Big Wave Surf Tech?

[BoMan]

Excerpt from "The Dangers of Surf Tech" by Chris Dixon

New rescue technology is emboldening surfers to take bigger risks than ever before. Which means epic rides—and wipeouts.

For the past decade, Terry Maas, a retired California oral surgeon and prominent freediver, has been working on a computer-activated inflatable vest called the SRV, which functions as an unconscious rescue system. While older versions required an able-bodied surfer to pull a rip cord, Maas’ vest will bring even an unconscious rider to the surface. The user programs the computer to trigger inflation at a certain depth or time spent underwater—say, 30 feet or 60 seconds.

But some worry that these devices will impart a false sense of security. “We can’t have the new generation of guys come in and just say, ‘Well, I don’t have to be so ready, because all I have to do now is pull a cord.’”

Before long, the Mavericks lineup could be made up of surfers in inflatable vests and suits with oxygen canisters strapped to their chests. What’s going to happen when Mavericks goes 70 feet and people try to paddle it? Human beings cannot fall on a wave that big and live.”

Full artical - http://www.outsideonline.com/1911641/dangers-surf-tech

If you ride big waves, what do you think about SRVs? Would having one change your preparation?

[oldmansurfer]

I currently won't be going into surf that would require one of those devices. I think innovation is great and the up and coming generation is going to be pushing things and with a device like this less people may die (but it may mean also that more people will be injured)

[BoMan]

I think innovation is great and the up and coming generation is going to be pushing things and with a device like this less people may die (but it may mean also that more people will be injured)

I'm with you OMS. It's like American football. As the helmets and pads got better, players hit harder and got hurt more often.

[dtc]

I do often wonder at the lack of safety equipment in surfing. I realise the risk level is low, but no one wears inflatable vests even though you can be knocked out in any wave. No one wears helmets. No one has even invented a 'soft' helmet to protect against board on skull impacts (to my knowledge).

Some of it is peer pressure/kook, the gear does interfere with surfing and freedom and there is an argument it's not needed etc. but look at safety gear in kayaking or sailing, it's just what you do.

Not that I wear any; like most my safety gear is other surfers

[Big H]

I was talking to a guy that said in the mentawis you have to duck dive with your hand flat on the deck otherwise you will get your knuckles skinned eventually....seems like gloves would be in order.

[RinkyDink]

I do often wonder at the lack of safety equipment in surfing. I realise the risk level is low, but no one wears inflatable vests even though you can be knocked out in any wave. No one wears helmets. No one has even invented a 'soft' helmet to protect against board on skull impacts (to my knowledge).

Some of it is peer pressure/kook, the gear does interfere with surfing and freedom and there is an argument it's not needed etc. but look at safety gear in kayaking or sailing, it's just what you do.

Not that I wear any; like most my safety gear is other surfers

I marvel at the lack of safety equipment myself. I often surf alone and it sketches me out sometimes when I get way outside. I do have a poor man's inflatable rash guard http://paddleair.com/ that I use every time I go out. I had to stop surfing for about a month because my sore ribs had me in agony. (They don't heal quickly either.) The rash guard has solved my sore rib problem, but it is also nice to know there's a little bit of flotation there as well. I realize, though, that I need to find a surfing partner or move closer to other surfers.

[oldmansurfer]

I have surfed thousands of hours by myself without safety equipment and I am still surfing without it. I find it rather interesting that non big wave riders desire it. I know some guys use helmets at certain breaks but the personal flotation device thing is interesting in non big wave use.....I am not sure what to say about that but it will make it easier to find the bodies. If it wasn't too difficult to wear one I might just do so to make my wife happy so she could have me cremated after I drown

[RinkyDink]

I am not sure what to say about that but it will make it easier to find the bodies. If it wasn't too difficult to wear one I might just do so to make my wife happy so she could have me cremated after I drown

I think it could make the difference between a surfer living or dying. It's a choice, though. Danger is a part of the appeal of being involved in sports. I've gone backpacking alone, but I always told people where I was going and when they should expect me back. I take a cell phone with me now. A friend of mine went backpacking alone on an easy hike and died crossing a stream. Things can go wrong. I like having some flotation in water so I'm not stuck having to tread water if things go south and I have limited mobility.

[jaffa1949]

Rinky I did a Chiropractic review of paddle air some years back for them in Australia. There were some minor problems but there new model addressed all them . If it helps your neck and back it is a good thing!
Over inflate and you will be very buxom indeed. I'm ver inflation also makes duck diving and wave penetration on wipeouts harder!

[BoMan]

The LEFT side of my brain (which is also the DAD side) argues for safety regulations.
A Require helmet, leash, flotation device and fin/board guards
B Require advanced swimming ability
C Pass an "drivers test" with questions about
1 Weather
2 The waves (size and shape)
3 Currents
4 Landscape features including rocks, cliffs, jetties and piers
5 Etiquette
6 Your board
7 Sea critters like jellyfish and sharks

My RIGHT brain says "I surf to relax by staying close to nature and feeling free. Don't tell me what to do!" This is the side I listen to most.

[BoMan]

The personal flotation device thing is interesting in non big wave use.....it will make it easier to find the bodies.

Are you a paramedic?

[RinkyDink]

Jaffa, when I first started surfing my ribs were seriously bothering me in and out of the water. Other surfers have written that the pain goes away, but that never happened with me. I had to stop surfing altogether from the rib pain and then I injured my leg working out to stay in shape for surfing as my ribs healed. Anyway, to make a long story short, when I finally got back to surfing I used the Paddleair and my rib problem was solved. I don't really inflate it much because I prefer it with just a tad bit of cushion. I think I've also gotten better at protecting my ribs as I pop over white water. The one thing I don't like about it is that the vest can ride up on my chest and then the inflation tube can get too close to my chin. It has even hit my mouth when I touched my chin down to my chest. I'd like the inflator to point more toward my shoulder rather than toward my chin. Other than that, I'm pretty happy with it.

[dtc]

I have surfed thousands of hours by myself without safety equipment and I am still surfing without it. I find it rather interesting that non big wave riders desire it.

Well I've been driving for 30 years without a car accident, but I still wear a seatbelt. Although I don't know whether proportionally driving is more dangerous than surfing - a lot of surfing deaths are heart related, which cant be prevented; while other injuries cant be prevented by any kind of safety equipment.

Like I said, I don't use any myself but I've always been interested that people don't use it and its not even an issue - its just not on the radar. I even know people who don't like using booties on tropical reefs, because it takes then away from the natural feel.

I spent part of my life as a lawyer looking after personal injury claims and medical malpractice, so I'm pretty across just how easy it is to suffer a significant injury. I suspect spending your days looking at how people got injured makes you view the world a bit different (although, Old Man, aren't you in emergency services?). I don't see paving stones, I see edges that people will trip over and smash their kneecaps when they fall...

[oldmansurfer]

seat belts have been shown to save lives. Not so for flotation devices or helmets or anything else. I doubt it will have much impact on saving lives except where you have water safety personnel with jet skis waiting to pick you up. Keeping you floating isn't going to save your life unless you can't swim and then you really have no business out in the break.

[oldmansurfer]

However keeping you floating will make it easier to find your dead body

[Big H]

The LEFT side of my brain (which is also the DAD side) argues for safety regulations.
A Require helmet, leash, flotation device and fin/board guards
B Require advanced swimming ability
C Pass an "drivers test" with questions about
1 Weather
2 The waves (size and shape)
3 Currents
4 Landscape features including rocks, cliffs, jetties and piers
5 Etiquette
6 Your board
7 Sea critters like jellyfish and sharks

My RIGHT brain says "I surf to relax by staying close to nature and feeling free. Don't tell me what to do!" This is the side I listen to most.

Reading my history lessons, the legislation over the waves in Australia didn't really work.....so that leaves the onus on the individual.....some of the things like helmets on shallow reef breaks make a lot of sense....PFD's do as well....but at the same time I like surfing because of the right brain aspects you listed coupled with a healthy dose of anti-authoritiarian attitude and punk rock ethos that led me in the first place to a sport that is not a sport, that there are rules but no rules....that self expression is encouraged......padding the safety margins smacks of trading in the sports car or 4x4 for a family friendly mini van/grocery getter.....less risk = less thrill? I'm not sure....does riding on the highway with no seatbelt underline your stance against "the man" or is it just carelessness? If putting on a surfing helmet is like making sure your car is air bag equipped is not having one the same as having a cold beer in your drink holder next to your toll booth change?

I can see myself with a helmet soon for those shallow reef breaks.....I can also see big wave surfers using PFD's and bail out air bottles (like this, a 20year old technology ......http://www.spareair.com ).....could be that fatalities in big wave surfing go up due to the unprepared getting in literally over their heads with the false assurances of the safety gear, or that lives are saved.....likely outcome will be that more inexperienced riders will be hurt and more experienced ones will experience a self rescue or two in my humble opinion.

[oldmansurfer]

In big wave riding having a self inflating vest would be good for instances when the surfer was unconscious. In small waves it wouldn't work because the water people are in is too shallow . A self inflating vest would be dangerous in shallow reefs and rocky shorelines because you would be at the mercy of the ocean and wind unless there is someone waiting on a jet ski to retrieve you. How do most surfers drown? Mostly not from being held under too long. They die because they hit their board or the bottom and are knocked unconscious or broke their neck or injured so severely they can't save themselves. They die because they get a heart attack or stroke. They die because they panic underwater and do something stupid . They die because their leash gets trapped on something underwater. Unless there is someone to bring you immediately to safety inflating a vest isn't going to save a life very often. A helmet might help to keep you from getting concussions or not. Look at football, lots of concussions there with helmets. After wearing a helmet for a few weeks I can tell you I much prefer no helmet. Wearing a helmet drops my abilities a notch. However I also prefer to not surf shallow reefs for safety reasons.

[billie_morini]

I know it is becoming increasingly rare in the USA,but I enjoy doing things and taking responsibility for my actions. One beautiful aspect of surfing is its simplicity. Leashes and to a lessor extent, foam boards, are responsible for increasing the surf break body count. Worse, the leash introduced many sub-standard swimmers into the lineup. Consequently, safety improvements may have dubious results. These SRV's will likely facilitate entrance of not-ready-for-prime time surfers in big wave lineups. I like when there are features, characteristics, elements, and/or aspects that separate those that can't from those that can.

P.S. to my Braddahs conversing in a specific General Chat discussion: This topic borders on (surfing) politics!

[BoMan]

Reading my history lessons, the legislation over the waves in Australia didn't really work.....so that leaves the onus on the individual.

I agree with you and wish that individuals took the onos more seriously.

I want to call out social media for encouraging people to share extreme behavior on the internet. The amusement of faceless viewers is not worth the consequences of pushing one's limits too far.

You Tube - In overhead surf, I watched a high school student ride into a boat ramp in the middle of a sea wall. Miraculously he made it but his board slammed into the concrete and broke in half. His buddies with the video cam thought it was the best thing ever.
Facebook - Sixth graders at my school come after hours to ollie their skateboards on stairway hand rails while friends make recordings on their phones.
SnapChat - The app has a filter that tracks the speed you are actually going in a car while the photo is being taken. 3 teens were killed this weekend showing off how fast they could drive in a residential area.

I make my living with technology and enjoy every workday, but I'm disappointed with how it's changing our culture. Why is it so important to SHARE everything with the world - especially when it's dangerous? We don't need an audience to have fun!

[waikikikichan]

Leashes and to a lessor extent, foam boards, are responsible for increasing the surf break body count.

and the movie "Blue Crush" for adding to the amount of females at the break.