Wipeouts (Head High - 1-3 Over)

Ted Shred broke his back on a waist high wave. Small waves can F you up too.

 

general common sense, but if you are paddling out in bigger stuff where you are pushing your limits, make sure there are other surfers in the water... A surfer saved someone's life in New Jersey last week, because he saw the guy laid out unconscious. If no one is there, no one will help you...

 

A lot of people say don't panic and just let the wave drown you until you float back up.. Well theres been to many times that if I didn't panic and and swim to the surface or push off the ocean floor, I would been done for.

 

That's my philosophy, and pretty much the best advice given in my opinion.

 

I'm still cracking up about "you're a puss" and "let your balls hang out".

I agree about the shallow water days/small days. I think a lot more folks get injured on those days you take for granted, and the bottom is too close, whether sand or reef. As to hold downs, agree also that 18 seconds is a whole new ball game of turbulence under there, even at just head high. I still maintain that you have to relax under water at least for a bit, until the ragdolling subsides, then maybe scramble to get to the surface. I always make a point to try and ball up too, just in case I'm hitting head first or rolling around under there violently. I hit my hip on the bottom last week in Jersey on the SECOND big swoosh you sometimes get after the initial push under. Hit hard too! You definitely don't want to go in like a Lawn Dart. And those shallow days when it's really fun can catch you off guard and you'll do just that. So watch them. I think shoulder to even overhead is not as much a variable as is the nature of each swell, i.e. period size and general turbulence, sideshore current, all that stuff. When it's blowing 35 mph, drifting 5 knots north, and it's even just head high swell you can get a two-wave holddown, and if you're under there struggling the whole time, your CO2 levels are skyrocketing. That's what knocks you out. The general advice is to relax until you feel like you can propel yourself under your own power, like the spin cycle has hit a momentary pause. Maybe the bong hit helps too, so feel free to draw deeply from a two-foot Tokemaster first if that's your thing.

 

I agree with you, but I don't think people mean to just wait and hope...more just to relax and let it do its thing and then try to swim up. If you're flailing around trying to swim up immediately, you're wasting oxygen and just asking for trouble. I don't care how strong you are, if mother ocean doesn't want to let you up, you're not coming up. You've got to take your pounding and not panic. When it's over, stroke for the surface, but be ready for the next wave and grab a quick breath while you can.

Also, if you are so disoriented you don't know which way is up, let out a little bit of air and follow the bubbles up. This only works if you can actually see the bubbles(obviously). Sometimes there's so much churning and murkiness that this method will not work.

Great advice by most posters though - especially about not paddling into anything you can't swim in from.

 

That's sounds like a terrible ls idea lol, in nj I can't even see my feet when sitting on my board, I don't know how anyone would see air bubbles while getting rocked underwater.. Better advice tho is to follow your leash to the surface while disoriented, because at the end of the life line is something that floats alot better than you do.. #umbilical cord

 

A person uses a lot of energy getting into a panic and fighting the whitewater and turbulence. Our longtime practice has been to ball up so you don't rag doll. Also, there is no such thing as pushing off the ocean floor when it is anything but a known sand bottom... there might be rebar, coral or lava heads and holes, and who knows what else.

Before you paddle out at any break it is a good practice to figure out your exit strategy: what are the prevailing currents and rips, what obstacles to coming in are there (shallow reef, groins, piers), and what do yo do if your leash breaks (mentioned above). During some serious hold downs, even in 4 foot waves, you can move through the water quite a bit -- towards shore and laterally -- be prepared.

 

As long as your board is still attached to your leash You're right, it probably wouldn't work well on the east coast since the visibility is so bad. It's an old scuba diving trick if you get disoriented during a dive.

 

Unless you are in some heavy waves and your board tombstones hard--it's impossible to pull yourself up your leash. You're more of a piece of bait behind a trolling planer at that point and fighting it will only make it worse. If you don't know what I'm talking about, just tie a ski rope around your leg and get your friends in the boat at the other end of the rope to go just a couple mph and see how "easy" it is to pull yourself up the rope.

Just get used to waiting patiently until you can get some traction in the water, then focus on getting to the surface.

 

Erock, I don't think Staystoked meant that you should pull yourself up by your leash, I think he meant just feel for it so that you can get a sense of direction if you are under water and disoriented.

 

The solution to dealing with heavy wipeouts in our surf is simple...go on a trip to a place that has REAL size and power. when you come back, you will get creamed and be like 'sh!t, that was nothing'.