Was at Mase yesterday and almost got a board between the eyes while paddling out. The perp was one of the semi-local (I think actually a MB local) "shredders" who many have seen in vid edits posted here and on other sites in the past. I have gotten into it with this kid a couple times over the past few years because he is a complete douche in the water. This was just par for the course for him--no regard for anyone around him. That said, I wanted to pose this question. Discuss
Idk if you guys have a lifeguard where you surf or not there yet, but if you do just talk him about the kid and say he's causing a dangerous situation for anybody in the water.
i dont wear my leash when its small becuase i do feel it drag when i surf. but when its good i wear a leash. not wearing a leash makes some people commit more to landing their turns. that could be it
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.
long boarding i never wear a leash, and since i change boards so often it is more of if i have a leash in my car i use it if not oh well, just have to be more cautious, i kick out more without my leash and understand your surroundings. don't put yourself or others in danger.
If you want to keep others from danger you would wear your leash........right??? When was the last time you could swim fast enough to catch a loose board in a wave.......It shouldnt matter what kind of board you ride. Always wear a leash. Just makes sense. As for Mexsurfer who said he doesnt wear one in small surf because he could feel the drag...........sure you do.......Come On Man!!!
I've had a mini simmons (pretty sure thats the "chopped in half longboard" - actually a pretty accurate description ive shaped two of them - your describing) for a year now that has no leash plug. I've probably surfed it at least 30 seshs and i'm sure its never come close to hitting anyone. Surf it in small waves, surf in control, grab a different board if conditions indicate losing the board into others is a possibility. The poll makes no sense...those arent the reasons most people skip the cord.
Uninhabited means no one LIVES on the island. It's not Gilligan's Island. Masonborro can still get crowded.
no, if you want to keep others from danger, you need to maintain control of your board at all times. that doesn't necessarily require the wearing of a leash. it does, however, require skill
njsurfer42, almost everyone in the world knows about Masonboro Island. Any time there is a decent swell and the wind is out of the Northeast it is pretty much the only place to go around WB unless you want to drive more than a half hour. There is a large inlet jetty that blocks the wind and there are shoals offshore that focus peaks to one particular area. I guarantee you it is THE MOST crowded uninhabited island when you have swell and a Northeast wind. Yesterday, when this happened, it was close to shoulder-to-shoulder for the entire 400 or so yards where the swell focuses the best. It was also stomach-chest high + with some really fun barrels--far from a "small" day. For the other details I apparently left out: I was paddling out and the stickered up shredder tried to pull a reverse but failed to stick it--he was probably 15-20 feet in front of me. I didn't see his board (and also assumed he had a leash and the board would not make it anywhere near me) until right as I was getting ready to duckdive when it was literally right in front of my face. Luckily I got my head down and went under it. Make sense now? And as far as some people's opinions about the choices being BS..... ever heard of allegory? But, to make it plain and simple for those who need it--please refer to MFitz's comment. That's what I'm getting at. The percentage of people who can surf decent waves with no leash and not lose their board are either not trying anything or they are pros. People that do not wear a leash when it is crowded are idiots. Plus, seriously, what the hell are you doing in the water if the waves are so pathetically small that you can actually feel the drag of your leash?
ok, sounds to me like the guy was irresponsible not wearing a leash on a crowded day...not a big day, but crowded. so were you for assuming that the guy had a leash on. 15-20 is not that far...if his board is 6'0" & if he were wearing a leash it would've been around 6ft long. so that's 12ft from his ankle to the nose of his board. it kinda sounds like if he'd stuck the reverse you could've been in his way. personally, i would've been paddling like hell to get to the whitewater behind the guy so i wouldn't be risking my own safety or screwing up the guy's ride. & i have heard of allegory; i'm an english teacher. calling the choices you created for your highly biased poll allegory stretches the definition of the word to it's utter limits: allegory 1. (Literary & Literary Critical Terms) (Fine Arts & Visual Arts / Art Terms) a poem, play, picture, etc., in which the apparent meaning of the characters and events is used to symbolize a deeper moral or spiritual meaning 2. (Literary & Literary Critical Terms) (Fine Arts & Visual Arts / Art Terms) the technique or genre that this represents 3. (Literary & Literary Critical Terms) (Fine Arts & Visual Arts / Art Terms) use of such symbolism to illustrate truth or a moral 4. anything used as a symbol or emblem definition #3 is the only one that could be even remotely applied to your choices, but that's a stretch. if anything, it's a sad attempt at irony. but in reality, i think it's just bitter sarcasm.
Definitely not a stretch for #3, but I will whole-heartedly agree with your last statement. Remember where I mentioned I have had run-ins with him in the past? I thought the choices were pretty funny myself, sorry you didn't take it that way. But, for the record, he was never going to land the reverse. 20 mph wind and he missed the grab, the wind took the board away from him by about the length of the leash which put it directly in front of me. Jeez, I need to get a GoPro and face it forward on my nose. That way I can just video it instead of having to explain every single little detail. But, let me know if there are still holes in my story. I'm going to work in the yard today and will try to correct them this evening. =P
Not using a leash improves your surfing and builds your confidence level after a while. You are more cognizant of the board and the way you are riding it, imo You tend to remember the mistakes you make when the consequence of falling is swimming to the beach for your board vice just popping up and grabbing it and continuing like nothing happened. I usually don't wear a leash if it's around or up to chest high and clean or even bigger if its not bumpy. Paddling is easier, too. I don't think It has much to do with looking cool.
When i started surfing, back in the late 60's we didnt have a thing called a leash, so what we did was hang on to your board if you wiped out. Somebody did say that it improves your surfing in a eairlier post, i must agree, it does improve your surfing abilities or your swimming abilities...you choose...lol
