Anyone see that Shane Dorian wipeout on Surfline? The way he describes it is so gnarley, If it were me I would have been so dead.
Dorian has serious lungs, because although he said he was probably under for about 40 seconds, he was severly getting worked which we all know drasticly cuts out your oxygen and really changes things a bit in terms of staying calm. So the fact that he was already struggling then came to the surface and got pummeled again, thats where another person could have blacked-out. what saved him was the fact that the second wave let him up a bit and somehow he got a quick breath. also, when he got sucked over the falls he had the instinct to make sure he could catch one last breath all while about to get drilled by a 40 foot wall of white water...
yooo just imagine the terror of being strangle underwater and hearing the dynamite exploding from the next wave and still having the train of thought to say i can do this and then think of how to skill the situation. i been hit hard by just a head high wave and felt being hopeless he didnt just happen to live, he survived and earned his life, because he is a trained waterman super hero surfing savage !!
You know what's really bad is when you get caught in the shallow pocket and it feel's like you're just gettin slammed on concrete.
[QUOTE= i been hit hard by just a head high wave and felt being hopeless Exactly, head high/overhead wave can get any regular surfer worked depending on the conditions and spoty, thats why have to give this guy credit..kinda unbelievable how any of them survive mavericks wipeouts at that size. plus he got washed up in like a river rapid inside washing machine..props and glad surfing didnt lose Dorian.
Dorian is a hell man! I've watched a bunch of Surfline's greatest wipeouts and the way Dorian described his wipeout was one of the most entertaining.......and scary. Dorian is one of the most fit and athletic surfers out there. Water knowledge, composure and physical endurance kept him alive. Most probably would have drown.
This one isnt quite as epic...but more damaging and pretty freaky to get the first hand perspective... http://magicseaweed.com/Barrel-that-Broke-my-Back-Content/2423/
I'm a big Dorian fan and have definitely seen him change the past few years. For anyone who knows about Jose Angel, Shane's behavior these days seems eerily similar. Jose was an adrenaline junky to the point of self-destruction. He went through some rough patches in life and started doing these absurd free-diving adventures, going a few hundred feet down for black coral. Eventually he got really messed up, partially paralyzed, and died a mysterious death during a dive. Brief summary on surfline: http://www.surfline.com/surfing-a-to-z/jose-angel-biography-and-photos_746/ Anyhow, Dorian seems to be following the same route. He's charging absurd waves with seemingly no regard to his own safety. I worry about the guy. It's like part of him doesn't care if he lives or dies. That line must be a strange one for someone who routinely goes way beyond what any of us would consider "normal", but he has absolutely changed. He seems to realize that in the surfline video, but who knows...just praying the guy is okay. Surfing is an amazing sport, but it's really not worth orphaning your kids.