Surfing Waves

I went surfing and there weren't many people out. Anyway, there was a lot of kelp and I was kind of just surfing in it. However, a pretty big cleanup set came through. After I got pummeled by the first wave, I found myself surrounded by thick kelp. It felt restrictive and sort of spooked me. I remember my high school dive instructor telling us stories of divers getting caught under kelp. Anyway, I didn't have any problems, but it kind of clued me into realizing that I need to be more careful around it.

My first encounter with it was scary too. I just don't like the feeling of touching slimey plants. I was surfing 3-4 feet waves that day and I caught a wave but I didn't realise my leash got tangled with the kelp. It was so strong that it pulled me off the wave. I had to untangle myself before I could paddle away. It also didn't help that I was surrounded by baby sharks. I was traumatized.

Yeah, I've gotten caught inside and tangled in kelp. Not fun taking a few waves on the head while you try to wrestle free of the slime monster.

I wiped out in the kelp on a chest high wave and got a rash on my neck from the wave pushing me thru a string of kelp, it didn't wrap around my neck, but it felt like I caught the last 2-3 feet of the kelp on my neck. Sometimes when surfing thru the kelp, my long 10" single fin will snag the kelp and stop my board while I continue to move forward thru the air, like running into a curb with a skateboard. Most of the time it will just slow the board to the point where I stall off the wave.

When leashes first came out they were quite long!
Sitting at one of my favourite point breaks, there was a slight seaward drain as the next wave drew water towards it!
Then the wave itself began to swell, drastically I began to be pulled underwater backwards by my leash
The downward drag got stronger and stronger as the wave reared up!
Had to slide backwards in a reverse turtleduck dive through the wave survival technique.
What sort of monster was dragging me to my doom
In the trough between wave my leash released from the rock on which it had been caught.
Paddled twenty strokes HARD!to get away from the monster, have had a sitting technique since then that stops the leash dragging too deep!

Note here that a leg leash in river surf could be easily fatal , board one side of obstacle you the other!
It is impossible to get to the leash on your leg to release it. Rivers are relentless and exponentially powerful .
Safety first the leash is attached to a quick release waist belt.
Please remember that if you go river surfing!
Also guys that have had hip replacement favour waist leashes, imagine having your new titanium hip joint being ripped out of socket and washed ashore :

BaNZ wrote: It also didn't help that I was surrounded by baby sharks. I was traumatized.

They say the kelp is supposed to keep the sharks away. Maybe the sharks are just drawn to you Anyway, where I surf on some days (depending of the tide) about 1/3 of my waves are wrecked by my leash getting caught in the kelp. It's really frustrating to get the perfect wave, perform the perfect popup, set yourself up to do the perfect off-the-top, and then get yanked off your board by your leash snagging the kelp or your fin getting caught up in the kelp. It's enough to make me want to find a new surf spot.

Namu wrote:Sometimes when surfing thru the kelp, my long 10" single fin will snag the kelp and stop my board while I continue to move forward thru the air, like running into a curb with a skateboard. Most of the time it will just slow the board to the point where I stall off the wave.

I've had that happen more times than I can count. I still haven't seen any sharks, though

Here is a creep out for you!
If you see a shark, usually ok but go in. In a non panicked way.
The shark that attacks you, you won't know about until it hits!
Great whites in particular like to drive up from a drop off and the hit is designed to partially stun their victim ,,less risk to them!

This is all rule of thumb , remember sharks have not signed on to the rule book.