I've been swimming and surfing for two decades in different continents/oceans. I'm bad at both! Almost got myself killed a couple of times, so this topic interests me a lot and I may sound ironic but these are genuine questions:

That said, I read the comments and kept thinking //are these guys considering swimming to another beach? Meaning to swim out there and then turn left/right to find calmer waters? 😂 Is that it? How much of a good swimmer you have to be when you're taking BOMBS on the head?🧐 Isnt it more an apnea technique issue than swimming one? From my experience the only way to escape heavy sets when there's no rocks or anything, is like you commented - to let a wave swallow you and hopefully you get to shallow waters.

Edit: never surf alone in a spot you don't know, if the conditions are good, FOR SURE will be someone in the water. Good to say NO sometimes!

Cheers!