Surfing Waves

Bryan Doonan is an avid surfer and family physician who offers good advice to stay healthy in the ocean. Of the many good points he makes, I focus most on avoiding board collisions and remembering never to panic. When I was 8, a sneaker wave knocked me off the mat I was riding and pounded me for a short while. It shouldn't have been a big deal but I panicked and nearly drowned.

http://www.newportbeachindy.com/surfing-physician-offers-tips-for-ocean-safety/

“Surfing should not be a dangerous sport,” he opined, “as long as you’re aware of simple mistakes that cause injury.” Certainly, good judgment is the number one preventative.

What he said

oldmansurfer wrote:

“Surfing should not be a dangerous sport,” he opined, “as long as you’re aware of simple mistakes that cause injury.” Certainly, good judgment is the number one preventative.

Yeah, "be aware" of Kooks or Half-goods. Most of my injuries were due to other's, not self inflicted.

But also notice one of the highest %'s is to the FACE. Always come up from under the surface of the water protecting your face. You never know if the board is hovering over your head or sling shooting back at you by your leash. I palm the top of my head and let my forearm/elbow block for the eyes/nose.

could be that surfers are just more likely to seek help if they have facial injuries as opposed to injuries elsewhere. I feel sorry for you being forced to surf with kooks. Most of the time I only surf with one kook (myself )

In the last year, I've seen more people ride without leashes. Most of them are "trick riders" who do 360's, head stands, butt rides and other goofy stuff. They're fun to watch but often lose their boards, and you do not want to be inside when that happens.

My 360 rotates the head to be aware of incoming missiles.