Surfing Waves

In the same light as Big H's post I ask a different question. Not when you made a right choice but when did you screw up? Have you had to be rescued or got into a situation where it was a close call? Been seriously injured (bad enough to make it difficult to get to shore)? Had to have help getting back to shore? Pro surfers often get injured and need help but they are aware of the risks and generally have support crews to help them. Your normal surfer must push their limits to progress surfing and this can lead to problems. For myself my ocean skills preceded my surfing skills. Long before I was able to surf a wave with a 15 foot face I was comfortable going out in surf that size with no board. Before I ever wiped out surfing on a wave that size I had wiped out bodysurfing a wave that size. So when I started surfing one of the skills I developed was wiping out. I could wipe out better than most. I never got hurt seriously in any wipeout. I almost died once surfing and I wrote about it before. I'll write about it later for those who weren't on this forum back then. My own method of learning to surf is to take it slow and methodically step by step. Even when I almost died that was a 17 foot Hawaiian day but I had surfed that break at 15 foot before and did ok. I dislike wiping out and try to avoid it but still try to push my limits in a way that minimizes my wiping out. So maybe I don't learn some things as fast as others but I enjoy my time in the ocean and it's a safer approach to surfing. When did you go out when you shouldn't have? It's been a long time for me, back when I almost died when I was 20 years old (41 years ago).

worst i ever had so far was getting a board to the head after wiping out in 2-4 ft waves, luckily just skidded alongside my head rather than straight into me, was point first so would have been bad.
Thought nothing of it at the time, but for days afterwards felt a little drunk, and a week later found out i had a concussion.
A couple of inches nearer and it would have been a whole lot worse, although it wasn't that far out, and i was out with a trained lifeguard, but even so it did make me extra cautious for a while afterwards.

I had been surfing for 2 years and going for gradually larger and larger waves. Prior to surfing I had been on some huge waves (up to 20 foot faces) so the fear of larger waves was dealt with. I felt comfortable in them without the board and got used to the board being along. I went out to Hanalei because I heard the surf was up. It is a big fast breaking right (not all nice waves are lefts). When I got there you couldn't see how big the waves were from the shore but it was definitely big. I had been surfing there in bigger and bigger surf so I paddled out. I knew it was big because the rip was really strong on the way out. It turned out to be about 30 to 35 foot faces I know i had never seen it this big. I estimated it to be 17 feet and there was a group of 5 or 6 guys hanging on the end shoulder of the wave trying to figure out what to do. I talked to them and they agreed it looked like 17 feet. It was so huge I probably wouldn't have gone out if I knew prior to getting there but the waves were so beautiful, I felt like I had to catch one or more.

I made a decision to paddle into the lineup and try to get on a wave. It was very difficult to get down the face from the shoulder area. The conditions wouldn't allow me to shoulder hop the wave so I paddled further into the lineup knowing that it was likely I could find a place that would allow me to drop down the face. Eventually I did make the drop and rode this huge wall. At Hanalei the wall stands up for a long ways down the line and at this size that was incredibly scary so I was pumping huge roller coaster speed turns that I am sure some of the time only the rail of my board was in the water. I made it to a less steep portion of the wave and looked back to see that I had passed the breaking portion of the wave by maybe 50 yards. I kicked out and was overcome by an incredible feeling. I felt so fantastic, it was really thrilling.

I went back and caught several more waves and the drops were scary. Most waves I would drop down about 15 feet then slowly come back up the face as the wave got steeper below me. On some waves I would end up getting pulled over the back of the wave and standing there futilely as the wave passed me by. If the wave let me in I could feel my board flutter a little under my feet and I knew that meant it wasn't in the water. Time slowed way down. I watched droplets of water float by me in slow motion off the nose in of my board and it seemed to take minutes to get down the wave when really it was just a couple seconds. Then I would feel the board pushing up into my feet and I would star my bottom turn and look down the line at this massive wave and jam it as much as I could.

Eventually I thought that maybe I didn't need to get so far ahead of the wave since I was clearly beating this wave every single time although I could feel the shadow of the lip over my head at times I made every single wave. So I took a little speed off on the next wave and had a massive section break in front of me. I had to straighten out and was blown off my board by the massive whitewater that caught up to me. Briefly I was bounced around and then proceeded to be towed by my board. It was doing what you can tomb-stoning and if you were watching the wave You would probably see my board sticking up in front of the whitewater. Anyway I was towed for about 20 or 30 seconds and then the Velcro released from my leg. I got bounced around for 20 or 30 more seconds then the wave let me go and I came up to the surface.

The surface of the water was covered with a 3 foot layer of stable foam. Something like the head on a beer. I had never seen this before or since so I thought this foam will dissipate and then I can take a breath but I got hit by another wave and when I came up there was still foam. So I tried to swish my arm around in the foam to see if I could make a hole and I could but it closed back up in less than a second. I got hit by another wave so while I was under water I blew all my air out and came up to the surface and swished the foam out and sucked in some foam. I wanted to cough and knew that if I did I would suck in water or foam after coughing. This is something I learned body surfing. So I concentrated on not coughing and got hit by another wave. I was concentrating so hard on not coughing I lost track of time and the next thing I know I feel something rubbing my back so I open my eyes and I am lying on the bottom of the ocean in about 12 feet of water and it was the reef rubbing my back.

I thought "So this is what it is like to drown. This isn't too bad." I always thought drowning would be sucking water into your lungs and coughing and sucking more in. But this was peaceful. I lay there looking up and everything seemed brown and I felt relaxed and calm. Then I noticed a black patch above me which I knew meant there was no foam there so I gather my self to gather and swam for that spot. I had to force my arms and legs to work and push my mind to stay awake because I wanted to just stop and go to sleep. The ocean disappeared and all I could see was a dark tunnel with the dark patch of water in the end of it. I made it there and took a breath and immediately got hit by another wave but as I was bounced around under the water all the darkness that had been surrounding me went away. I knew I wasn't going to die this day. I took another breath and remember wondering if I should try for a second breath and getting pounded again and having to stop myself from laughing and tell myself not to be greedy.

I swam in and luckily my board didn't get caught in the rip and I paddled in the last 50 yards. Some guys were on the beach and they ran up to me and said "Oh my gosh we thought you drowned" and I asked them "Did you see what happened?" They said "No. We saw your board come in without you." I said "yeah it was a close one" No ill effects from it but probably about as close as you can come to drowning without actually drowning.

Today I saw a jellyfish

What a story oldmansurfer, can only imagine how scary it is to get bounced around by a 30ft face wave like that, and more than once. With a wave that big is there no way to dive under it to avoid getting hold down? (I think the safe depth on a wave that big is probably to far to reach in time, right?)
Also, did you free dive or train apnea before going out on such huge waves? Holding your breath for a minute like you did, after paddling around and being bounced like a doll isn't easy. I can hold my breath on dry land for over a minute easily, but I don't think I would be comfortable holding it for 30 seconds on a wipe out. It's such different scenarios..

I guess the day I was in more trouble was a 4ft-5ft hawaiian I guess, faces around 2ft-3ft overhead. The outside was more far than usual, and it was on my second month of surfing. I was on the beach, still looking at the water, and thinking what I was going to do next, when a local talked to me and told me to tag along. He was going to give some tips to get through the breaking zone, so I just went out with him (not sure if I would have gone by myself). I managed to get through the inside, probably 130 or 150 yards of paddling, I can't say for sure. I know there were some small boats ahead, and the swell made them disappear and appear again while passing them through. I looked around and didn't see a single beginner like me. I was further out than everyone (I usually stay further out so I don't stay on nobody's way) and the guy that went out with me said "see? you did it" (even though I was really tired from paddling). And I was happy that I could at least try to drop in those waves. For some reason I wanted to surf at least one as some tribute to a surfer who passed away the day before. I know it might sound a little stupid..
I paddled for 4 waves. 3 of them got "fat" before I pop up and the last one was the one I should have caught, but there was a guy a little ahead, and I wasn't confident enough to drop in and turn before hitting him. As soon as I looked back, there was a bomb set coming. Everybody else was paddling sideways to avoid the peak, but they were already far from me when I realized it, so I thought I should paddle towards the wave and duck dive it. So there was me, going face to face against that wave building up, which broke right as I dived. I'm not sure if I didn't duck dive deep enough or I was just under the lip, but it threw me around for a few seconds. When I got back to the surface I barely had time to grab my board before another wave broke. Another failed duck dive, another hold down. I was in the breaking zone again, tired out, so I decided to go back to the shore.

Ian , you can dive under big waves if you aren't in the impact zone from the lip but that leaves you out there. If you just let each wave push you in then you get further and further in, closer to the shore (in this case several hundred yards away). So even if I could have taken a breath I would still let the whitewater catch me and take me in. I might dive under a wave or two to get a few good breaths but in this case by the time I was where diving under the wave was a choice I just wanted to go find my board as soon as possible. There is a strong rip and if I fell near the end of the wave instead of the peak my board would have almost for sure gotten into the rip. Before I started surfing I used to train holding my breath under water and swimming under water. I could swim 100 yards underwarter and hold my breath for 2 minutes easily underwater. I was really into body surfing and paipo boarding before surfing.

Serious trouble? Hasn't happened yet (knock wood)...

Been rolled hard, cracked boards on my body leaving the board and body worse for wear, been in rips, caught inside on cleanup sets, but I understood what was happening in all of those situations and had ideas about what the next steps should be....kept my head and ran through the options I'd already discussed with myself on the beach before going in....I hope I never get into a real tight squeeze in the water, but I'm going to do my best to mentally rehearse what my options will be should A, B and/or C occur before entering the water every time....

Yeah it's the unexpected that will get you. you can plan for most of it. Now I didn't ride big waves much but I hear that some big wave riders like to have a leash so the wave grabs the board and takes the surfer out of the impact zone (where the lip is coming over). It's much easier to survive a big wave wipe out if you are not in the impact zone. Other big wave surfers point out that at some breaks it is those surfers with leashes that die theoretically because the leash catches on something underwater. It's good to have support crews if you are going to ride big waves.

For those of you who wonder about getting pounded and held under when surfing a bigger wave. Really that wave wasn't so rough. It was a long time but were it not for the foam that would not have been an issue. I used to bodysurf a place that held me down 20 or 30 seconds on bigger days every single wave. And the wave unlike most surfing waves I wipe out on or get caught by it would pound me down into the bottom. Surfing wipeouts are generally so mellow compared to what I endured then. I remember the first time I caught a wave with a 15 foot face bodysurfing. I tried to cut out but got sucked back over the falls and pounded into the bottom several times then into the washing machine cycle where I was flung all over the place and couldn't even keep my arms by my sides because it was so violent. I thought I would drown but I knew panicking was counterproductive so I remained calm and waited for it to let up. I went back out and told one of the other bodysurfers that I was held under for 30 seconds and he said he thought so too but wasn't sure about it. He had a watch so he went on the beach and timed me a couple times and it was more than 20 and less than 30 seconds both times. It was after that when I started practicing breath holding. Although as a youngster I did breath holding to freak my parents out when they were trying to discipline me.

Compared to those bodysurfing waves this big wave was less violent and it never pushed me into the bottom. Or maybe I got used to getting pounded. From my perspective the scariest part was how hard the leash pulled on my leg. When the wave caught my board and started towing me it pulled harder and harder and for a moment it hurt my ankle but I guess then my body got up to speed and then it was fine.

So here is one clue to surviving a big wipeout DON"T PANIC!!! Seriously if you struggle and fight the wave you will use up more oxygen and have less reserve. Try to keep track of the bottom and your board and try to protect yourself from both if you can. Once the wave lets up if you are far under the surface grab your leash and pull your board to you. It will help to get you to the surface with minimal effort. If not then stop look and listen for the next wave if you can't hear or see it coming under the water then try to calmly get up to the surface and get a quick breath but be ready for the next wave. If the next wave is already there then wait for it to pass then come up and get a breath.

It didn't feel like a bad wipeout at the time, but someone on the beach after asked me "are you the guy that wiped out really bad"?
It was a large day for New Hampshire, and I was up on a patched-up board for the first time, hadn't waxed it properly even.
I wiped out and the board rode me instead of the other way around, tapping me on the head a few times.
Lost both contacts. I gained a certain amount of fear of big waves and shore dumps after that sesh nearly 3 years ago that I still can't shake.

First time was early on in my surfing, I wasn't in much danger but it put the scares on me back then. I hadn't any paddle fitness and got caught in a rip. Nothing exciting but I was getting tired and back then with my complete lack of knowledge was paddling straight against it! Classic mistake eh!

Second was on that big day on the reef when everything happened to me. I got rolled good and proper but instead of it tumbling me and then spitting me out, it must have caught me and flung and dragged me for ages, it just wouldn't end like normal. I was protecting my head hoping not to be smashed into my board, the reef or another surfer..I waited, the violence continuing unabated, then started to feel a rising sense of panic as it just wouldn't release me, not that I minded the hammering, I truly didn't. What I did mind was the fact that I was really needing to take a breath soon. When it did finally let me out of it's slobbery jaws everything went really dark and black, I could feel the depth like treacle around me but I had no idea which way was up. Eyes open and desperate for air, I think my feet broke the surface first and told the rest of my body this was no place to be and I should probably get a wriggle on and stop messing around down there so I'm alive to write about it but yeah..scary for a few seconds there.

Okay, here's one from me...

This was about 3 years ago, when I was in Sydney, and I went out for a surf with Jimi from the forum.
We were down at Cronulla, but it was a huge day out on the points and on most of the beachies. So, inadvisedly, we went in right in the corner of Cronulla beach where you can rarely surf because its very sheltered. However, after a bit of a tiring paddle out, the sweep just rocketed us north along the beach, and out of the sheltered section. Jimi caught on to what was going on earlier than I did, and caught a nice big broken wave to take him all the way to the beach... but I'd left it too late and had been swept next to the rocky section

I tried to paddle into the shore before I got to the rocks, but didn't make it. Now what I should have done at this point was just ride the freight-train cross-shore rip past the rocks and get out about a mile or so up the beach... but, no... I still tried to make it to the shore even though I was now opposite the flat rock section.

Then a larger wave came along and pushed me forward, and so I rode it in as far as I could... onto the flat section of rock in about knee-deep water. That's alright, no problem, I'll just wade in across the flat rocky section, riding the little crumbly whitewater waves when I can.

...And then it sucked dry

Suddenly I was standing on a dry rock, very very exposed as a double-overhead crumbly monster of a wave came bearing down on. I had several seconds before the wave hit to think about my options... nope, no options. I was going to get hit by the wave while standing on a rock.

I put my board down onto the rock in front of me, and put as much room between me and it as I could. Then as the wave hit the rock shelf (effectively a reef), I dived headfirst into the clean face that was suddenly and very briefly there. That got me into the wave enough that although still caught by it, I was surrounded by water. Fortunately, as the wave collapsed over the rocks, it didn't drag me over the falls, otherwise that was game over. I got swept across the rocks, arms over my head and curled up in a fetal position, and bounced off the bottom a couple of times, but fortunately always on the flat rocks and not the big sticky up rocks. The hold-down went on for a couple of weeks (okay, a few seconds) and quite a distance, and then I popped up in the middle of the whitewater. My board was bouncing around in front of me, so I grabbed onto it, jumped on top, and then rode across the rocks in front of the wave in ankle-deep water, until finally the wave lobbed me onto the sand.

Result - me, slightly battered but surprisingly intact considering. Board, dinged to hell and back, and missing some fins. All told, could have been a lot worse


Moral of this story - Think about where you'll end up, not where you'll start. And don't try to beat the rip.

I sometimes paddle into a rip and if I am fit enough and the rip is weak enough I just got to shore right through it. Sometimes paddling against the rip is the quickest way in. But sometimes it's just insane or a poor choice. You have to know your abilities.

I did remember an incident that scared me pretty good for a week or two....

I had just taken my first lesson a week prior. I'd since manag d to find and buy a used 9'3" longboard that I fitted out with a brand new leash and a new wax job per the YouTube instructional video on the subject. After studying several more of these videos, I felt ready and went down to a local, fairly benign looking and relatively small break that just happened to be a 250m paddle out. Anyway, I scout the sea, looking for any information I might glean. There were other surfers and they set off from a cove next to the parking lot rather than walking up to a land point more close to the break. Feeling clever, I went the shortcut route and walked up to the point, took a deep breath and set sail. I quickly found myself about 50m offshore and then....I realized I was going sideways faster than I was going forward. So I turn and start to paddle dead into the face of the current trying to regain my position as well as angling a bit out towards the break. I manag d to free myself if what I would learn was a longshore current and I stopped to take a breather. Two more left frim the cove and motored smoothly past my position on their way to the break, saying hello and looking me over a bit as I was floating in the boat channel about 135m for on the last land point with roughly the same distance to go out to where there were any waves at all. Then as they passed I realized; I had gone past my personal point of no return ALREADY...a concept that if developed in diving that related to how far from the dive oat the group could venture before having to turn around and come back (assuming it was straight line travel, usually we'd swim against currents early and return with an easier swim that was more relaxed using less tank air which I'd add as a determining factor into my mental point of no return formula). Anyway, I was a lot more tired than I thought I would be, en Rty was NOT returning after my breather, and that longshore was going to take work to break through or I'd be washed up well down the beach as the current did not run parallel to the beach and high dipped into an inlet next to my jump off point (where the other surfers had begun from, calmer waters and a hole in my he current which I was to discover). Any at, starting to feel scared and exposed and since I had no visa for China I decided to get at it. 20 min and a personal superhuman effort later I missed my takeoff point and was swept by yhe current to the mouth of the inlet/cove where the current promptly disappeared and I sheepishly paddled in under the gaze of the guard tower which was actually none the wiser to my situation as Id come back on the route most traveled. Lessons learned were that I knew f-&%#@all about ocean currents in spite of my textbook knowledge, my fitness was cr@p in spite of my beach muscles, and that I needed to study a lot more, paddle a lot more and practice a lot more in. More protected conditions before v maturing out ALONE across hundreds of meters of open water. Also, I as dealing with a rib issue at the time that turned out to be a cracked rib injury that i was doing my best to ignore as I'd picked it up in my lesson and I wanted so badly to surf I though I could handle it. Learned a lot that day.

I keep a reserve amount of stamina depending on the conditions. If I am very far out or the currents are very strong or the conditions treacherous, I will head in as soon as I feel the least bit tired. In safer conditions I allow myself to get more tired before heading in

oldmansurfer wrote:I keep a reserve amount of stamina depending on the conditions. If I am very far out or the currents are very strong or the conditions treacherous, I will head in as soon as I feel the least bit tired. In safer conditions I allow myself to get more tired before heading in

My first paddle out ever....found out 125yds with current was my limit....