The ocean is not a backdrop. It is the whole point.

Understand the Water is POD's editorial series for people who spend serious time in the water. Not beginners looking for a starting point, not casual observers. People who want to go deeper into the mechanics of wave riding, bodysurfing technique, swim fin selection, open water swimming, ear health, and the physics of what actually happens when a human body meets a moving body of water.

Every article in this series is written from direct experience. No academic framing. No generic advice recycled from elsewhere. The same standard applies to every POD product function first; nothing is added that does not serve a clear purpose. This standard applies to every piece of content published here.

The series covers five disciplines: bodysurfing, bodyboarding, surfing, swimming, and open water. New articles are published regularly.
Published regularly, accurate, honest, and never needing updating, regardless of when someone reads it.

Read what is relevant to your water. Come back when the next one drops.

Our Story

Understand The Water

Five-panel image showing bodyboard shaping and manufacturing stages including CNC cutting, overhead shaping on a machine, hand planing the rail, foam core detail, and applying a slick skin bottom, photo credit Surfer Today.

Bodyboards: Leave it to the Shaper POD Bodyboard Accessories

Photo Credit: Surfer Today Experienced bodyboard shapers do what they do best. They design boards with specific waves in mind, choose core materials that balance flex and strength across different water temperatures, shape rocker lines and rail profiles that suit...

Read moreabout Bodyboards: Leave it to the Shaper POD Bodyboard Accessories

POD Protect Our Destiny logo in green overlaid on planet Earth viewed from space against a blue star field, with the Protect Our Destiny tagline arcing beneath the globe.

Which is More Eco-Friendly: Polyurethane or Plastic?

Polyurethane is more environmentally responsible than most plastics - not because of a single claim, but because of how the material behaves across its full lifespan. This article examines why that is the case, what the data on ocean plastics...

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Bodysurfing Handboard Guide - Size, Shape, and How to Choose

Bodysurfing Handboard Guide - Size, Shape, and How to Choose

The illustration above shows the physics of the human hydrofoil - the bodysurfer in motion. Lift force, drag, and the lift-to-drag ratio all play a direct role in how a handboard performs. Understanding these forces is what separates a well-chosen...

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A clean barrelling wave breaking over a sandy beach viewed from the dunes, with coastal grass in the foreground and deep blue water behind the wave face.

How to Body Surf Like A Pro: With Or Without A Handplane

Bodysurfing is wave riding in its most direct form. Your body is the vehicle, the wave is the engine, and everything between those two things - timing, position, and technique - determines how the ride goes. Whether you ride freestyle...

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POD PF1, PF2, and PF3 natural rubber swim fins shown side by side against an ocean background, with the PF1 in blue camo, PF2 in black and white camo, and PF3 in orange and black camo.

How to Choose Water Sports Rubber Swim Fins

The "End the Guesswork" The "Direct Drive" Theory: How to Choose Water Sports Fins That Actually Stay On Whether you are a surf lifesaver who relies on fins staying secure in a rescue, a photographer moving through heavy shore break,...

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Six-panel instructional image showing how to use a POD bodysurfing handboard, with action shots of riders on waves, an above-water hand grip view, and an underwater shot, illustrating the three principles of lift, speed, and control.

How to Bodysurf: Learn to Use a POD Body Surfing Handboard

A POD handboard is a precision bodysurfing tool built from UV-stabilised polypropylene - a material chosen for its buoyancy, impact resistance, and ability to hold its shape and performance across years of regular ocean use. The concave bottom channels water...

Read moreabout How to Bodysurf: Learn to Use a POD Body Surfing Handboard