I almost died yesterday

[Sweet!]

Ok.

Sometimes when I head out there is this overwhelming feeling of desperation. LIke, if I don't surf... I will actually implode!

Which is NOT a good feeling for someone like me without much sense.

So I arrive at my fave spot and the waves are overhead and massively fat and powerful.

I head out.

I was fine for a while.

Then one huge cleanup set roles in and I'm caught inside the impact zone. (I'm actually quite freaked even thinking about it now).

This one waves completely wipes me out and ten years later when I emerge I'm so wasted I didn't even have strength to take a breath. It takes me an age to collect my board back after it had dragged me under to the depths of hell and back ... and I manage to turn around to face....

HOLY SHIZEN!!

So repeat cycle for 6 more waves.

It's moments like these that help me find God. I'm sure He's sittin there like... "Oh! So NOW you need me!"

I have never ever ever been so thankful to scrape my toes across a hard surface and find that it is sand glorious sand.. I still almost lost my board as these huge waves were smashing against the rocks and the rip was surging and dragging me away from the gateway to life and all things good... like solid ground.

So.

Anyone else wanna share a story?

My big question is: What would be the best way to survive this situatoin? I tried to dive under each wave and hold onto my legrope but... I actually didn't have enough breath to do this.. EEk!

Really, this was the best surfing lesson ever for me: DON'T GO OUT YOU FOOL!

THE SEA ALWAYS WINS!

[David S]

I had a similar experience a few months ago; I couldn't resist a "quick surf" after work and when I got down to the beach it was huge!
I paddled out using the rip and in a few seconds found I'd been carried out about 100 metres past the lineup along with another guy who'd got in at the same time.
I paddled back to where the waves were peaking and realised they were massive and only a couple of guys were even attempting to catch them.
I decided to try to catch some whitewash and get back to the beach but just got pushed straight back into the rip and back out to sea!! This happened 4 times and by now it was getting dark...
This cool bloke saw I was in trouble and gave me a shove onto the next wave to try to get out of this rip and after about 30 mins of paddling I finally got washed up on the beach.My arms were numb with tiredness and I just sat there panting. I reckon if I'd lost my board or not managed to catch that last wave back I'd have drowned.
The good thing is that I got caught inside again on the same beach in a big swell last week and was pounded by a big set BUT managed to get back to safety with no problems this time so I suppose its all down to experience!!!

[Dec]

Ditch the board (as long as you have a leash) and swim under the wave.

Yes yes, when you emerge your foot may be pulled back quite tremendoesly, but at least your not hurt, and neither is your board.


Also...stay away from rips, you don't know where they are going to take you.

[grub]

Ditch the board (as long as you have a leash) and swim under the wave.

Yes yes, when you emerge your foot may be pulled back quite tremendoesly, but at least your not hurt, and neither is your board.

Yes, ditch the board if you have too... note that in bigger surf you are more likely to snap your leash by ditching it; I've snaped mine a few times now and don't know what is better... being free of a board so you can consentrate on getting under the waves or having a floatation device when you get back to the top.

Also...stay away from rips, you don't know where they are going to take you.

As for staying away from rips... this is probably one of the easiest methods for getting out... "you don't know where they are going to take you" yes you do, out past the break, but not much further... they will not take you out into the middle of the ocean. just remember to relax and go with them and if you do want to pull out of them early swim side ways...
____________________

"Seek first to understand, then to be understood"

[surferdude_scarborough]

ok heres my story

it was last october. i was in polzeath for a week and i woke up early one morning and saw perfect waves that were way overhead. obviously i forced some toast or something down my face adn grabbed my board to head for the surf. anyway i started paddling out, no problems yet, but then i started getting it on the head from the (way overhead) sets and getting pretty worked then realised i wasnt actually making any progress out back i was just getting more and more tired and more and more out of breath. then i gave up on getting out back so tried to catch the white water which didnt work i just got worked again somehow i managed to get back in so i left and went back to my holiday cottage and sulked

thats the only time while ive been surfing that i have actually seriously feared for my life.


of course i tried again later on that day (same size waves) got out and caught some of the best waves of my life

lesson? err well i didnt really learn a lesson if i went back out but if there is one it would beit probably is worth dying for

[drowningbitbybit]

so i left and went back to my holiday cottage and sulked

Ah, the legendary post-surf sulk...

I coulda made it, the waves were closing out, I was on the wrong board, wrong fin set up again, rubbish wind-blown slop, big clean up set, too tired from yesterday's session, damn current pushing me into the impact zone, that guy so dropped in on me, oops another clean up set...
I COULDA MADE IT, I SHOULDA MADE IT, WHAT HAPPENED? I THOUGHT I COULD SURF!! I WIPED OUT AND GOT WORKED AGAIN... AGAIN!!!!
That's it Im going home.
*sulk*




I know it well

[surfinforlife]

Ditch the board (as long as you have a leash) and swim under the wave.

if you do ditch just make sure you kinda curl up in a ball and protect your head, i was in a similar situation and I cut the back of my hand pretty badly as the board came back and hit me. If i didnt have my hands on my head then i would have copped it straight in the noggin and quite possible would have been KO'ed then goodbye me.....

[Driftingalong]

6-8' waves are NO joke!

Now imagine those surfers paddling into those 20' waves



Don't try going out into waves that are several feet over your experience level. That's just not safe. Move up gradually.

Yes, it is very tempting...beautiful waves peeling down the line, just like you've seen in the DVDs...especially if they come after a long flat spell.

[surferdude_scarborough]

6-8' waves are NO joke!

Now imagine those surfers paddling into those 20' waves



Don't try going out into waves that are several feet over your experience level. That's just not safe. Move up gradually.

yeah i know what u mean those waves i was tlkin about were about 6-8 which isnt that far at all from what im used to and even when i finallygot out back i was fleshin' scared when the sets came through

[GowerCharger]

As far as ditching your board goes, inho you should only do that in an emergency, and if you need to then its probably too big/heavy for you.

I see people ditching their boards here in 3ft surf when they get scared they wont make it past a wave, often without looking and sometimes even right in front of a paddling surfer. I got a minimal on the head once from a guy doing this and knocked me clean out. concussion is not fun at sea.

[Dec]

ok, so the wave is going to break 1ft infront of you. Paddle? Duck-dive into and get dragged back and worked? Or look around carefully, hold your leash and ditch it.?

[Driftingalong]

just my opinion...

try to be aware of your surroundings...
If you can paddle and make it go for it...
If you know for sure no one is around; you can ditch your board.
If you don't know; go for the duck-dive/turtle roll get dragged back and worked. But above all else...hold onto your board!

[dougirwin13]

ok, so the wave is going to break 1ft infront of you. Paddle? Duck-dive into and get dragged back and worked? Or look around carefully, hold your leash and ditch it.?

All depends, of course. Wave size. Board type. Might call these rules of thumb. I may be wrong about some of them, but I am adjusting down for a very raw beginner.

Given a small volume shortboard you should be able to duck dive just about anything... Once you know how to duck dive.

As for bigger boards. If the depth of the whitewater is shorter than the distance between your armpit and wrist just push-up. If it's greater than that do a turtle roll. For both timing and positioning are still going to be important. You want to be paddling strongly towards the wave and execute you maneuver at the last moment. This helps minimise getting pushed back.

Least, that's how I see it.

Oh yeah. And make sure you can swim back to shore if you loose your board :) And make sure conditions aren't too big for where you are up to learning wise.

Just what I would advise. Anyone else?

-doug

[hawaiiSUCKSexceptsurf]

i think everyones been through that dude, you probably werent close to death at all. i know whenever i surf something like 12+ at a face value (7-10 + hawaiian scale) i feel like i wont make it, but ehrn im near other surfers in the whitewash, they usually get pulled back further than me.

[Sweet!]

yea you write!

Ok. Is anyone else here getting more chicken the more you surf?

I think I need to go get myself trashed again because I'm not doing those stupid ... ok... hugely fun things I used to all the time like... going out and giving those big waves a go, or paddling out when I'm scared sheetless...

[Peanut]

Only bad experience I had was near one of my local breaks. It's a chalk reef and very uneven so even trying to walk out of the water is an impossibility, there is a sandy centre section that snakes out to sea but the swell carries you off centre across the reef if you're not careful.

I'd already tried to catch three or four waves, I lined up and started to paddle, the wave picked me up and just as I was about to attempt to pop up the wave disappeared, I mean it vanished, no wave, nada, there was nothing infront of me but air and about a foot of water covering the reef, the wave had plunged stright down. As I headbutted the rocks with some force the wave then came over me and dragged me a good 20 yards down the reef.

I managed to get back to shore very cut and bruised and promptly threw up, but it was flourescent green puke????

The doc reckons it was concusion that induced the vomit and it was a mixture of puke, bile and seawater.

mmm, nice.