Worst I recall was a near death session. It was 1989 in March and I was in the Outer Banks. It was a huge Nor'Easter and breaking on the piers. I decided to paddle out just prior to the clean up. As I made it to the outside a freak set came in and started to break about 100 feet past the current zone. I scrambled to make it to the outside and just as I started my duck dive of the first wave, the power of the wave ripped my board from my hands underwater and broke my leash. I was about 200 yards off the beach in a full suit, booties, gloves, and a hood. I still remember this more than any other day and I have taken beatings around the world! Runner Up was Parlours in Barbados at about 15 foot faces. I actually pulled into a close out and the wave pushed me no less than 20 feet under with 6 to 8 waves in a set. I did not panic nowhere near like the Outer Banks session since it was only trunks.
Isn't that *every* surf movie, which the exception of documentaries? Oh wait - don't forget the "inspirational" surfer who has a lesson to teach. Or can that come under soul surfer? Hmmmm.......
now as soon as i saw this topic posted...i had to tell my tale im surprised no one can relate to this but we all know the movie "The Perfect Storm" well this was infact a real storm back in october of 91' i had just gotten my license that june and it was the first winter i could actually drive down and surf National Weather was callin the buoys at 39 feet off the coast of NC it was a wednesday and i called in sick to school shot down to my house at about 6 got my board and went to southside casino pier the best way i can describe the waves is that it was breaking on top of the pier id say 12-15 foot faces now im the youngest kid in the lineup im shi***** myself out here freakin out i take off on a left and made it got cocky take off on a bomb that was breaking perfectly off the pier...late takeoff and jus did an elevator drop straight down the face...i got washed so close to the pier and i clipped my leg on the pilings broke it couldnt swim luckily there was 3 good samaritans sittin on the beach videotaping they saw me struggling and came out and took me in i passed out on the beach because i couldnt take the pain and woke up in the hospital The moral : Stay in School haha
I was surfing a beachbreak breaking right onto a sandbar about a year ago. The waves were only about 4ft but they had a lot of power. So I drop in on one and the thing does a weird double-up/jump thing and throws me off. I landed on the sandbar feet-first but awkwardly. Then, the wave broke onto where I had just landed and pushed my board into my head. The next thing I know, I'm blacking in and out as I sowly work my way up the sandbar to people and I was apparently bleeding from a spot where my fin sliced my head. It needed 10 stples to fully close and I got a pretty bad concussion to go with it.
I dunno if this actually counts as a wipe out cuz I didnt really cause it. But anyway me and my brother were out bodyboarding and it was about 3-5 nothing big but pretty clean. We were messing around just having fun. So my brother takes this wave before me and about two waves after that I got one so, i got up in dropknee position and was kinda going towards my brother. It was kinda towards the end of the ride and I had got closer to my brother I expected him to duck under or move to the side but instead he stiff arms the front of my board and i go flying forward right into shallow water. Hit my face on the ground had a few scratches but best of all it seemed like everyone on the crowded beach saw it and was laughing. I was laughing so hard at the time i swallowed a bunch of water. It didnt really hurt, not a big wipeout like everyone else was talking about but it was really funny.
the worst have to be in the middle of winter, theres nothing like a bad wipe out when you have a full thick suit, with hood, gloves and boots....u feel so heavy and immobile
I think anyone would agree that getting thrashed around in mid winter is 100 times worse then taking a beating in board shorts!
worst ive had was in daytona this past spring break (i think everyone remembers the epic groundswell that hit puerto rico in mid-march). daytona got it pretty good, nice sets coming in, i'd say 10ft range on the outer bar. me and a couple friends made it to the outside to get the bigger sets. went for 1, got it, paddled back out and got a little cocky (bad idea). then i went for 1 that was a little sketchy and got nailed in the back by the white water and was dragged underwater all the way to the inside bar. luckily i was in shorts and getting tossed around felt pretty good under the cool water, but i was definitely about 5 seconds from being completely out of breath. i got up, hopped on my board, and just scratched like hell to get back out before the next 1 came thru worst ive witnessed that wasnt me was that nice swell in may in OC. my friend and i were sitting out there and got caught off-guard by a set that broke a little further out. i was sitting too far inside to even think i could make it, but my friend had a chance. he starts paddling like crazy to get over, realized that it was gonna break, so he tries to duck dive but the lip comes down right on his back as he's going under. the explosion literally threw him about 4 feet into the air and his board even higher. i was laughing like crazy seeing him fly into the air like a piece of trash, and then reality hit and the wave came rolling thru me, destroying any smirk that was on my face
i hit casino pier once last fall and messed up my right should nice 6 footer and i jsut took the bottom turn to wide, couldnt pull back in time and the nose of my board hit and sent me flying into the pier. hit my shoulder on the pole and messed it up really good, no break or anything just alot of pain. still bothers me a bit
I had a knee high wave last winter that I was screwing around on, doing little floaters over these tiny sections. I was laughing to myself about how small it was and what a moron I was for being out there in the freezing cold surfing nothing better than thigh high waves. At the end of this wave I hopped a mini off the lip and the wave popped my board right up and into my face. I heard my nose crackle and quickly realized it was broken. The water was so cold it didn't bleed until 2 hours later as I was driving somewhere and then a rush of blood poured out onto my shirt. Damm thing took 2 months to heal .
today I was out bodysurfing in the shorebreak, trying to get couple barrelz. I took off down the side of a closeout, and it flipped me over and I hit the bottom face first. bent my neck back and popped it. could have been really serious, but the pain went away pretty quick and i was fine. but still, you really gotta be careful with shallow water
Not this past winter, but the one before that it got pretty heavy at times on the east coast. I remember one wave where I was on a bomber at low tide, was in a tube and saw it closing out in front of me. So I popped a quick barelroll to try and bail but had forgotten how shallow it was. Got grinded into the bar on my side and popped a disc on my back. Hasn't been right since... re-occuring pain, and sitting is a ***** at times. Had a few beatings in the dead of winter that I'll never forget, nothing like getting a good hold down in 38 degree water with a buttload of neoprene on!
Got humbled at haliewa when a new NW swell starting showing and i was in impact zone, a little banged up from the reef, nothing special.
Someone at Darlington last year surfed into the rocks and got completely messed up, the abulance came and everything... I didnt get to see it, all i got to see was him on the beach half dead with his friend keeping him concious.
