the first airplane pilots also flew WITHOUT parachutes... now they fly with parachutes. Not using a leash makes you and your surfboard a hazzard. During the summer time where I surf, most surfers will let the leashless people hear about it as the potential to screw it up for everyone else is there if a board goes rumbling toward the shoreline with unsuspecting swimmers in its path. Its a pretty delicate situation between the surfers and the city lifeguards....
Precisely what has happened in WB. You can surf in WB without a leash if you want to pay an enormous fine, go to court, pay a lawyer, etc, etc.....
and rightly so. the more I think about this topic the more I think anyone that goes out surfing (minus pro's... slightly) are complete and utter morons. so just know this... if I see you out without a leash, I will be thinking that you are a complete and utter moron and so will everyone else.
So I've gotta ask who poses more of a hazard? The person that tosses his board aside because he can't duckdive a head high wave and continually gets in the way of other peoples lines or the person w/o a leash who maintains positive control of their board 90% of the time? I've been in both situations in the last 6 months and I'm way more likely to paddle away from the guy who has no etiquite than a guy who surfs conservatively and rarely looses his board.
I dont care what kind of conditions you are riding in you will eventually loose a board......If you say you never have you're just fooling yourself and lying to everyone else.......Usually when one compliments themselves on how much (skill) they have there is usually a significant lack of.......
Does your Mom know you have a mouth like that...........seriously dude no need to belittle yourself.......you're not feeling leash drag unless maybe you have a 10' leash on a 5'8 board.........maybe
I can relate to both sides. I will continue to surf w/o a leash in un-crowded situations and when I travel to beach breaks where I'm solo most of the time. I've made it a priority to avoid crowds in general so I guess this whole leash thing really doesn't apply to me, anyway...I equate it to not having to wear underwear just because it's the "proper" thing to do. Sometimes you just gotta hang loose.
"Why do some short boarders insist on not wearing leashes?" I don't know. I always short board with a leash. The only time I surf without a leash is when it's small and I'm on a longboard or sometimes even a fish. Kiddies on the inside? LEASH, no matter what.
It's a lot like my philosophy on condoms: If I'm going new places I usually wear one. At home I don't bother. If my board hits you, sorry about your luck. If you didn't paddle out right in front of me it wouldn't have happened. And, on a final thought, I usually wear a leash when it's cold out. Hate swimming around in a full suit.
yes! swimming in a 5/4 SUCKS! 4/3 or a 3/2 is whatever, but for some reason swimming in a 5/4 is the worst thing ever...prob. b/c of the cold.
If your unsecured board hits someone it's gonna be more like: sorry about the jury's finding of your nonfeasance we will now garnish your wages to award the plaintiff for the injury your neglect caused them. It's like people who insist on not wearing their seatbelts. All the excuses are BS and the risks far outweigh the rewards. Stop trying to prove how cool you are and be sensible. If it's uncomfortable it's because you aren't used to it- after awhile you'll hardly know it's there. Putting yourself and others at risk for no good reason is ignorant.
this is such a ridiculous one sided debate, on both sides of the coin. 1. the leashless surfer thinks that they are so incontrol of an uncontrollable environment that they will never lose thier board.... and that if they do, the free projectile will impact whoever deserves to be impacted, with no responsibility on the leashless dumb.a.zz. 2. the paddler getting hit thinks that they could not possibly be doing anything wrong on the paddle out and will be the victim no matter what the situation if hit by a leashless board... the kicker.... the leashless surfer will be at fault 100% of the time as soon as someone asks... "well, were you wearing a leash?" If I got hit by a leashless board Im most likely snapping that morons board into 2 pieces.
leashes aren't there to protect idiot swimmers from surfboards, they were invented so that surfers do not lose boards in hazardous conditions. This pussification of everything is the problem. Everyone is all worried about liability and being sued... grow a pair. This makes me sick. If you are strong enough to snap a board in pieces why are you crying about a stray board running into you? "Ill sue your pants off if you damage my property" Did I get it right that time?
If I have to watch out for kooks dropping in all over the place, they need to watch out for my board on the rare occasion that it gets away from me.
Nope, you didnt get it right. if you cause damage while not using a widely available and used safety product you'll be at fault. I dont really pay anymind to the legal aspect of this debate. Unless your board took someone's eye out or knocked someone out then its a situation that should be solved on the beach. Im only speaking to point of impact moment. I suppose if you're on an isolated break, then do whatever. but if you're in a crowded spot you have to take responsibility for you and the people around you.
I mean, lets not make it a law to wear a life jacket, swimmies and ear plugs here. Following that logic, we are all required to surf softtops. I'll meet you in middle. Fine, if you surf crowded spots, I recommend wearing a leash. I don't, so I'm going to ignore my own advice.