Swim for your life!

My colleague was swimming with an Australian companion in Cape Town last weekend. The waves were high and he was doubtful about going in. "Come on, mate!" cried the Aussie. "I've trained as a life saver. You'll be fine." They ran in. The sea was strong, my colleague was worried, he looked over towards the Aussie who also seemed to be having difficulty. This was confirmed when he shouted over these words of advice, "Don't turn your back on the waves: they could break your neck! Swim for shore!" My colleague questioned how he could swim for shore without turning his back on the waves. "Surf the waves, mate, and then swim like hell!" came the useful answer. They eventually emerged onto the beach, noticing that they'd been the only people in the sea and that a group of South Africans were laughing at them, very loud.