Could water polo crawl help with surfing/paddling? Just had a realization!

Hey all, I live in a cold country, far from the sea, and only get to surf during holidays. I’ve got a swimming background and recently realized that the heads-up crawl from water polo might actually mimic surf paddling pretty well.

Has anyone tried using water polo-style swim training to keep their surfing muscles and technique sharp between trips? Would love to hear if it’s helped your paddling power, core strength, or endurance!