One of the most common questions we hear from guests at Witch’s Rock Surf Camp is this:
“After a few days of surfing my ribs are completely bruised. What can I do to stop this?”
If you’ve experienced rib pain or bruising while surfing, you’re definitely not alone. Many surfers—especially beginners or surfers on surf trips—notice soreness around the ribs after spending long hours paddling.
The good news is that rib bruising from surfing is usually temporary and can often be prevented with a few simple adjustments.
Before jumping into solutions, it helps to understand why rib pain happens in the first place.
Why Surfers Get Rib Bruising While Paddling
When paddling a surfboard, your body weight rests directly on your chest and rib cage. Over time, repeated pressure against the board can irritate the rib area and lead to soreness or bruising.
This is especially common for surfers who:
- Surf multiple days in a row
- Increase their time in the water suddenly
- Use inefficient paddling technique
- Have limited shoulder mobility
If you’re new to surfing, this discomfort is even more common. In fact, many surfers experience rib soreness during their first few sessions as their body adapts to paddling.
If you’re curious why this happens so often to new surfers, we explain it in detail in this guide:
Why Beginner Surfers Get Rib Pain.
Two Simple Ways to Reduce Rib Bruising
While rib soreness may still occur during heavy surf weeks, these two adjustments can significantly reduce the problem.
1. Eliminate “Rib Flaring”
One of the most common causes of rib pressure while paddling is something called rib flaring.
This occurs when your ribs stick outward instead of staying stacked underneath your shoulders. It often happens when surfers over-arch their lower back while paddling.
When the ribs flare outward, they press directly into the surfboard, concentrating pressure in a very small area. Over multiple sessions this can lead to bruising.
A simple fix is focusing on neutral paddling posture:
- Keep your ribs stacked under your shoulders
- Engage your core lightly
- Lift your chest slightly without over-arching your lower back
Improving paddling posture alone can significantly reduce rib soreness.
2. Improve Your Shoulder Mobility
The second major cause of rib bruising is limited shoulder mobility.
If your shoulders cannot move comfortably through a full range of motion, your body compensates by arching your back and flaring your ribs during paddling.
This increases pressure on the rib cage.
Adding simple mobility exercises before surfing can make a big difference.
We cover a simple warm-up routine in this article:
The Best Surf Stretching Routine Before a Session.
Improve Your Surf Paddling Technique
Another important factor is paddling efficiency.
Many surfers use short, inefficient paddle strokes that create unnecessary strain on the shoulders and torso.
Learning proper paddling mechanics not only helps you catch more waves but also reduces fatigue and rib pressure.
If you want to learn how to paddle more efficiently, read our guide here:
Surf Paddling Technique: How to Paddle Efficiently
Small changes in paddling form can dramatically improve comfort during long surf sessions.
Additional Tips to Prevent Rib Pain
If you’re planning a multi-day surf trip or spending long hours in the water, these additional tips can help prevent rib soreness.
Wear a Rash Guard
A rash guard or wetsuit top adds a thin layer of padding between your ribs and the surfboard. This can help reduce friction and pressure.
Increase Surf Time Gradually
Many surfers experience rib bruising when they suddenly go from surfing occasionally to surfing several hours per day during a surf vacation.
Your body needs time to adapt to the paddling workload.
Choose the Right Surfboard
If your board is too small or low volume, you will need to arch your back more aggressively while paddling.
Using a board that floats you properly reduces strain on the chest and ribs.
At Witch’s Rock Surf Camp, guests have access to a large surfboard inventory so they can choose boards that match their skill level.
When Rib Pain Usually Goes Away
For most surfers, rib soreness is temporary.
Typically:
- Soreness appears after the first few heavy surf sessions
- The body begins adapting within a week
- Regular surfers rarely experience long-term rib pain
Once your paddling muscles and rib area adapt, the issue usually disappears.
Improve Your Surfing With Proper Coaching
Learning correct paddling technique early makes surfing easier, more comfortable, and more enjoyable.
At Witch’s Rock Surf Camp in Tamarindo, our surf programs combine daily surf coaching, video analysis, and guided sessions designed to help surfers progress faster.
Whether you join our Beginner Surf School, Intermediate Surf Program, or Advanced Surf Tours, paddling efficiency and body positioning are some of the first skills we help surfers improve.
Because when you paddle better, everything in surfing becomes easier.
