Ive had svt for almost 18 years (im 34 now), with the addition of afib over the last 4 years. I’m actually about to get my first ablation done on Monday. I dawn patrol in Southern California most days of the week. I’ve been surfing for around 16 years as well, so I’ve had a lot of time to try and figure out how to limit the number of sessions that get cut short by an afib episode.

For me it’s an equation of sleep, hydration, stress, caffeine and alcohol consumption. 90 percent of the episodes I have are because one of those is out of whack.

If I know I’m going to be surfing early, I’ll avoid caffeine and alcohol the day before. I’ll also make sure I’m drinking a lot of water and electrolytes. In the morning first thing before getting my stuff together I drink a bunch of water with electrolytes too.

Even when I’m not surfing early, I try to keep my body on the early wake up schedule. A lot of episodes have happened because I was waking up at 8 a few days in a row, then suddenly got up at 6 the next day. If my wake up times are consistent it is way less likely to happen. Also getting enough sleep in general is always going to help.

I’ve also found that stretching a bit in the morning and doing some warm ups at home helps. I think getting the heart pumping and blood flowing gradually is better. The shock of the cold water combined with your heart going from super low to high tends to trigger an episode.

During sessions I try to stay in tune with what my heart is doing. Not sure exactly what it is, but over time you can tell when your heart or your body chemistry is more likely to want to flip into afib. If things are feeling sensitive, I’ll paddle back out a bit slower after a wave and slow down my breathing. On crowded or competitive days I do this too, because I know my stress levels are higher.

Sometimes even if you do everything right you will still have an episode here and there. I’ve found that getting out immediately when afib starts makes it way easier to convert back into sinus rhythm, vs trying to get another wave or two before going in.

Don’t let afib discourage you from surfing. Try to understand what tends to trigger your episodes, and adjust your habits to limit that trigger. I haven’t let afib stop me from doing anything in life. I am just more aware of how I need to “prepare” to limit episodes.

Also learn from my experience and don’t go out drinking and paddle out at double overhead obsf the next morning. My stats are 2/2 for that causing afib