Stiff Neck

[SurferJ]

I am new to surfing and have been out maybe 10 or 12 times. I usually stay very close to shore and ride the whitewater, but yesterday I decided to go out 20 or 30 feet farther and try to pop up on a swell that was about to break, i.e. a "real wave". The waves weren't that big, maybe waist high, but one crashed right down on me as I was trying to take off and I pearled and smashed my head against the sandy bottom. I was in about waist deep water. Do you have any suggestions on how to avoid this and have any of you experienced this and can give me some advice on how long it takes for a stiff neck to heal? Thanks so much for the info.

[duckdivinglegend]

hey ive only been surfing four times but ive been out on some bigger waves on a 8 foot swell.best plan is to walk out as far as u can make it then try duckdive the bigger waves and try get out back perhaps up a little over ur height that way if u get wiped out u aint gna get too much hurt

[isaluteyou]

Wave knowledge. It sounds like you went for the wrong waves and got smashed. When you have wiped out a couple hundred times you start to expect it and then you prepare for the fall. Unfortunatly wipeing out is unpredictable and sometimes no matter what you do expect some washing. Just be thankfull you wernt on a reef

[cj]

Your lucky it was sand.

I have had quite a few run ins with the wipe out.

I remember one time, I was screwing around in the shore pound during low tide at the end of a swell, and a nice set came in, of course being that I was only about 30 feet from shore, I didn't stand a chance of paddling out to catch it in time, so I waiting for it, and figured I would catch the white water, but it never broke out there, and the dang thing just kept rolling in, and it broke right under me and I was paddling for it, just dumb luck I was right were it was breaking. Tides were playing tricks on me that day, it was in northern florida.

Anyway, right as this thing picked me up and I thought I caught it, but it caught me. It picked me up, like 8 feet in the air, and slammed me down, right into water that was only a foot deep. SHORE POUND. I smashed down on my left arm, and thought I broke some ribs, I limped walked away from that one hunched over, thought I broke my arm too at first.

And of course, I have been slammed into rocks, reef, pebbles, had my leash wrapped around my neck, etc. etc. thought I saw a shark right next to me, been slammed into by ice chunks.

The only advice I can give you is Shxx happens, and at least you will have something to tell your grandkids.

Try downhill skateboarding sometime, once you scrape all the skin and soft tissue off the palms of your hands and knees, and have to use those hands to pick pebbles out that are embedded in your head out, so the blood gysers can gush, the sand bumps don't seem so bad.

[gdude335]

for the neck stiffness try to get a massage their. Dont move your neck to much and move it slowly. Sometimes i get neck pains when i wake up. if it hurts alot every time you move it give it a massage. it will hurt quite a bit but after a little while the mussles will relax more.

[cj]

And eat or drink lots of electrolites, like sodium, potasium, calcium, all the ium's, you might want to try a sauna or a hot tub too. Massages are very important, like he just said. Even if you just rub it with your own hand, it is releasing the facia tissue.

[gdude335]

electrolites!
get smartwater!

[WooD]

Score yourself a few muscle relaxers. Soma's or Flexeril work most good if taken with a couple drinks.

[Dec]

Ask DBBB, he seems to have had some experience usuing Phil's longboard

[PapaW]

In terms of avoiding that sort of thing you never will really. Authough it comes with experence that you'll wipout less. Best thing you can do if your pearling is turn it into a roll rather then face plant. You'll move with the natural motion of the wave and it will pass you rather then you going down.

[SurferJ]

Thanks for the help ... I really appreciate it. It seems like a lot of surfing is reading waves and picking the the right ones to ride. I went out yesterday, even with the stiff neck, and things went much better. Thanks.

[GowerCharger]

tuck, and cover your head. not really much else you can do.
Waves breaking that shallow can pack a deceptive punch, an overhead beachbreak might just dunk you a bit and let you up, but a waist high shorebreak at the same beach could be muich gnarlierand capable of snapping necks and backs.
Go out deeper, those bigger waves might seem scarier at first but remeber, water is soft, it cant hurt, right?

[ememery]

This is inevitable. What you can do is strengthen your neck exercise and relax, or use a heating pad to ease the stiff neck. Anxiety and stress can also cause neck pain, which can put stress on body parts. Therefore, both physical and inner relaxation are necessary.