Ouch, Mavericks Wipeouts 2006

[FormosanSurfer]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFM_MoLt ... uts%20surf

[pat42]

I love watching wipeouts

[Dec]

Holy crap!
I get scared wipeing out on 6ft+ waves...now try 40ft+

Those are braves guys out there!!!

[FormosanSurfer]

I love watching wipeouts

I like watching people wiping out on big waves, it makes me less afraid of wiping out on small waves.

[Dr Rev]

Makes my wipeouts look pathetic !

[pat42]

I only wipeout on big waves

[IdRatherBeSurfing]

good to see the girls out there too!

[Laguna]

Those wipeouts are insane!! I feel like im drowning and been beaten around when I wipeout in 4-5ft waves.

[gaff]

i am new to surfing (like i started and fell hok line last week in Cornwall)

how the hell do you survive wipeouts like that, the water must keep you under for ages? does it also smash you into the bottom as well?

i have only surfer 3' waves, they didnt do much to me when i wiped out (hundreds of times mind!) how big are they when they start hurting?

[bgdkmetzger2003]

I would say whether a wipeout is bad depends on a lot of things. A bad wipeout is scary and a rush at the same time. Its a weird feeling being so helpless and that you become the force of the wave. Its kind of like all you can do is explore the feeling while its happening. The longest Ive ever been held down was in an 8 ft face wave, for about 12-15 seconds. Its really weird feeling so much power and water around you. Those mavericks guys are probably held down for 35-45 seconds maybe more for multiple waves.

You think you can hold your breathe for a minute but it becomes a different story in the deep.

[FormosanSurfer]

Being held under always feels like forever. The first time I was held under it seemed like it was 20 seconds, when it was probably closer to 5.

[Dec]

Because of pressure at deper depths, you might only be able to hold your breath for 30 seconds, when on the surface it could be a minute.

Also, strugglinig underwater uses energy (therefore oxygen).

Just gotta say these guys are crazy!!

[bgdkmetzger2003]

yeah id really like to know how they train for it. what you have to do to prepare yourself for it.

[kitesurfer]

The longest Ive ever been held down was in an 8 ft face wave, for about 12-15 seconds.

I always find it really hard to estimate how long a wave holds you down for. Last october i got what i estimated to be a 12-14ft barreling face wave land right on my head! Not exactly a wipeout but the result of my mate saying we're fine just here we're out back. Errm no i don't think we are.
The forces involved as the wave exploded around me seemed massive and it was so much worse than any i'd experienced before. Now i still don't reckon i was held down for much more than 10-15 secs which doesn't seem long and you're all probably thinking no problem holding my breath that long! However that sort of waves literally knocks the wind out of you, turns you upside down, bounces you on your head and all sorts, many times in a very short space of time and it prevents you from reaching the surface when you want to!
It's really hard to keep calm in these conditions and you use you oxygen possibly upto 5-10 times quicker than you would normally. Needless to say i came up coughing water and sand thinking oh my god what just happened, where's my board i want to be one the beach!
So obviously being fit and able to hold your breath is important but that's not everything. Your body needs to be physically strong to take the beating that big waves will give you and you also need to be able to remain calm in these situations so that you don't use up oxygen quickly and i guess the only way to get this is experience is to work your way up to it.

Cheers KS

[kitesurfer]

yeah id really like to know how they train for it. what you have to do to prepare yourself for it.

I hear that one of the training techniques the guys in hawai use is:
They duck dive down to the bottom, no goggles, pick up as big a rock as they can find and then proceed to run across the sea bed as far as they can before they run out of breath.

KS

[thaya]

I've just watched those videos.
That's some seriously terrifying stuff

[Dec]

In one of laird hamiltons books I read, he said he dives (In scuba gear) down to abuot 20m, then takes out the regulater and accends very slowly whilst exhaling air.

Still, no matter which way you train yourself, its gunng be a hell of a wipeout on waves that big!