Breath Hold Training for Surfers: Build Calm, Control & Breath Awareness

Breath training is one of the most overlooked parts of surf preparation.

We spend plenty of time thinking about paddle strength, mobility and our pop-up. But surfing also asks you to manage your breathing while paddling hard, recovering between efforts and staying composed when conditions get uncomfortable.

That is where structured breath practice can be useful.

The Positive Breath Hold Protocol is a simple dry-land practice I use to help surfers become more aware of their breathing, practice recovering between breath holds and become more comfortable with the sensations that show up as carbon dioxide builds.

You don't need to chase heroic breath-hold times.

The goal is control, awareness and recovery.

Why Breath Hold Training Matters for Surfers

During a surf session your breathing is constantly changing.

You may paddle hard for a wave, recover while sitting outside, sprint back toward the lineup, duck dive a set and then try to settle your breathing again.

The ability to notice your breath and regain control is useful.

During a breath hold, carbon dioxide gradually rises while available oxygen falls. Rising CO₂ contributes to that increasingly strong urge to breathe.

Practicing controlled breath holds on land can give you an opportunity to notice those sensations without immediately reacting to them.

For a surfer, I am less interested in your maximum breath-hold number than I am in this question:

Can you remain relaxed, recognize what's happening and recover your breathing efficiently?

That is the skill we're practicing.

The Positive Breath Hold Protocol

Practice this on dry land only, preferably seated or lying down in a safe location.

Never practice breath holds alone in water, during underwater swimming, while driving or anywhere losing awareness could put you in danger. Do not hyperventilate before a breath hold.

The purpose is controlled practice—not pushing yourself to your absolute limit.

1. Prepare for 60 seconds. Lie comfortably on your back with your knees bent. Let your breathing settle. Use relaxed diaphragmatic breathing rather than deliberately over-breathing.
2. First round. Take three comfortable diaphragmatic breaths. After the third inhale, hold your breath while remaining relaxed and lying down. End the hold when you need to breathe rather than fighting aggressively for extra time.
3. Recover fully. Return to relaxed normal breathing and give yourself adequate recovery before beginning another hold.
4. Second round. Once your breathing has settled, repeat the process. Pay attention to how quickly you can regain calm, comfortable breathing.
5. Third round. Repeat once more only if you feel completely recovered and comfortable.

Stop immediately if you become dizzy, lightheaded, confused or otherwise uncomfortable.

This isn't a contest.

The quality of the practice matters more than the number on the timer.

What Should You Notice?

Instead of obsessing over how long you can hold your breath, pay attention to what happens during and after the hold.

When does your breathing first start to feel uncomfortable?

Do you tense your shoulders, jaw or hands?

Can you stay physically relaxed?

How quickly does your breathing return to normal afterward?

Does your recovery improve as you become more familiar with the practice?

That awareness is far more useful than simply trying to beat yesterday's maximum time.

A Common Mistake With Surf Breath Training

One of the easiest mistakes is turning breath practice into another performance competition.

Longer isn't automatically better.

If every session becomes an attempt to see how uncomfortable you can make yourself, you've missed much of the value.

I would rather see a surfer develop a repeatable breathing practice they can use consistently than chase one impressive breath-hold number.

Train control before intensity.

How Often Should Surfers Practice Breath Work?

Breath training doesn't need to consume your training week.

A few focused minutes can be enough to start paying more attention to how you breathe, how you respond to discomfort and how efficiently you recover.

Like most surf preparation, the right dose depends on the individual.

Your current conditioning, training history, health, surfing demands and goals all matter.

The goal is not to become a freediver.

The goal is to support the surfing you want to keep doing.

Get the Surf Breath Checklist

The Positive Breath Hold Protocol is only one piece of surf-specific breath training.

I've put together my Surf Breath Checklist to help you look at the bigger picture—including breath awareness, recovery and simple ways to practice outside the water.

GET THE FREE SURF BREATH CHECKLIST

Use it to identify where your breathing may need more attention and choose one simple practice to start working on this week.

Want Help Building This Into Your Surf Training?

Knowing exercises and knowing what you personally need to work on are two different things.

Your limiter might be breath and recovery.

It might be paddle endurance.

It might be strength, mobility, your pop-up or simply maintaining consistency between sessions.

That's what personalized coaching is designed to help identify.

If you're open to it, we could jump on a quick call this week. We'll look at exactly where you are, what you want to achieve in your surfing, and lay out a practical plan to get you there.

BOOK A SURF STRATEGY CALL

Train for the surfing you still want to do.

— Greg