Worst paddle out

Hurricane Sandy pre-swell at Lincoln - Long Beach NY. For those who don't know there are rock Jetti's about every 500 - 1000 feet at Long Beach. Makes it very difficult for the beach to hold large swells and there are close outs one after another relentlessly from Jetti to Jetti. The only way to ride a wave was to get out past the Jetti’s to catch the bigger sets that broke before getting into the Jetti zone. The only problem is that once you go out farther than the Jetti, there's a straight rip current to the left down the whole coast of New York. So I tried making it out past the constant closeouts for about an hour and kept getting swept back to the shore the whole time. Finally I luckily found a calmer time to give it a go and I made it out! Then of course I got swept along by the current down the beach. It was just dragging me left, luckily not out to sea, but it was the fastest current I've even been caught in. The current was so strong that I couldn't even paddle back in towards the shore as I was being taken to the left. So I began to realize that it would be a huge effort to get back into the shore after spending all of my energy just to get out.

If you are familiar with this beach you will know that the break at National Street is the widest spot between the Jetti's. So I knew that I would have the best chance to make it into the shore on that street without getting swept into the rock Jetti's. So I waited to get swept down to that street resting my arms knowing that I would have to paddle as hard as I could to make it into the shore before being swept into the rock Jetti. So as I past the right Jetti I began paddling as hard as I could towards the shore and I was still being swept sideways. Finally I realized I wasn't going to make it in time before I drifted down to the left Jetti at National Street about 1000 feet away. Then I saw a huge set coming, but I was in too far to ride it. I had a choice, turn around and try paddling back out with a huge set coming or try paddling into the shore and hope that the waves break giving me a nice white water push into the shore before I hit the Jetti coming up. I decided to paddle towards the shore as I looked over my shoulder and saw a huge one curling over behind me. I thought there was a chance that I could catch it and ride it in. I was picked up as I was paddling hard, and I popped up on the board and began to glide down the front of the face. Then all of the sudden it just completely closed out and I was thrown down the front of the wave. By this time I looked to my left and saw the Jetti was right there and that this wave was sending me right into it. I quickly thought that my best chance was to put my legs straight out in front of me and land on my back trying to keep my head from hitting the rocks first. I slammed my foot and thigh into the big rocks first. My board flipped up into the air and came down slamming the rail right on my head. Then there was so much force behind the wave that it flipped me over the rocks and spit me out the other side and pushed me into the shore. I limped up onto the beach and collapsed with blood running down my foot. I reached up and felt a big bump on my head where the board had slammed me. There was a huge gash in my board and a chunk of my hair stuck in it. I had a huge bruise on my thigh for a couple days and my foot had a gash on it. I looked around and didn’t see any other surfers out and I just lay there catching my breath.

 

Totally not worth it

 

Holy Sh$&t! Just reading your post got my heart pounding.

 

At that point I would have quit trying...actually about 40 mins before that point I would have quit trying. Dang. So do the jettys not run perpendicular all the way to the beach? I ask because the current at the correctly corresponding side of jetty in VB sucks you right out...sometimes dry hair.. on the rare OH washmachine day

 

It does, but the long shore current drags you to the left so quickly that you are out of that strong rip current before it's able to get you to the outside.

I too surfed that day, and the paddle out was definitely no joke. Took me about 30 mins to get out, and the longshore was nuts.

 

Dang ... glad you're safe ... just curious, at some point the long-shore would have taken you to somewhere more hospitable for landing without risking injury on the jetties, no?

 

Prai mole in Florianopolis Brazil on a big day for me.
Pretty much impossible to paddle out.