Scared to surf after surfing accident

[misscorinna]

Feb 5th my longboard flew straight up in the air and bungeed into my face resulting in 12 stiches around my eye.

My Dr. just released me to surf again. And I really want to want to.... but I'm nervous. I love surfing. But, I definitely don't want to get hurt again. Plus I'm a girl, and the scar face thing doesn't look great.

Any advice on how to build confidence to surf again?

Mahalo

[dtc]

Read up about how to cover up your head and how to fall safely etc - but this doesnt always work.

You can wear a helmet - I dont but I'm actually surprised at how few people do (but, like me, people probably generally think there is no need, until you get a board to the head and then think 'I should wear a helmet').

There isnt, to be honest, much that can be done other than to reduce the risk as much as possible through things like covering your head, falling safely etc. But there is always still a risk, I guess like any sport (have a chat to my ankle about the 'joys' of playing soccer)

[oldmansurfer]

Stay under water for a little bit when you wipe out. learn to cover your head if you come up too soon. I don't really know how to overcome fear from an injury because I was never injured much. I am trying to imagine how you got injured exactly...not sure. Long ago they used bungee cords for leashes and the board would come flying back at you all the time so you learned to stay down till the board came back. Nowdays the leash doesn't stretch much so it doesn't come flying back but maybe it was in the air? then the question is how did it get in the air when you were above the water still? I think knowledge of exactly what happened could help to learn to not allow it to happen again. But then again there is always a risk when you surf.

[jasedrummer]

Hi...I also had a surfing accident similar to yours in my first year of surfing.....I was trying to catch an unbroken wave, pearled, got held under for what seemed like forever. When I surfaced I was nearer the shore than my board whci just happened to catch another wave without me and launched into the side of my head right next to my eye. Hurt like hell and there was tons of blood everywhere.....end result was a trip to A&E, 6 stitches and a black eye.

On returning to surf after healing the first thing I did was ditch the board I had....it was an epoxy minimal which was heavy and absolutely unbreakable. Switched to a fibreglassed minimal which was a lot lighter and also damages a lot easier than you do.
Like yourself I did suffer a lack of confidence and it took me some time to get it back......the things I found that helped me were going surfing with someone else more than being on your own, finding a break that is not too crowded or used by surf schools or beginners of similar ability, going back in on calm days when the waves are 2-3ft max. Get back to basics of paddling, popping up and riding the wave down the line, without so many wipeouts.

The other important things are to get into the habit of covering your head with your arms and hands when wiping out, or when surfacing. Also if I am not up and riding yet, but know I'm going to get pounded I ensure that I grip onto my board as tight as possible and wait until calm resumes, even if it involves being thrown around a lot. Letting go of it is bad for you and can be bad for anyone near you too.

You have to go often in conditions that you are comfortable in, get back to enjoying it again.....after a while you will regain your confidence and lose your fear of injury again, but you will certainly be wiser for your experience!

[dtc]

I should add one more tip - you can open your eyes under water. It doesnt sting like chlorine pools (although if you do it for a long time your eyes will get a bit sore). So if you dont know where your board is and are worried a bit about it, and have the time/presence of mind (ie not panicking about being held down etc), open your eyes and spot where your board is before you surface.

Its actually very cool sitting under white water and seeing what is going on. It feels a bit unnatural at first, but becomes second nature. Of course, if you are in shallow water with sand being tossed everywhere, perhaps not (or if you are somewhere that may have contaminated water)

Another tip, as Jase figured out, is that a board further out to sea is dangerous, but a board between you and the shore is usually quite safe. So, for example, you can often tell where your board is from your leg rope pulling you one way or the other.

[nottyR6]

you can often tell where your board is from your leg rope pulling you one way or the other.

Normally acting like an anchor on the other side of the white water dragging me back in to the impact zone