32 hour surfing session that ended well

[OlegLupusov]

http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/02/europe/sc ... index.html

[oldmansurfer]

A surfer who made obviously an incredibly bad choice to go out when and where he did. But managed to stay alive while others found him. No lifeguards? No one else who was looking out for him and the normal strong currents which apparently he wasn't familiar with. In this case a current that didn't circle back or he managed to get out of that current and into another

[Big H]

I could care about sharks.....that story represents my biggest fear since I surf alone primarily. Because of that I miss out on some breaks, days that the waves look good but the water is running hard, and I stay away from the relative secret spots because of this too since I won't go out alone....those relative secret spots are such because they are hard to get to, no one around and conditions are on the difficult side. Oh well.....not overly preoccupied about it, not like I'm investing in orange day glow shorts but it is what goes through my head when conditions worsen and I start to fatigue.

I would say it's a good thing.

[oldmansurfer]

I surf by myself but figure barring breaking my neck or being knocked unconscious and drowning I will be able to find a way back to the shore ....well maybe if I get bitten by a shark I might bleed to death first...... but then I am extremely familiar with the coast line and currents in the area having grown up there and having been in the ocean since I was a little tyke.

[RinkyDink]

It's probably a good idea to have some idea about the ocean currents in your neck of the woods. I know I fear ocean currents because I'm not all that familiar with how they interact with the tide, weather, land features, etc. It's another part of understanding the sea that I need to wrap my head around.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Corr ... anicas.png

[oldmansurfer]

Hey RinkyDink if you get familiar with those currents you could be a world traveler. When I was a kid there was an old fisherman who speared fish at a spot a half mile out from shore. I told him I thought he must be a real good swimmer but he told me he doesn't swim out there. He just jumps in where the current will take him out there. He spears fish for an hour or two and get backs into the current which brings him back to land. Those currents you see on that page are offshore open ocean currents but good to know if they approach anywhere you are surfing. There was one surf break on Oahu that had a strong offshore current nearby. They called it the Molokai express because if you got into it that is where it was headed. Near shore currents mostly run in smaller circles but you can get out of even the big offshore currents if you know the area and you haven't wasted your energy fighting the current unsuccessfully.

[RinkyDink]

Hey RinkyDink if you get familiar with those currents you could be a world traveler. When I was a kid there was an old fisherman who speared fish at a spot a half mile out from shore. I told him I thought he must be a real good swimmer but he told me he doesn't swim out there. He just jumps in where the current will take him out there. He spears fish for an hour or two and get backs into the current which brings him back to land. Those currents you see on that page are offshore open ocean currents but good to know if they approach anywhere you are surfing. There was one surf break on Oahu that had a strong offshore current nearby. They called it the Molokai express because if you got into it that is where it was headed. Near shore currents mostly run in smaller circles but you can get out of even the big offshore currents if you know the area and you haven't wasted your energy fighting the current unsuccessfully.

Yeah, I really don't know much about ocean currents, offshore or near shore, but I imagine if I were lost at sea it might be wise to find a strong current because I imagine the shipping lanes follow them. Anyway, I have seen places in Mexico where the tide is strong enough to sweep unsuspecting people out to sea. There are so many ways things can get real when you're in the ocean. It's good to venture out with others nearby if you can.

[oldmansurfer]

I think the more sensible option would be to get out of the current while you are in reach of land and before you need to rely on shipping lanes to save you. Basically there will be another current that parallels the open ocean current and it will turn back to land. I think people get into trouble trying to get back where they came from when they should be trying to get back to land alive and worry about getting back to where they went in after they are safely back on land

[Millsy82]

I can't believe he was gone for 24 hours before someone noticed.

When I kayaked I was always taught to let someone know you are going out, where you're going and what time you expect to be back. I still do this with surfing so I have told my girlfriend if I am ever an hour overdue to phone emergency services and say where I was surfing.

I do worry about things like this happening when I'm out and I've been taught what to do if your caught in a rip and I would of thought it's just the same as look for the breaking waves and paddle towards them?

[dtc]

This sounds worse

http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/busi ... 0502126906

[oldmansurfer]

I do worry about things like this happening when I'm out and I've been taught what to do if your caught in a rip and I would of thought it's just the same as look for the breaking waves and paddle towards them?

If you don't have to paddle against the current to get to the waves. In my estimation just from talking to people who have gotten caught in currents initially they don't know they are caught and first instinct is to paddle/swim against the current to get back where they were and by the time they realize that they can't do that they are well away from the surf and tired. Being aware of exactly where you are as you should be to surf generally makes you well aware of currents taking you away but beginners float around unaware that they are drifting out of the lineup. More experienced surfers may just be distracted, their mind elsewhere. If you want to get out of a current then paddle sideways to the current but usually the current will take you out but then bring you sideways and back into the shore

[BoMan]

Knowing the tide is important too.

In my last sesh there was a large swing between high (4.7) and low tide (-0.6). While waiting for waves my floaty longboard got sucked out and I had to do a lot of paddling to stay in position. It really helps to use points of reference on the shore as a guide.

[oldmansurfer]

Flotation doesn't affect how you get swept away from the current but it does make it easier to paddle against the current But having a floaty board makes you more likely to be blown away by wind. Yes a surfer should be checking points of reference regularly because there is always currents in the lineup. The more current the more often you need to check. Typically I use 2 structures on the shoreline that are a good distance apart as a lineup. When I get to the spot I want to be at based on the waves I see coming in, I look to the shore and find 2 structures that are a good distance apart and lined up. At one of the breaks I surf it is a orange ball in the middle of a power line (to keep helicopters fro hitting the power line) and a particular spot on the mountain behind it. This lineup is good because it can also help with distance out a bit too. If you can make another lineup in another direction then that helps with distance in or out but the waves sort of help with that too but it's tricky paddling to where they both lineup again. If as a beginner you only surf where there are other surfers you may be accustomed to letting the crowd decide where you should be so when you are on your own you are clueless.

[oldmansurfer]

http://www.grindtv.com/surf/rescued-scottish-surfer-was-pretty-certain-he-was-going-to-die-video/?sm_id=organic_fb_social_GRNTV_170505_sf76374496%23sf76374496#O7y8iktdjG8urD1Z.97

It sounds like he is making a smart decision to never surf again. Lucky to be alive.

[OlegLupusov]

Been in the currents many times. Most of the time just fought them as the final destination was rocks or too far to hike back:)

Once I was rescued with my broken board but I still think I would have made it on my own.
Once just followed the curren and got into rocks. Some minor cuts on my palms and wet suit and surfboard scratches.

After hard wipe outs and current adventures I become a pussy for a while:) but that guy had too much. Probably, his while will be a long one:)

[OlegLupusov]

He is just too young and stressed:) At 23, people do stupid things all the time!

[RinkyDink]

A basic question you have to consider seriously if you're going to surf alone is, why isn't anybody else out? If you're in one of those unusual, extremely rare places where there just aren't many people there ever, then you can ignore that question. If you're at Malibu, however, it's probably a good idea to take the hint and not push your luck.

[oldmansurfer]

LOL well I know why I go out alone. It's because I enjoy it. There are many reasons why others don't surf the same break but basically I try to find a break with no one else surfing it and there are many breaks in the vicinity and hundreds more all over the island. Where I surf most often it's looks like sloppy waves but within all that disorganization there are usually some nice waves. Sometimes I mange to shred one of those good waves and immediately 5 or 6 guys will paddle out but they will usually go back in because it's tricky finding the right wave and there is often a lot of current sweeping you down the lineup. It's a challenging place to surf often.

[RinkyDink]

LOL well I know why I go out alone. It's because I enjoy it. There are many reasons why others don't surf the same break but basically I try to find a break with no one else surfing it and there are many breaks in the vicinity and hundreds more all over the island. Where I surf most often it's looks like sloppy waves but within all that disorganization there are usually some nice waves. Sometimes I mange to shred one of those good waves and immediately 5 or 6 guys will paddle out but they will usually go back in because it's tricky finding the right wave and there is often a lot of current sweeping you down the lineup. It's a challenging place to surf often.

I probably should have qualified that as applying to beginners or for those going out some place new. Still, I remember reading an interview with Gerry Lopez from a long, long time ago where he talked about going out somewhere that looked amazing, but nobody was out. He decided to go out and try it and got pounded. The crowd or lack of crowd is a piece of information that can be useful, in my opinion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-FonWBEb0o

[oldmansurfer]

If a break looks good and you get pounded, it's likely that you can learn to surf it if you are willing to pay the price of getting pounded in the interim. You very likely shouldn't go to a new break alone however skilled you are. The story about the opinion of masses is funny. I bet a bunch of cattlemen would have gotten a closer range of weights. But some things are possible even if the masses think they are not.