Whether surfing in the ocean or wave pools, surfers' eyes are regularly in contact with more or less water. But how much is too much? Is it safe to open your eyes underwater? It's a tricky call.
Surfing is one of the few water sports where participants are regularly submerged underwater several times anytime they're out for a session.
It could be in saltwater or, more recently, chlorinated pools and freshwater rivers.
And if you exclude all water sportspeople who use goggles or diving masks, there are few left but surfers.
Sooner or later, a surfer must duck dive a wave or suffer a wipeout.
It's inevitable, happens all the time to beginners and advanced riders, and it's intrinsic to the sport.
And when we do go below the surface, it could be useful to open our eyes to monitor our surroundings and make decisions.
So, should surfers open their eyes underwater: yes or no?
The Advantages
First, let's reflect on the advantages of activating the power of sight and improving spatial awareness in the dynamic aquatic environment.
One of the best reasons to do it is duck diving, one of the most common and widely used surfing techniques.
When a surfer digs the nose of their surfboard and proceeds to dive underwater below the broken wave, all collected information is precious to optimize the process.
If the goal is to avoid being impacted and losing time and distance on their way to the lineup, opening the eyes to assess how deep they are could be beneficial.
The secret of a good duck dive lies in how deep a surfer can penetrate underwater before the tumbling whitewater reaches them.
If we don't know how deep we need to be, we might get caught by the foam turbulence.
On the other hand, if we open our eyes the moment we start the duck dive, we can know how much effort we must put into the push.
Now, imagine that you're surfing in relatively shallow waters. You could be facing a sand bottom, a sharp coral reef, cobblestones, or rocky caverns.
Duck diving deep into the unknown with your eyes closed could eventually lead to more or less serious injuries.
However, if you open your eyes, you can calculate your diving effort or dodge any underwater section or obstacle.
The same line of thought applies to wiping out or getting caught in a multiple-wave hold-down.
If you get disoriented down below, knowing where the light and the surface are could make a difference in your oxygen tank.
Ultimately, observing the world from underneath and watching waves go overhead is always one of the most peaceful experiences you could wish for.
The Disadvantages
Being able to see underwater is great. Sadly, there are a few cons to it, too.
One of the first is the excessive exposure to saltwater and its potential to irritate the eyes.
You could say: "If tears are salty, why can't my eyes tolerate saltwater?" Well, to be exact, tears are made of 98 percent water and 2 percent oils, salt, and proteins.
The chemical composition of ocean saltwater tells us that the world's oceans have, on average, a salinity level of 3.5 percent.
That way, more salt goes into your eyes for an hour or two per session than tears, hence the risk of irritation.
However, the worst part is the risk of infection from bacteria, microorganisms, or pollutants.
Unfortunately, it happens a lot to surfers, even though most of us won't make the connection between infection and redness.
There are also seasonal or situational variations, like algae blooms or urban runoff in the ocean, that should be considered.
Lastly, there are potential negative effects coming from sand or debris stirred up by broken waves that could hit your pupils and cause temporary blurred vision or discomfort.
Wave Pools and River Waves
Let's not forget surfing in inland water bodies. What happens when we open our eyes in chlorinated pool water or river surfing breaks?
Chemical exposure from chlorine or other sanitizers is never the best thing for our sight.
It's been proved that extended contact with pool water can lead to damage to the outer layer cells that protect the cornea.
You might become sensitive to light, your eyes could start feeling irritated or painful, and your vision could blur.
So, while it's OK to occasionally open your eyes in a wave pool to monitor your duck dives, you should avoid doing it for long periods.
Also, if the pool is poorly maintained, there could be waterborne pathogens.
The pollutants issue applies to river surfing breaks, too.
Although freshwater is the best of all options for those wanting to open their eyes below the surfing, there are not many world water streams with pure, clean water anymore.
Therefore, you never know how you're exposing your eyes when you fall into the water.
Surfers Using Contact Lenses
Do you use contact lenses while surfing? If so, most of you probably won't open your eyes underwater for fear of losing them, right?
But even if you'd be taking the risk, contacts won't protect your vision against bacteria or disinfectants.
Moreover, you could be exposing the thin lenses to microbes, herpes viruses, fungi, or parasites.
These harmful entities could lead to the most common eye infection, keratitis, which could lead to blindness.
Words by Luís MP | Founder of SurferToday.com
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