** PLEASE READ **

[CARBr6]

Hello everyone.

In light of the tragedies in Mawgan Porth yesterday, if you are unaware please look here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-29779021

I wanted to post a little 'Surf Safety' info, whether a newbie surfer or an experienced old man/woman its always worth remembering that the sea can be a dangerous place.

SAFETY RULES AND CODE OF CONDUCT:
Before you go:
• All surfers should confidently be able to swim at least 50 metres in open water.
• Never surf alone.
• You should only rent equipment and surf independently if you are confident that you can
safely handle yourself and equipment in open water.
• If hiring equipment, look for the RNLI Surf Hire Safety Mark. These retailers have agreed to a
code of conduct to; only rent equipment suitable to your ability; provide safety information to
all customers; check equipment regularly for damage and to maintain adequate insurance.
• Carry a personal first aid kit.
• Inform others if you have a medical condition or medication that may need to be accessed in
an emergency.
• Wear sunscreen
• Warm up. Stretch.
• Always consider other water users. Keep a good 5m distance.
• Always wear a leash as your board can be a danger to other water users and can save you
from drowning.
• If you get into trouble never abandon your board - it will keep you afloat. Wave your hand and
shout for help.
• Check conditions with the lifeguards and never surf between the red and yellow flags.
Wherever possible, always surf at a lifeguarded beach and follow the advice of the lifeguards,
• Novices should only ever surf between the black and white flags.
• Watch out for drifting. Find two reference points on land to check your position in the water.
• Know your entrance and exit points before entering the water.
• Always return to the beach before dark.
• Novices are encouraged to take lessons. Always have a lesson at an approved BSA or ISA
school.
Paddling Out
• You should understand the dangers (rips, longshore currents, rocks, other surfers etc) and
how to handle them.
• Keep control of your board with both hands when walking out as a sudden gust of wind may
whip the board into you or someone else.
• Don’t put the board between you and an oncoming wave.
• When paddling out avoid other surfers who are riding waves. Do not travel out directly
towards other surfers. Paddle to the side and around the back of the peak.
• If another surfer is paddling for a wave or up and riding and there is a risk collision then stop
paddling and give the rider time to avoid you.
• If a wall of whitewater is about to mow you down do not be tempted to push your board away.
Instead, keep a tight hold, roll yourself over, pulling the nose down and let the wave pass over
you.
Catching a Wave
• Understand the priority rules. The surfer closest to the peak has priority.
• Make sure there are no other surfers in front of you while catching the wave and don't drop in
on another surfer riding the wave.
• Protect your head when you fall.
• At the end of your run try to sit back down on the board, to avoid the risk of diving or falling
onto rocks.
Rip currents (Rips)
Rips are strong currents running out to sea that can easily take swimmers from shallow water out
beyond their depth. They are especially powerful in larger surf, but are also found around river
mouths, estuaries and man-made structures like piers and groynes.
How to spot a rip current
Discoloured, brown water (caused by sand being stirred up from the seabed) foam on the water's
surface debris floating out to sea a rippled patch of sea, when the water around is generally calm.
How to get out of trouble
If you are caught in a rip or strong current, obey the three Rs:
Relax – Stay calm and float. Do not swim against the current, swim across it.
Raise – Raise an arm to signal for help. If possible shout to shore for help.
Rescue – Float and wait for assistance. Do not panic, people drown in rips because they panic. Obey
directions from the lifeguard.
If you think you are able to swim in, swim parallel to the beach until out of the effects of the rip and
then make your way to shore.

Please be safe out there, enjoy the water, enjoy the waves and come back home to your loved ones ready to enjoy another session.

[jaffa1949]

Couldn't agree more, unfortunately so many of the people that need this advice ,will never read it.
They will go surfing blissful unaware of all it requires beguiled by how easy and beautiful it looks.
Even among our posters, the close call of which they tell are mostly through lack of knowledge or of going against common sense ( which isn't so common any more).
There is also a huge reliance on lifeguards and others to save them , so all of the above is true, but these sort of tragedies will become more and more common SADLY.

[CARBr6]

I must admit, that both myself and the missus wondered how this can happen when you are attached to a very large flotation device. If you do get tired surely you just rest on your board, if necessary let the rip take you out beyond the breaking waves then just paddle across and catch a wave back in to the shore?

But then, I was taught about rips and how to use them to take you out the back when I learnt to surf.

[BaNZ]

It's really not easy for people who haven't been in sea to understand it. I see so many parents tell their kids to go to the area where there are no waves and look calm.

The few times I got myself in trouble with rip was when it was a bright sunny day, no winds just 3-4 feet clean waves. Whereas when the conditions are bad and choppy, I'm always more aware of my surroundings and careful.

[oldmansurfer]

How cold is the water in Cornwall area? I know people can succumb to hypothermia relatively fast. Perhaps in this situation they were on the beach and the teenagers got in trouble then the parents swam out without surfboards or wet suits and drowned while the teenagers made it back to shore ok. I am reaching but no old water is required here in Hawaii. it is fairly common over here to have one person in trouble and have someone go to save them and drown while the original person makes their way back to shore ok. Here is something for those who use rips to get out. You better have figured out how you are coming back in before you take a rip out because it won't be the same way you went out.

[waikikikichan]

The first things we learn in Hawaii is " NEVER Turn Your Back to the Ocean ". That should be the first rule every surfer learns.

[CARBr6]

It looks like you were right Oldman.
http://metro.co.uk/2014/10/28/surgeon-drowned-trying-to-save-teenagers-in-rip-tide-4924502/

[dtc]

"Dr Rip" has written a book about beaches and waves that is very interesting called Science of the Surf (http://www.scienceofthesurf.com/book.html) but one of his phrases is 'white is nice, green is mean' ie green is a rip.

Its a good saying to hammer into the heads of children (and others). Not saying it was relevant to the tragedy in the UK, but its so obvious on our (Aussie) beaches the people who really have no idea. I would have thought the fact that a lot of rips are in deep channels vs the nice sandbars next door might have twigged people, but even that doesnt seem to help.

Dr Rip also points out that if you are caught in a rip, swim for the white (which may be sideways).

It doesnt take much effort to learn the basics about oceans; but even over here the information is not all that visible - its there if you look, but people often dont even know that they need to look.

[oldmansurfer]

rips aren't such a big deal for someone familiar with oceans and currents. The problem is when people get caught in them that have no idea what to do and panic use up all their energy trying to fight it and end up too weak to keep their head above water. When I was a kid I knew a spear fisherman diver who used a rip to get to a spot way outside. He would stay in the current as it did a half mile radius circle ending up with it bring him right back into the beach.

[oldmansurfer]

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-cornwall-29782487
Here is another article from the incident. They have a nice video about the rip currents and a diagram which shows the currents go in circles. If you just float you will be brought around and back in so instead of expending all your energy trying to overcome the current just float and signal for help and if no one comes you may have a chance to make it back in when the current brings you back around, or if you are a decent swimmer swim parallel to the beach and get a good ways out of the rip then come in. The reason I say this is that currents go in a circle so if you come right next to the rip as you approach the shore you will get caught in a current going sideways to the rip and may end up going back out again.

[dtc]

Only some rips take you out and around. Some take you out and then just finish. Either way, of course, they eventually stop. Usually the most dangerous beaches are the small ones, where there is a big rip and not any real space to swim outside the rip, or when you get close to shore there is a big shore dump that is hard to get past.

[oldmansurfer]

The most dangerous beach where I live is a small bay that has a sand beach but rock lined sides backed by cliffs. There are only cliffs surrounding it an the next nearest beach is more than a mile away. So even a moderately good swimmer in trouble won't think of the option to go to the next beach and come in there because it's far away but if I were to try save someone at that beach that is what I would likely do. The geography creates an odd rip where the surface water is going in to the beach but the current goes along the bottom and straight out. The actual pattern varies with the size of the waves but once waves break across the bay they push water on the surface to the shore and it goes back out along the bottom so it's not obvious. You can get swept off your feet in knee high water. And you could be swimming around and not notice anything till you come in and try to get out. Once you stand up and your feet are in the current it is wicked difficult to make your way in. There are signs posted telling everyone to stay out but invariably someone finds an excuse to go in the water. They may just think the small ripples of whitewater on the inside look pretty safe (WRONG!) I posted a picture a while back of the sign which has marks on it for everyone who drowned there and the sign has a lot of marks yet more will be added because people think they know the ocean better than a dumb sign. This is one of those beaches where the kids get in trouble the parents jump in to save them and they all drown.This is one of those beaches where the kids get in trouble the parents jump in to save them and they all drown (no lifeguards). But currents always go in circles , it's physics, they have to, so at this beach the circle is different it comes in on top and goes out underneath. It may be that the strength of the other parts of the current are not so pronounced or it may be the circle is so big it will travel thousands of miles but they all go in circles one way or another.

[pmcaero]

I was in a rip once, but I did not feel unsafe, because there were many people around and some were using it on their paddle out. Rather than swim across, I decided to swim against it and boy it was a long swim to get to the shore.
I'm glad for the experience.

Drifting is also something easy to overlook, especially if you don't have well defined points of reference. Just the other day I ended up more than 1/4 mile from where I went in, without even realizing it.