Another criterion one might want to examine, when anticipating an excursion into body surfing; the depth of the water and the height of the wave.
Sometimes the waves break with such gusto, that one is bound and determined to ride that wave..Now keep in mind, that when body surfing, you are actually in the wave, unlike board surfers who ride atop the wave. Therefore when that wave crashes into the hard ocean floor below it, so might you. Unless the depth of the water is sufficient to give you enough room to recoil from the crashing wave without crashing into the bottom. And we often forget the incredible awesome power of the ocean.
All I'm saying here is be careful; being picked up and slammed by the ocean, is much akin to being dropped on your head as a 2 year old from a height of 2 feet; not enough to kill you, but enough for you to know that you've been in the hands of something else, way more powerful than yourself.
But, all of that out of the way, and no pun intended, body surfing is a kick in the head.