I dont know why, but all of my injuries come in small wasit to chest high waves. Yesterday I took off on a peeling left, grabbed rail and started to get barreled. The board got sucked up over the falls I flipped and landed on my head crunching my neck. Its sore but I thought about how ugly it could have been. Last year suffered 4 stitches near my eye. Year before same conditions, nearly a broken nose. wtf!! Damook needs a helmet.
i notice the same things, this past summer i went out on a chest high day and after i dropped in the wave, it bottomed out on me and got thrown into the sand and i came back with a messed up shoulder that still bothers me.
you're not alone. i actually read somewhere that most surf injuries occur in small waves (less than head high). probably due to the fact that we take more risks in smaller surf b/c we feel more comfortable. tho they haven't been as serious, most (if not all) of my surf injuries have come in smaller waves. hope your neck feels better soon! you might want to have it checked out...spine/neck injuries are not something you want to mess around with.
Same here. I was riding a new board with no leash, last November, right before Thanksgiving. Took off on a chest high wave and pearled badly. As I was going over, I grabbed the board with my left arm, held on while getting rag-dolled and felt seathing pain. Ended up with elbow tendonitis, that still hurts to this day, even after countless hours of rehab therapy/exercises. Just don't get it. I've been destroyed by Hurricane/Nor'easter swell and never injured. I think it's those days when your not afraid, that sneak up and gets you. Feel Better Da Mook.
Yeah I can see how one is more prone to getting hurt on smaller waves. Most of the time when we try new trick or play with tecnique is on smaller waves.
Yup... Thats why the statistics would show that. I would say 95% of USA surfing is done on small waves. More people charge when its small. Most ridable days in the midatlantic are waist to chest, so obviously that is when most injuries happend. I do agree that shorebreak creates a real danger in any size surf. Big or small. But I will state that all my notable injuries have happened to me on really big days. Broken toes, concussion, nose of a board to the face while pinned down under a huge set wave. Getting shredded over the inside rocks at a place in Baja after leash snapping on big days. Smacking a reef forehead first on an OH day probably takes the cake... So, I think a LOT of injuries happen on small days, but the REALLY BAD ones happen when its big out... I was watching a midatlantic video on surfline last week or so, and it had this guy from Jersey who broke his shoulder under a pitching lip, in jersey... And the doc told him "Man, thats impossible that a lip took your shoulder out like that in Jersey" Then he showed him a picture from that day of him getting shacked in 2-3ft +OH surf. Then the doc was like, well ok then, that makes sense... So, a 3ft OH shorebreaking lip will rip your shoulder out of the socket.... A waist - chest high shorebreak lip will put you down head first and have a sore neck. Thats my ass backwards logic anyway.
Broke my nose on a knee high wave. I was fooling around at the end of a ride and was pretending to do a big off the lip on a tiny wave. Hopped the board around and the backwash from the beach hit the ripple I was on and threw the board right into my nose .
Bingo!!! Big days break further out in deeper water. Small days are in closer to shore and shallower (i.e. more dangerous) water.
two broken teeth 2ft day 8 stitches when i jumped off my longboard and landed on some re bar it was flat
Not fishing for a name drop, but where the hell did that happen? Sounds like Assateaque or something. Ouch.
