The Ocean Warrior Course is available here.
In December, while the rest of the Top 34 was sweating bullets over requalification and the conclusion of the 2018 Championship Tour, Kelly Slater and Shane Dorian were hopping in a pool in the hills above Sunset with big wave surfer Mark Visser. Visser, the fella who surfed Jaws at night, had been developing an ocean safety course with Dorian, Brian Keaulana, and many of the world’s best watermen over the last few years, and he was jazzed by the opportunity to share it with the king.
And the results were positive.
“I think what you’re doing is taking bits of knowledge from free divers, a lot of different water people, and applying it very specifically to how it would feel to be a surfer,” said Kelly Slater of the Ocean Warrior Course. “No mask. No fins. Trying to simulate out of control situations with someone else helping you. Timing yourself. Getting that quantitative difference between trying one thing and trying another thing. Instantly, even after one session I feel a little bit of a confidence boost.”
Visser’s course is inspired by training with Navy SEALS, a group he works with semi-regularly, as well as with freediving and water safety experts. The Inertia team also had a chance to test it out this winter, and it was undeniably enlightening. As serious surf continues to fill in through the close of winter, it’s worth having a look.
Editor’s Note: Check out The Ocean Warrior Course here.
