Leashes

[pyroarchy]

Ok by me if its like only you out there or your in double overhead..with no one around

[surfingwasteland]

ive been hit in the face by boards when the people wear leashes, and I have hit people in the face while wearing a leash. I dont wear a leash because of other people, I wear it so I dont have to chase my board up onto the rocks or chase it in general. Quit being a ***** and punch the kid in the face, problem solved

[MFitz73]

O-M-G! Did you just say that?.......Brahahahahahaha!

It is funny that in the "surfing world" a short board equals a bigger member. O' it's NOT true but still funny.

no no no... you're wrong.... its actually true for me. lol.

[leethestud]

It is funny that in the "surfing world" a short board equals a bigger member. O' it's NOT true but still funny.

What'chu talkin' bout willis? How does riding a shortboard have anything to do with the size of my 8===>?

It's the balls that count in surfing.

[vbbutton]

wearing the leash just is practicle, yes it gets in the way sometimes, but someday it may save your life

[fl.surfdog]

@vbbuttoo, if you get hit in the head and get knocked out or do a face plant the sand bar and break your friggin neck what is a leash gonna do, you better hope you have some friends that dont mind giving you mouth to mouth...like leethestud said, go to a crowded beach wear a leash, if your at a sandbar with a couple of buds, with no other people out, dont worry about it...nuff said

[zaGaffer]

@vbbuttoo, if you get hit in the head and get knocked out or do a face plant the sand bar and break your friggin neck what is a leash gonna do, you better hope you have some friends that dont mind giving you mouth to mouth...like leethestud said, go to a crowded beach wear a leash, if your at a sandbar with a couple of buds, with no other people out, dont worry about it...nuff said

Personally I don't care, if you can pull it off don't wear a leash. If you can't, swimming is great cardio. However, the one dissenting, yet practical point in the scenarios that you're describing, the surfer is in an incapacitated state. Perhaps unconcious and or not visible below the water. In that particular scenario, having a leash attached to that individual's ankle would enable his or her friends to quickly haul their derriere up to the air. Just playin' Devil's advocate. I got no skin in this game.

Disclaimer:
Personally, I have never done an open water rescue, knock on wood. I was a white water kayaking guide in the Poconos and up in Ontario and have pulled more people out of rapids than I count.

[fl.surfdog]

zaGaffer...thats what i was trying to relay...thanks

[surfmb70]

all of your choices are bs. personally, i rarely wear a leash when it's small b/c i simply do not like the feel of the thing on my ankle & hate how it gets tangled around my leg.
yea, if it's really good or crowded (i actively avoid crowds whenever possible), i'll wear one (except on my log). but generally, if it's head high or smaller, i'm not wearing a leash.

do i lose my board now & then? yea, of course. but to make the assumption that anyone who doesn't wear a leash as a witless ****tard is more than a little presumptive & ignorant. by your own account, this happened at an uninhabited island, so it couldn't have been crowded. i'm also a bit skeptical of your assertion that you almost took the board between the eyes. how so? were you paddling out & didn't see the board bouncing in the whitewash? did the guy flick it over the back of the wave? your story is currently lacking the necessary details.

I hear the same excuses that idiots give for driving without seat belts: I don't like how it rubs me, I wear it if there's traffic, and my favorite, I only don't wear it when I'm going slow (small waves). Bull****.

[zaGaffer]

I hear the same excuses that idiots give for driving without seat belts: I don't like how it rubs me, I wear it if there's traffic, and my favorite, I only don't wear it when I'm going slow (small waves). Bull****.

Isn't comparing not wearing a leash to not wearing a seat belt an incongruous argument? You don't wear a seatbelt, then in the event of an accident you're unlikely to injure anyone other than yourself. I think a lot of the arguments here revolve around the idea that you dont' wear a leash, you're putting others at risk.

Of course, that kind of glosses over that fact that surfing is a dangerous activity with an implied and inherent risk. Does one have a moral responsibility to limit that risk to oneself? Others? Or does the inherent risk absolve of us as individuals from attempting to minimize it? Sounds like one of them personal moral dilemmas to me. That is until people start legislating that we all have to surf with leashes and helmets and personal flotation devices and gps trackers, personal liability insurance and have to pee in a cup to get our Surf Licenses. "You have 3 points on your surf license until suspension, have a nice day."