Broken Leash

[Inland]

I agree with what the others have already said. Staying calm is so important. Plus learning how long you can tread water is also important. Go out on a small day and just swim and tread water. The more you know about your own abilities will help keep you calm when something does happen.

As for leashes, I'd stay away from FCS. They seem to break far to often.And check that your leash is tied on correctly. The best leash out there can't do anything for you if it comes untied. I actually use two strings just in case. Plus I can give one to someone else if they need one.

[pinkstink]

Inland, that's a great idea about using two strings. I've had more issues with frayed strings breaking than leashes snapping.

[cepriano]

i think surfshops that give lessons,should also teach ppl about surf etiquette.one wave,one person thats how its supposed to be.dont sit on the inside,or youll get run over,and help anyone in distress!!!4 years ago in belmar,late august there was a rising swell(nothing crazy) and little rips develope,and i was on the beach and saw a little 10 year old kid waving his arms,in desperate need of help.so i grab my board and go get him,as im paddling out,i see another older surfer(kook) casually paddle right past the kid,the kook was closer than me.the parents were so happy i helped their son.i dont care if im just tanning at the beach,or surfing,if i see ANYONE that needs help,i go help them.surfers are the best oceanmen out there,and we all should help anyone in need,whether a swimmer or inexperienced surfer.

[DawnPatrolSUP]

i think surfshops that give lessons,should also teach ppl about surf etiquette.one wave,one person thats how its supposed to be.dont sit on the inside,or youll get run over,and help anyone in distress!!!4 years ago in belmar,late august there was a rising swell(nothing crazy) and little rips develope,and i was on the beach and saw a little 10 year old kid waving his arms,in desperate need of help.so i grab my board and go get him,as im paddling out,i see another older surfer(kook) casually paddle right past the kid,the kook was closer than me.the parents were so happy i helped their son.i dont care if im just tanning at the beach,or surfing,if i see ANYONE that needs help,i go help them.surfers are the best oceanmen out there,and we all should help anyone in need,whether a swimmer or inexperienced surfer.

Good post, More people should be like you.

[wave1rider65]

I've always used Dakine leashes and never had a failure in the leash itself. You should always check your cords for wear and frays since that is what Ive seen go first. Ive seen people surf that can barely swim at all and although I might think you'd be an ass, I'm gonna follow you in whether you ask me to or not just to make sure. You might not even know i'm trailing you but it's better to be safe than sorry. Same goes for the joe pros who just dont wear a leash. Im gonna let you swim all the way in but I wont let you drown.

[Salty]

The best training is open water swimming! With all of the flat days we've had, there is no excuse for not getting out nearly every day and just swimming - get outside of the impact zone (if there is one - if there is, then there must be surf, so surf instead of swim!) - otherwise, if it's flat, swim north, back south, etc., over and over, hopefully increasing your strength, endurance, and comfort level! just swim! - i've swum since I was a little kid and have feel comfortable in the water almost all of the time - HOWEVER - if it gets big or gnarly enough that you are NOT comfortable any more, than get out, and realize that you are "learning your limits" - an important thing to learn about yourself!

[Yambo]

I got a quality XM leash that is 10 feet this weekend to get back on the horse. I also tried floating around and swimming in the calm ocean between big sets this weekend. I was feeling my limits today when some head-high waves came in at Strathmere and persevered some bad wipe outs. It was a good feeling knowing that most people in this forum will help a brother out in the fray.

[whosthat]

sion milosky,todd chesser,donnie soloman,mark foo,malik joyeux,and the list goes on....

Look at that list of surfers, and thats only a few of the many.......it happens to the best too.....leashes break all the time......get wrapped on buoys.....reef wrapped.....get caught inside......sucked over......hit by your board or someone elses......practice holding your breath too.....have a pre surf checklist...try not to surf alone(buddy system is best)......no panic attacks.....all of it easier said than done.

[yankee]

The leashes that I've seen snap happen at the swivel point. Lotta guys seem to just go season after season with their gear until the stuff fails. I've seen rusted swivel points. Failure in the making. Kinda asking for trouble, imho.

I'm not a gear guy, but I want to be pretty confident in my gear when I'm floating on a piece of 'glassed foam in an ocean. So I replace stuff on a regular basis, even if I can't 'see' wear & tear. The ocean takes a toll on gear, often unseen. I'm a little paranoid. So, I don't stay too long with leashes & strings.

My experience has been that Creatures of Leisure leashes (Aussie brand) have not failed me (having said that, hear the sound of knocking wood as I tap the side of my cranium). And that's in waves from VA B to Nica to Barbados to Costa Rica. I like the parachute cord material for my strings. As a previous poster mentioned, I also double up on the string. At the first sign of even a little fray, I cut the strings & replace same.

I also do NOT rent gear when I travel. Had a really bad, life-threatening gig in the DR on rental gear. And when I finally staggered onto dry land, I had to pay $ 600.00 for a broken c r a p rental board that the Dominicans probably then pieced together & rented to the next idiot. Me, of course, being the previous idiot who fell for the semi-scam.

Then there's the financial smack of rental gear: on one trip in Nica, we gave a lift to a guy who wanted to go with us to surf Maderas; we were paddling out in not-small conditions & the dude was also paddling out on a new-ish 9' rental Robt August; he gets caught, goes back over the falls, the board SNAPS.....on his initial paddle out, dang. He didn't even get to surf, just sat there drinkng Tonas while we surfed for a few hours & then we took him back up to his place near Iguana. He did get to pay NSR $ 1,100.00 for the board, on his credit card, ouch.

So, the airline fees really blow, but I will pay $300 RT to bring my own gear rather than rent stuff where the leash & string & possibly the actual board strength / quality are highly suspect. Of course, you could always bring your own leash & string if you rent on a quick trip....I've done that, and it worked out.

[confederate]

God you are a kook, you know i joined this crap just to finally be able to say how much of a kook you are. Why or how do you actually waste your time typing this crap. If you are really reading yankees crap wtf. Stop trying to be cool its not going to happen. Pick up a new hobby something that suits you, start knitting pansy.

My leash broke while getting worked over on a closeout last weekend sending my wrv longboard almost all the way to the beach. I was pretty far out and I have to admit that I was a little sketched out about about swimming back in through the rips to retrieve it so I asked a buddy to keep an eye on me - just in case. I can swim OK but you know. He gave me a lecture that I shouldn't be out if I'm afraid of drowning, which I probably deserved.

It got in my head about two things:

1. What's the best swimming training besides the pool, which I will do?
2. and what's the best leash to buy to prevent such things.

I know that even some of the best surfers don't go out alone in case something like that happens.

I had the Bully leash for about a year and some people tell me leashes should be replaced because of how the ocean breaks them down.