Losing a board in the water. Leash break.

[oldmansurfer]

I'm seeing more surfers who do not use leashes at all because they interfere with their 360 turns. As you'd expect they often lose their rides so I have to keep track of where they are and paddle out of harm's way. While I'm happy to catch their boards it's kinda funny watching them SWEAR when they fall and lose them.

Obviously they are used to a leash since before the advent of leashes there were none and everyone lost their board at least once nearly every time they surfed.....more so on bigger days so you never heard anyone swearing when they lost their board unless it went up on the rocks/reef. Yes it is a free ocean so you must look out for yourself

[RobSF]

It had never occurred to me, actually, that there might be someone surfing who hasn't body surfed ever before. When I think about it, this is perfectly possible. But now, the next time I have a kid with me or some other completely new beginner, first thing we'll do is catch a few little waves without our boards. First of all, it's a blast. Secondly, you'll know what it feels like, so if you ever do lose your board, there will be some body memory. Surprising that surf classes don't start with this as a matter of course, now that I think about it.

It isn't going to guarantee you're going to be fine if you wipe out under a 13'-foot slab and have no board, but it will calm some of the panic in less dramatic scenarios.

[oldmansurfer]

I wrote this whole big answer but definitely bodysurfing skills are good to have for surfing. For one thing it teaches you about the force of waves where you can be and not get pounded and where you want to avoid being because you will get pounded. Beginner surfers who haven't bodysurfed are so clueless about that.

[billie_morini]

I wiped out in fairly huge waves 30 to 35 foot faces (close to half a mile out from the shore) and lost my board almost drowned but still made it back in by myself

Ol' Man,
I'm very pleased you did not expire. You're one of my forum buddies and there hundreds, maybe thousands, of little critters that are better today than they'd be without your care.
billie

[billie_morini]

I'd venture to say anyone that surfs, lives with a risk level deemed acceptable. Those of use that fly airplanes, race motorcycles or cars, rock climb, hang glide, four wheel, remote backpack, canoe / kayak in white water or sea, install our own high voltage electrical circuits, and more have greater risk thresholds than the general populace in developed nations. When you do these things, you have a stronger mind that pulls you through when the danger increases. And this, is called grit (subject addressed previously in discussion initiated by BoMan: viewtopic.php?t=31253). Ol' Man reckoned he didn't posses much grit. But, his broken leash story indicates he possesses plenty of this valuable commodity.

[oldmansurfer]

Back long ago when that happened I was totally willing to accept death if it happened. So even though I thought I was going to die I didn't panic. I risked my life regularly but still chose challenges that I thought it was very likely that I would survive. These days I never risk my life like that ..... well you might say there is a much larger buffer between what I can endure and what I anticipate I will have to endure. I might die surfing these days but the odds are extremely small.