New experiences!

[Dantastic1985]

Hi Guys and girls,

I caught my first handful of proper open waves yesterday. Was a bit rusty for the first hour so got up to speed on the white water, the next 2 hours were epic and I caught a decent amount of unbroken waves for the first time after much practice and reading useful tips from here.

This elation was quickly followed by a small wipe out where my board flew up in the air and smashed me on the head. After being dazed for a second I filled my hood with cold water and decided to do a bit more before lunch. On my way back out I saw the blood and thought maybe im done for a bit.

As i got out of the sea a fellow surfer came over who had seen what happened as he came down the path. He helped me take my hood off and sorted my board/leash out for me while I held the large gash on my head. After a quick clean up and 10 stitches I was on my way home from Scarborough in a sulk. Big thank you to that surfer and the nurse who stitched me up.

First unbroken waves ridden, first stitches too!!!

What i want to ask is how have I managed to get my board to fly up and land on my head? Is there anything I can do when I am bailing out to ensure this doesn't happen again?

Look forward to your feedback.

Dan

[deegan711]

sounds like you had a great day apart from the stitches, get well soon mate

[312T4]

Well.. i usually check where 's the board going before I hit the water, then I put my harms around my head and wait for the wave to go. Then if I have the doubt that the board is still moving somewhere around me, I get out
With my arms stretched up hoping to stop it before it hit me.
Even so, one day I stood out and the board just came from the sky.. flat, just cm from me. It smashed the water.. I ve no idea where an why it did that
But I can say that this things happen to me when the conditions are out of my league in a way or another..

[jaffa1949]

It's quite simple really when you wipe out the board goes somewhere else, and can be forced partially or totally under water.
The boards buoyancy will cause it to rebound out of the water often at speed and into the air, leg ropes make sure the newly formed projectile is bound to rebound in your general direction.
Any one who has surfed for a while has had at least one smack in the head, I had one impact fracture a surf helmet on my head ( thank you helmet)
Sometimes the board rebounds sideways out of the wave like an axe , so not only from above but from the sides too>!
If you can, come up to the surface with your hands in the upper woot position beside your head.

[Lebowski]

It's a good habit to cover your head with both arms everytime you fall off, and keep it covered until you come back up. It took a few blows to the head for me to learn this, but now it's second nature.

[Dantastic1985]

Cheers guys. Im just going to put it down to bad luck. I try to cover my head with at least one hand every time and i suppose this is a lesson to do it every time!

The most gutting thing was i missed a top afternoon session and the following day.

Jaffa, how much do helmets hinder your surfing in restrictions etc? Also could you reccomend a decent one?

[oldenglish]

Can nurses do sutures in the UK?

Glad your ok. Seems like everyone is bound to get injured at least once. I would be more intimidated by the dizziness than a cut, going to sleep in the water is a recipe for death.

[jaffa1949]

Jaffa, how much do helmets hinder your surfing in restrictions etc? Also could you reccomend a decent one?

Morning Dantastic, the helmet I know is a Gath don't know if they are universally available, they don't interfere with surfing they are a little noticeabl and they give you a sore neck lifting your head a little more as you paddle out. Don't get the one with a visor as the vision is distorted on your peripheral views and it also fogs up as you go to take off. They do get hot in Indo , I only wear one ( red) if I am taking photos in the line up rarely now as i surf!

[Dantastic1985]

Yeah they seem to be the one to use according to my searches. I think I may just be shook up a little. I understand everyone has a bash here and there and now I know to use both hands over the head on every wipeout I think ill carry on. The Hood took a bashing, didn't cut through or take any chunks out what so ever. Impressive!

[flo_dhbomb]

I don't know why we don't wear helmets. There are lots of good helmets out there that are meant for water sports but it seems like surfing is one of those last holdout sports.

Two years ago the wind caught my board after I fell and flipped it in the air. The rail smacked me in the ear just as I surfaced, cutting my ear and braking my ear drum. Very annoying as it took a long time to heal and I had to stay out of the water for months. Putting my arms up wouldn't have helped the side of my head. I do try to keep the wind in mind now though. Aaargh !

[IB_Surfer]

Next you'll be getting a tattoo

What size board you riding and what length leash you got on there?

[Dantastic1985]

Thats the thing, i just dont think it would feel the same with a helmet on!

The wind is a right sod when it catches your board. Its like some one has just thrown this huge bit of fibreglass and foam with 3 sharp pointy bits at you.

7ft 3 with an 8 ft leash. Its brand new as the previous one was crap and only 7ft long. Would you say that its long enough?

[dtc]

Lacerations are by far the most common surfing injury requiring medical attention (ie not counting bruises and strains etc that you deal with on your own), with the head (board impact) and feet (fin impact or impact with something under the water) being the usual sites. I have read some studies (there are plenty on the internet) that the injury rate per surfing hour is the same regardless of the level of experience - so the risk of your board hitting you doesnt go away as you become a better surfer. When you wipe out you have absolutely no control over your board, it could land anywhere not matter how long you have been surfing (that said, of course, the risk of injury for a beginner on white water is far less than for someone on an 8ft reef break).

Apart from hands over the head, if you are able and feel confident in the conditions, another option is to stay underwater just for a couple of extra seconds to give the board time to land or even look around while underwater to see if you can spot the board. But this is not always possible and a following wave might pick the board up and slam it into your face anyway.

I do agree it is strange how opposed to helmets surfers are (or, really, apathetic to the issue), not that I wear one and that is after having thought about it. The Gath helmets seem designed to protect you against a big impact, like hitting your head against a rock, and just seem like 'overkill' for the standard beach break. I've always wondered whether its possible to built a lightweight helmet that will offer protection against surfboard impact but is not designed for the head against rock situation. Maybe something like a hat that has some kind of harder rubber (harder than just a hood); or a helmet isnt a full solid shell but, like some bike helmets, has gaps between the protective strips and is much ligher weight (plus easier to drain the water). Sure if a narrow nose hits you in between the strips it wont help, but usually you are hit by a part of the board larger than just the nose. Lacerations occur when hard surface (board) hits hard surface (skull) - all you need is something between those surfaces and it really helps in terms of lacerations (so getting 10 stiches while wearing a hoodie as well is an 'impressive' achievement). Surf lifesavers (eg in boats and paddling) would also possibly use it, something that has been raised in the unfortunate deaths of life saver competitors in Australia in the recent past.

Even with a Gath helmet you will still get concussion from an impact, so why not a helmet that is designed purely for board lacerations?

And, my personal view - I'm not convinced from a safety point of view about the standard rule of leg rope length being the length of the board. Why not board length plus 1ft or 2 ft? The further the board can get from you the less likely it is to hit you, and that extra 2ft isnt going to cause any other issues (ok, well, if you are very good you may notice the extra drag, but apart from those people). It would be interesting to see a study as to whether longboarders with 9 or 10ft leashes get hit more or less than shortboarders with 6ft leashes - recognising, of course, that being hit with a solid lump of a longboard probably feels less fun than being hit with a potato chip. Anyway, to answer your question and this is a totally subjective opinion, an 8ft leash on a 7ft3 is much better than a 7ft leash.

[IB_Surfer]

Honestly, fluke injuries with boards happen, not all the time, but they happen. Although I have more injuries while surfing that aren't board related (hitting a reef, washing up on a jetty, slamming into a sandbar...) I did get: 10 stitches on the bottom (yeah, weird, the bottom) of my foot, a fin cut from one side to the other, had a fin cut into my ass so deep it cut clear through my wetsuit but luckily only bruiced my cheeck all the way across, a bloody nose twice and contless bruices, all from the board.

All sports have injuries, when I played soccer I broke my knuckle playing goalie, got stiches on my toe from running into a sprinkler and dislocated my ankle. I would still not wear a helmet to play soccer...

[Dantastic1985]

DTC, What a great response. Thank you for taking the time to write such a detailed message.

I think I was in shock a little bit that my 'safe' hobby (My other is motorcycle racing) has cut my head open. I think when the stitches are out and I have got back in the water in a couple of weeks ill be alright!

Thanks for your advice and replies.

Dan

[Jimi]

DTC, have you ever used a longboard leash on a shortboard? I have (after my short leash broke) and the long leash is a huge pain in the arse. Kept snagging on the rocky bottom, and tangling.

I guess on a longboard, the legrope socket on your board is a lot further away when you're sitting on your board, so it doesn't have as much slack.

Oh, and to the OP... I'd think about a helmet if it gives peace of mind. Mind you I don't wear one, even after having my nose broken by my board (and I broke my board with my nose too)

[mjames]

I have one distinct memory of a serious wipeout on wave bigger than I have business being on, and coming out with my arms covering my head and another wave pushing my board really hard right at my face - if I didn't have my arms up it definitely would have knocked me out. I try and stay under water longer than necessary and as soon as I feel I am bailing I cover my head and keep my arms up until I see my board when I come up.

The only thing I can think of for a longer leash is that it may be more dangerous for other surfers?