Nurses Shredding The Gnar

Wounded Veterans are doing it.
 
Kids, even those with autism, are doing it.

People living with paralysis are doing it.

Now, The Nature Nurse™, is on a mission to invite nurses to do it. Surf.

Being on, in, near or under water has been shown to have powerful healing benefits. (1) Surfing allows us to experience all four of these water engagement methods in one sport.

Veterans report that surfing facilitates a sense of respite from post-traumatic stress disorder (2) If surfing can help relieve stress in veterans, imagine what it could do for nurses? Nurses are experiencing high levels of burnout. (3) Could surfing be a tool to help nurses deal with stress too?

I decided to try it out for myself and bring another nurse, Annie, along to see how she would react.  I consulted with professional surfer Tony Silvagni, who assured me he could get even me, a middle-aged woman with an old ankle dislocation and fracture injury, standing on a surfboard.

We ventured to Carolina Beach, North Carolina on a hot, sunny Monday-excited and a bit nervous. Tony personally paired us up with surf instructors who had the expertise to get us riding on top of the waves.
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Nurse Annie, a former gymnast, was a natural.  After just a couple of tries, she was standing on the board and riding it as long as the wave would take her.  Our instructors and I chuckled as we watched her do the 'pop up' (the lunge from lying on the board to a standing position).  Nurse Annie, rocketed up. 

​I, on the other hand, took quite a few times to get up, but falling off the board, the way we were taught, made it kind of fun.  Then, my instructor, Lenny said, "This is your wave.  Start paddling!"  
 
Following his instruction, I paddled and felt the wave scoop me up and carry the board forward as if I had just taken flight.  Feeling the momentum of energy around me, I effortlessly rose to a standing position as viewers on the beach cheered.  Little did I know I was a source of entertainment for the past half an hour. The thrill was totally worth it! In fact, it lasted well into the next day.

​Hear for yourself what Nurse Annie thought about her surfing experience:

​Both Nurse Annie and I are excited to continue practicing surfing.  Not only as a source of self-care, but potentially so we can help others, even those with medical needs, experience entrainment with the energy of the ocean.  We would love other nurses to join us!

Nurses who want to join The Nature Nurse Surf Experience, please contact Susan Allison-Dean at [email protected] .