As we all know, every year in Florida we get hit by at least one hurricane; and the problem that plagues us all is, what can I do besides being stuck indoors.

Now, obviously if there is a hurricane on a direct path towards your area, you should follow all the proper precautions and seek shelter.

But, if that’s not the case and the hurricane or tropical storm is going to either not directly hit you or lessen by the time it reaches you, here’s something you can do–go surfing or boogy boarding!

Miami rarely if ever gets decent swells to surf so when large storms hit the coast, it is a surfer’s dream. The storms bring swells as large as 12 feet tall and barreling (which is when the wave creates a tube that can be surfed through).

During Hurricane Ian, my friend and I (Lucas Nelson, who is a sophomore at ILS) had the great idea to go and surf. We got to the beach with our boards in hand and looked at the pristine swells as we immediately ran as fast as we could down to the water and paddled out.

As one would expect, the weather was not all sunshine and rainbows. It was an almost painful rain with a slashing wind that dug into your skin, but that was no deterrent when presented with tasty waves.

A note of caution: If you are not a somewhat experienced surfer, paddling out and trying to surf 12-foot waves can be dangerous so please keep that in mind when considering surfing in those conditions. If those waves are too big for your skill set, usually a day or two after the surf will still be decent, but way less powerful than during the actual storm.

Here’s what fellow surfer Lucas Nelson had to say about it:

“I surf the hurricanes because here in Miami we don’t get many waves so I’ll take any chance I get to surf even if it’s in scary conditions. The best part about the surfing is getting absolutely slammed by a wave and getting back on your board and catching a gnarly wave. It’s that feeling of almost dying then getting up and living that has me hooked.”

This is the general view of the surfers who go out during hurricanes: No risk no reward.

So, the next time a minor storm or hurricane comes around, don’t think about how you’re going to be stuck inside for hours, instead think of all the tasty waves you could catch.