly on top of one of the larger waves. He took a couple of strokes, rolled to the side, and smoothly slid swim fins on. Swimming back to the rocks at an angle against the rip current, he motioned for the first of the lifeguard candidates to follow, as he rose and fell with the swell.
The first brave soul moved towards the rock the instructor had jumped from. Holding her rescue tube and excess strap in the hand that was opposite from the direction the waves came from she ensured the waves wouldn’t smack the tube into her and cause her to slide across the barnacle covered rocks. Keeping her center of gravity low, but her butt off the rocks, she kept her balance while letting the energy of the smaller waves pass beneath her. She moved lower quickly before a larger wave could knock her off her feet. She was visibly nervous, but you could almost see her force herself to focus and tune out the voice telling her all the ways this could go bad. A wave approached. She knew at this point she had no choice. Once you’re low enough to jump, a decent sized wave will scrape you all across the rocks if you freeze. She didn’t. She jumped a little high and landed too close to the jump point. She didn’t get the tube flat against her body, causing her hands to sink too low on impact. But her head was just right- tilted back with her face forward. She timed the jump a little early and landed in the whitewater but overall, it was a pretty good first jump. And practicing in decent sized surf, although it looks scary, has a much greater margin of error.
The whole group jumped several times under the watchful eye of instructors who both guarded their safety and gave info on what they did wrong and right. They’d already practiced the technique over and over in the pool. We make sure candidates are comfortable with the basics before throwing them into the surf and all the additional variables it adds. The idea for this exercise, and many others we teach, is to practice to the point where you can perform skills effortlessly, without conscious thought.
When all the rescue elements are internalized to the point that they’re automatic, you’re ready. You’ll do what you practice in a crisis, even under stress. You need a clear head to problem solve whatever new complications are thrown at you by the real deal. And something unplanned always happens.
