Surfing Waves

Hi, I have a question about falling. When you get thrown off your board and get caught up in the white water what is the best thing to do to prevent getting hurt (i.e. getting caught up with your board, bashed around on the reef, held under, etc.) I am wondering if I should just relax and let the wave do its thing, curl up in a ball, try to swim...

The only advice I've heard is cover your head with your arms but I usually don't think about this until the wave goes by and I'm coming to the surface but don't know where my board is.

Any comments ?

i try to relax as much as possible and cover my head (face and back head) with my arms and let the wave, as you say, do its thing..
and then just wait until the worst stumble stops and i can try to get some orientation...

I forgot to cover my face on Sunday...

Ouch, you'll remember that next time you come off.
Still, the matching black eyes are a nice touch!

zebroo wrote:I forgot to cover my face on Sunday...

You look a lot like I did in October. Went out on a truly stupid day to be out, especially on a longboard, and changed my mind and headed back in. Almost made it, but the shorebreak got me, 2 monsters in a row, the second one put the board right into the left side of my nose - similar gash, broken bone, lots of blood in the water. I only got a shiner on one side though, so you win on that count

To the OP, that incident and one over the summer where I got the back of my head opened up taught me 2 important lessons. The first is to avoid losing contact with the board whenever possible, both for my safety and that of other people in the water. The second is if my board and I are forcefully parted, I tuck into a ball and use both arms and hands to cover as much of my face and head as possible, and don't uncover till things calm down and I have pretty good idea of where I am in relation to my board.

I guess the third lesson would be not to go out in conditions that are a poor fit for my skill level and what I'm riding, but that one has taken longer to sink in

I think as a beginner it's easy to forget safety sometimes....always get your arms over your head and face during a wipeout and when you surface.
I learnt the hard way about 18 months ago....
Gnarly conditions, wiped out on a double up wave set, held under for what felt like ages. Came up just in time to see my board catch another wave and launch into the side of my face right next to my eye socket. Lots of blood, then 6 stitches and a black eye to round it off.....
Apart from learning to get my hands over my head and face I also learnt to try and figure out which side of you the board is on when surfacing.
The other thing I learnt is that pop out epoxy boards might be recommended for beginners because of their durability, but it was like being hit by a tank. I was lucky I wasn't knocked out in the water. Straight afterwards I changed for a fibreglass model.....I have since been hit by this a few times, nothing as bad, but it was nothing like being hit by that NSP board. Half the mass, half the impact force.....

I will echo what everyone has said thus far, covering your face/head is very important. If you're up and riding and lose your balance sometimes you can still push off the board as you fall to try and create some distance. When I wipe especially when it's shallow I'll cover my head and curl into a ball, tucking your head in will help protect your neck in the event you hit bottom.

Also, when possible get in the habit of taking some deep breaths before whiping as you never know how long you'll be under for. Remember you'll surface before long, think about slowing your heart rate and relaxing. I find that trying to swim to the surface while you're surrounded by crashing water is rarely effective and it's often better to relax, let the energy dissapate, then float/swim up.

Zebroo,
You are a hero! Keep the stoke, lil' lassie!
billie

billie_morini wrote:Zebroo,
You are a hero! Keep the stoke, lil' bro!
billie

Thanks Billie.. just for future reference, it's lil sis!

I will certainly remember to cover my face in the future! It looks much worse than it feels.

zebroo wrote:

billie_morini wrote:Zebroo,
You are a hero! Keep the stoke, lil' bro!
billie

Thanks Billie.. just for future reference, it's lil sis!

I will certainly remember to cover my face in the future! It looks much worse than it feels.

Remember, when someone asks you if you got into a fight, just say "If you think this looks bad.....you should see the other guy!"

Of course I'm sure the board came out of it a lot better than you did

If you're desperate like me, and you try to surf in 2 feet of water, make sure you fall flat, like a back/belly flop so you don't smash your hip/arm/ single body part with all of your body weight.

Great thread start, it's a topic that is not discussed much but we all have to deal with.

As you become a better surfer you get better at wipeouts, as well as surfing. I seldom hurt myself when I surf, even in big surf, but I know how when to dive into the wall or turn away from an exploding shorebreak just in time. I still occassionally get tossed over when trying to hit the tube, end up getting spun with the board, which occassionally hits me.

As to advise, as simplistic as it sounds, if you are falling down make sure you know where your board is. You'd be suprised how often begginers hurt themelselves by landing on their board.

RonG wrote: Went out on a truly stupid day to be out, especially on a longboard

I've been there.... the last day I went out this season was much that way. Looked a bit chopy form shore... got out there and it was WAY bigger and messier than I expected.Chest high to way overhead and closing out everywhere. Didn't catch a single ride and only managed to get beat up. I'm good about covering my head, but this time I got a pretty good whack to the chest and fractured a rib. Two months down the road and I'm just now feeling ready to go back out but it's getting too cold here for my 3/2 wetsuit. Lousy way to end the season.

My routine when wiping out is 1. cover my head and 2. when I come up out of the water reach down to my ankle for my leash and pull the board in --- try to get it under me before another wave clocks me.

Assuming you're on a beach break, and not some spikey reef, then pretty much the only thing you need to worry about is getting hit by your board.
The big advantage you have is that the board is very floaty and you're not - so once you're underwater, stay there. Dont fight for the surface until the wave has run out of puff - just hang on in there with the board at the surface and you underneath. Then make sure you come up hand first (rather than head first) just in case your board (or someone elses) springs back towards you.

Lots of great advice. I think knowing where your board is and is going is a big deal but a tough one. Last year I fell backwards on a small wave and pushed the board away with my feet. I didn't think about the strong wind that day and it picked the board up and flipped it towards me. I think it hit me as I surfaced. The rail smacked me in the ear, cut it open and busted my ear drum. It was a frustrating 4 months before it healed completely. Frustrating especially when you get hurt on a crappy wave !

I still don't understand why no one wears helmets. Its the only sport I do without a helmet and the one I get hit on the head the most in. Helmets are so comfortable these days and would keep my hair out of my eyes. Will they ever catch on anywhere but Pipeline ?