Near Drowning

last year in CR. Wave exploded in front of me and a poor duck dive attempt got me worked. Thought for sure i was done.

 

Dude! Scary shit right there... glad you got out..

 

Non surfing but life changing: working offshore lobster boat as a 14 year old kid, out past mud humps by Georges bank, got rope wrapped around my ankle setting a trawl. Dragged me right overboard before my uncle could get boat stopped. Was lucky enough to grab the rope forward of my foot as I went over stern, but it pulled me right down quick. No lie, probably 15’ down and going in the 3-5 seconds I managed to get rope off foot... which was In knee high fireman’s boots, tucked inside my Grundens overalls... I managed to get close to surface but was too heavy to keep going and that’s when uncle grabbed me and pulled us both back to boat on tether line we had set up for safety. Good thing cause I was done, he was an old man, and we were alone. God wasn’t done with us yet I guess. Absolute toast otherwise.
Made a habit out of carrying a stubby rope knife at all times after that. Pure fuckin terror

 

Sick tales gents! I've been unfortunate to have gotten my zipper popped open in an olde wetsuitte duckdiving large choppy waves, and it filled up like a balloon. I was floundering and getting pounded in the impact zone. Luckily my leash knot was tied propperly so I could drag the boart back to me, and hung on for dear life as the waves pounded me and eventually I got pushed into the shore break, and took a beating getting out of the water.

The closest I got to blacking out was when I was 20ish, surfing very big Reef Road, and I got tubed then hammered on the inside, and I thought I was climbing my leash to my board at the top, but when I got to the board we were both pinned to the bottom, so I had to push off the bottom with both feet and drag me and the board up to the surface, luckily a wave didn't land on me at the point I breached surface or I would be dead. I almost blacked out struggling up through the last foot of seafoam to get a good breath.

Sometimes when it's really big a leash can turn against you and attack, or make the boart attack. Just sayin

 

I was sponging after my surf session in OC last Sunday and pulled into a set wave that closed and i got annihilated. Butt checked the bottom and got my shorts ripped to my ankles.

 

https://www.swellinfo.com/forum/threads/close-calls.19068/

Much gold. Needless I say more.

 

Avila Beach (north of Pismo Beach CA), fall 1976. Surf was almost as high the pier, and I had no reason to be out in it. Those were pre-leash days. I couldn't surf worth beans to begin with but was young and egged on by a college pal. Some pal.
After a couple long and very scary hold-downs, I managed to swim/crawl onto dry land. My board was already in the hands of an older lifeguard who had been watching me from their building. He gave me a well-deserved earful.
Gave my board (a 7-2 Jacobs single fin, if I recall) to my brother and I didn't touch a surfboard again until 2012...35 years later.

 

Was bodysurfing today before surfing... got a few nice big, chunky ones, but the current was bad and swept me waaaaay down the beach. Decided to get out and found myself right in the middle of a giant rip. Swam out of it, then took a few poundings getting back to the beach. Nobody around by now, and it was a good thing... felt a little drafty and looked down... my zipper had blown open (yes... an old pair of O'Neill boardies has an actual zipper).

 

Well, between you, Pump, and I, that's three guys with decades of experience that got de-panted by the ocean in the last 2 days.

 

I only have a legit 3years but I got depanted last night too! Baaaahahahahahhahas

 

Bodysufer Mark Cunningham says he has three tips for body surfing:
Wear a suit that will stay on.
Kick like hell.
Come out of the water smiling.

We should listen to the voice of experience.

 

from that thread last year

 

not the worst but very humbling

 

How was that black tunnel you were looking through during the last few feet, right? Or that roar in your head?

 

Last years mischief night swell, I got worked so hard. I was surfing right next to this construction site with a huge rusted, metal sea wall contraption. Got rocked on a set wave and popped up right next to it. Now I’m stuck trying to swim away from this wall all the while staring down the eyes of 2-3’ overhead sets preparing to explode on my face. To make it worse I was in the middle of a current.

I continued to take several sets on the head fighting to get away and I was so gassed from trying that on the third wave I got pushed way down. For a split second or two I really didn’t know if I was going to make it. Pure adrenaline saved my arse. Somehow managed to get enough energy to get up and breathe.

I spent the next 5 minutes scrambling to get outside. Got dragged several hundreds up the beach and finally took my sorry arse in. Crawled on the beach just gasping and then pondering life’s consequences. Walked back up the beach, found my friend and he convinced me to go out once more before dark. Glad I did.

 

Hey KanBro’ not to be one to put a fly in your stoke ointment or be a hypocrite, but Brother, seems to me you’ve had some serious calls the last two outings - sometimes it pays to listen to rythms. Natures. And yours. Don’t know you from Adam, but you seem as cool of a dude as most in this place and it would really bum me out if you got hurt bad or worse. And I’m sure others would agree to that. Just my 2.2500 cents worth.

 

Ho bra, I hear you. We all take our whippings and every time are humbled. Trust me I’m no charger, but I push myself. My theory is that as long as you learn something from those whippings, you have succeeded.

 

Buddy, you sound the definition of charger lol. But well said.