Or, at least, it used to.
England rugby players certainly put that one to bed at St Clair Beach yesterday.
Centre Manu Tuilagi and loose forward Tom Wood took advantage of a sunny day and gentle swell to try to tame the local surf spot yesterday afternoon.
And both showed that, as surfers, they're very good rugby players.
"It was great, eh," Tuilagi said with a smile as he clambered out of the surf.
"It wasn't too cold at all."
England players spent yesterday enjoying some of the local sights around Dunedin.
"It's good to get out of the hotel and freshen up again. They're all optional things, so it depends how you feel after a hard training week," Wood said.
"A few of the boys are playing golf and a few are going surfing.
"I'm not especially good at golf, so I thought I'd get in the water," Wood said, before showing that he has obviously never been to St Clair Beach before.
"Effectively, it's like a nice bath out there."
But he admitted the players had approached the water with some trepidation.
"Someone told us about a plaque that's got the last three people to be taken by sharks.
"That made us a little bit nervous," Wood said.
Asked by an English journalist: "Would being taken by a shark affect your preparation?" he laughed.
"Yeah. It would make it very difficult to go into the team room." England plays Romania in its final pool match in Dunedin at Otago Stadium tomorrow.
