Worst Beat Down Ever

archy?

 

i paddled out at lantana public one day after work in an early spring northeaster refracto swell. it was waist high and low tide. i was so amped and just wanted to surf. a nug came at me while paddling out and i thought i would just paddle thu (because fvck duck diving i'm amping). it picked me up and slammed me against the sand/rocks and pinned the board to my chest. at first i was like oh lol, how cute. then i couldn't get up and went from pissed to panic. got a bloody back and coughed up salt water.

 

not my worst but the most humbling

 

Funny how a lot of us have our worst beat downs on medium sized days.

When it's big, I surf conservatively... I think more and pay attention. When it's not that big, I just get all amped up jump on anything. That's when I pay for my mistakes.... not timing the paddle out... not taking a big enough breath... going on waves that you just say, "F it... so what if I don't make it."

When it's big, I make fewer bad choices.

 

I got a good beating today. Didn't pull in the barrel and wave broke on me back. Got launched into the air then held down, then took 4/5 set waves on the head. It was my second wave of the day lol. Later I pulled into a meaty close out and snapped my leash. Great day. Evening when wind died down was like a dream.

 

It’s so true.

 

And most are more likely to sustain an injury on sandy bottoms than reef bottoms. Fear of rocks/reefs makes most be more careful.
My biggest beat down was on a 10-12 foot day at Marias, Rincon PR, about 10 years ago--late take off, fell off got slammed into reef, smacking my head on brain coral, scratched head, shoulder and knee. Came up, by board was 2 feet away, still leashed on. I will never again say to myself, "this is my last wave for today". Every time I do, something goes wrong........

 

had a hold down whilst paddling oot last winter that had me shook for months. good size day once out, but nothing out of the norm on the paddle out, it just got me right on my duck dive, pushed me down and towed me a while. didn't even like holding the breath in the pool for a while after that one

other than that, nothing even close to what you all describe. just your regular getting caught on the inside and having to duck dive or give up and dive for up to 8 waves at a time until getting back out

 

I got shredded like some cheddar cheese on a reef this summer in Tobago. It couldn't have been more than chest high, but my POS rental's leash snapped and I ended up having to walk-swim over 50 yards of coral. Yummy!

 

Worst hold down was Ocean Beach, CA, 6 to 8 foot day with some bigger sets. Set broke way out and white water rolled all the way in to me. I attempted to duck dive but didn't get deep enough. Wave reformed on the inside and took over the falls. I couldn't find the bottom or my leash and I didn't think I was coming up. Finally made it to the surface and was immediately hit by another wave. When I made it to shore, I just sat on the beach for a while and thought about life. LOL

 

I wish I had seen you get dragged over. I would have been on the beach laughing my ****ing ass off!!! Then I would have bought you a beer for providing such great entertainment....

 

I would have gladly taken that beer!!! I didn't even go to Roberto's Taco shop after my session, I just went home. HA HA

 

There was an ESA contest there on a solid north swell, and Kyle Cohn (or the other twin) got his leash caught on a buoy after wiping out in the pit. And then a set unloaded on him. Luckily he had been surfing NorCal for a year, so he lived. He was very shaken when he finally got loose.

 

I've almost died at Pumphouse a couple times, to be expected.

But once I was living a bit south, in Ocean Reef, and paddled out at Anna Street on a big north. It was breaking square on the reef, DOH glassy barrels. I mistimed the duckdive, and the lip landed squarely on my back, crushing me into the board. I got all the wind knocked out of me, my ribs were hurting, and all I could move were my fingers, so I used them to paddle further out, past the impact zone while I collected myself for a few minutes, then I paddled/drifted/washed back in to the safety of solid ground. Luckily I was 28 years old and in top shape.

 

Went out during a 1.5 - 2x overhead NW swell at El Porto in south LA a few years ago and got caught inside after a nasty wipeout. I was so tired and out of breath from taking waves on the head that when a final monster set wave was about to break on me I said screw it, ditched my board to the side, and dove for the bottom just before the lip came down. I came up to find that the wave had snapped my board clean in half. I think I've had worse physical beatings, but that was one of the most humbling, walking back up the beach carrying my dignity in two pieces....

 

I cracked some ribs doing a floater on my LB in waist high surf. Coming down, the board went sideways, and I landed right on the rail. I could barely drag the log back up the beach. Hurt for weeks.

 

Heavy duty. ^

hmm, one infamous for me was when my leash snapped during MA/RI winter groundswell - all of head high, 28* water. I punched through the end of a wave, backside, and snapped my leash. I took at least 5 good sized waves off the head just trying to make it to shore. Ended up back floating in because it
was firing and I wanted to know what was coming in behind me during my free swim. This was in a 654 suit and 7mm mitts and booties; it was a PIA to even submerge deep enough to not get throttled trying to make it in with all that neoprene on. good times.

 

Hey y'all. This place has really changed lately.

Most painful was the already semi famous chest bone snappage near the Pleasure Pier. That one was in chest deep water, so I was able to crawl back in without much trouble.

However, the most scary was bodysurfin a few winters ago. Fullsuite, no fins. Was playin it safe surfin near the end of the rock groin (jetty) where my feet could touch the bottom. Then I get a wild hair... Let's go check out the next sandbar out past the groin. Looks like some nice stuff out yonder. I'm swimmin out, headin for a good spot, not lookin back to shore to see how close I was gettin to the groin (and the major rip). Then I look back to shore and get a big ol surprise. There, at least 100 yards straight in towards shore, was the end of the groin, gettin smaller, real quick like. I'm like, "Paulie you're such a dumbass!" No fins, full suite, and I ain't 28 yrs old and in great shape like somebody said. Of course, I take evasive maneuvers and swim lateral to shore til I wasn't headin out to sea. Then headed back in, catchin whatever waves I could til I got in where I could touch the bottom. Finally made it back in to shore, my suite unzipped cuz I was sweatin so much, and just sat on the sand til I calmed down. Nobody around anywhere.

That won't happen again.

 

^^^^This made me think about something.

This question might sound stupid to you northern guys, but I don't know much about wearing a lot of neoprene. Where I surf the water rarely gets below 70*. So I wonder, after a long winter of wearing X lbs in neoprene every sesh, say you hopped a trip in Mexico and went straight to trunkin it. Do you guys feel faster in the water? Paddling a little a easier?

I imagine it like running with a weighted vest, swinging a bat with a donut on it, etc. Idk, just curious.