Can Surf Therapy Support Addiction Recovery?

By Your Health Magazine Contributor

Your Health Magazine Contributor

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Can Surf Therapy Support Addiction Recovery?

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Surf therapy can support some people in addiction recovery as a structured complement to clinical care. It combines guided ocean activity with goals such as attention, physical engagement, confidence, and group connection. It is not a stand-alone treatment for substance use disorder, and current research is too limited to promise a specific mental health or recovery outcome.

That distinction matters. Surfing can be memorable and motivating, but a compelling experience is not the same as evidence that an addiction has been treated. The strongest programs connect what happens in the water to counseling, safety planning, and the person’s broader treatment goals.

What Happens in a Surf Therapy Session?

Programs vary, but a session may begin on the sand with a weather and safety briefing, mobility work, and instruction on the board. Participants may practice paddling, balance, standing, or simply becoming comfortable in shallow water. A trained instructor adjusts the activity to skill, ocean conditions, and physical ability.

Some programs include a discussion before or after the water. A clinician or facilitator might ask participants what they noticed when a wave disrupted their plan, how they responded to frustration, or what helped them accept coaching. The purpose is not to turn every wipeout into a metaphor. It is to translate a real experience into useful information about attention, flexibility, fear, and support.

Beginners do not need to catch a dramatic wave for the session to be worthwhile. Showing up, putting on the equipment, asking a question, or trying again after losing balance can be meaningful steps.

Why the Activity May Feel Different From a Gym Workout

Surfing demands attention to changing conditions. A participant watches the water, listens to instructions, adjusts body position, and responds in the moment. That concentration may offer a temporary break from rumination or craving. Physical exertion can also create a clear transition between a busy mind and a tired body.

The social setting is another part of the experience. Learning alongside peers makes mistakes visible and ordinary. Participants can encourage one another without needing to disclose every detail of their history. For someone who has felt isolated, a shared task may be an easier entry point to connection than an unstructured social event.

There is also an element of mastery. Progress is concrete: paddling farther, reading a small wave, standing for a second longer, or following safety directions under stress. Those gains may help a person practice confidence that is based on behavior rather than praise.

These are plausible mechanisms, not promised results. A 2024 systematic review found that the small number of controlled surf therapy studies did not provide robust, consistent evidence of mental health symptom improvement compared with control conditions. Research has often involved specific groups, such as service members or young people, and results cannot automatically be generalized to every person in addiction treatment.

Surf Therapy Should Connect Back to Clinical Goals

The activity is most useful when the treatment team can answer, “Why this person, and why now?” One participant may be practicing distress tolerance. Another may be rebuilding healthy recreation. Someone else may be learning to accept feedback, notice body signals, or participate in a group without withdrawing.

After a session, a counselor might help the participant identify:

• What triggered frustration, fear, or the urge to quit
• Which coping skill worked under pressure
• How the person asked for or resisted help
• Whether competition supported or disrupted the goal
• How to recreate healthy movement and connection after treatment

That reflection turns an isolated activity into part of a treatment plan. It can also expose concerns that need more support, such as panic in open water, shame about physical ability, impulsive risk-taking, or difficulty following safety limits.

Safety and Fit Come Before Novelty

Ocean conditions change quickly. Surf therapy requires qualified instruction, appropriate supervision, equipment, and a clear emergency plan. Participants should be screened for swimming ability, injuries, cardiovascular or respiratory conditions, seizure history, medication effects, and other factors that could affect water safety. A medical professional should advise on individual restrictions.

The activity may not fit someone who is medically unstable, experiencing acute withdrawal, intoxicated, highly sedated, or unable to follow safety instructions. It may also be inappropriate during dangerous surf, poor visibility, contamination advisories, or extreme weather.

Choice matters. A person should not be pressured into the ocean to prove commitment to recovery. A land-based role, beach walk, observation period, or different form of movement may support the same clinical goal. A psychologically safe approach includes preparation, consent, predictable instructions, and permission to pause.

Questions to Ask a Treatment Program

“We offer surf therapy” does not explain how the service is delivered. Ask specific questions:

• Who leads the water activity, and what safety training do they have?
• Is a licensed clinician involved in setting or reviewing goals?
• How are medical conditions and swimming ability screened?
• What is the staff-to-participant ratio?
• What happens when ocean conditions are unsafe?
• Is participation optional, and what alternatives are available?
• How does the session connect to the person’s addiction treatment plan?

The answers should be clear and practical. Be cautious with claims that surfing eliminates addiction, resolves complex distress on its own, or works for everyone.

A Complement, Not a Replacement

Substance use disorder treatment may include assessment, behavioral therapies, medication, medical care, family services, peer support, and planning for continuing care. The mix depends on the substance, severity, co-occurring conditions, withdrawal risk, and the person’s circumstances. Surf therapy does not replace those elements.

South Shores Recovery incorporates surf therapy within addiction treatment in Orange County, alongside clinical services for substance use and co-occurring mental health needs. Coastal access can make the activity a distinctive part of care, but its value still depends on appropriate screening, skilled facilitation, and integration with the treatment plan.

For the right participant, a surf session can offer movement, attention, connection, and a concrete experience of trying again. Those benefits are modest enough to be believable and useful enough to matter. 

The goal is not a perfect ride. It is to use the experience in service of safer, steadier recovery.

This article is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

References

Carneiro, L., Clemente, F. M., Claudino, J. G., Ferreira, J., Ramirez-Campillo, R., & Afonso, J. (2024). Surf therapy for people with mental health disorders: A systematic review of randomized and non-randomized controlled trials. BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies, 24(1), 376. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12906-024-04674-0

ClinicalTrials.gov. (2024). Trial of surf and hike therapy for major depressive disorder (NCT03302611). U.S. National Library of Medicine. https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT03302611

National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2020, July). Treatment and recovery. https://nida.nih.gov/publications/drugs-brains-behavior-science-addiction/treatment-recovery