Worst Beat Down Ever

No second place for me on this one. Ocean Beach S.F. on a dark winter day when I was an invincible 19 years old. Lived in Socal and had made a trip to visit some peeps up there. Never been out at that spot and it was huge. Way more than I could handle but no fear or good sense then.Lucky to even make it out and then watched the two guys I was out with get some screamers. Lost it on the drop on the only one I went for and got destroyed. Came up just in time to get it again and damn near drowned. Best part? I got bumped by my board as the third wave was about to wash over me and got shot to the beach on my belly. The leash had snapped and was pure miracle that the board was there. Went up there a year later and got the shakes just looking at a mild swell coming in. Never went back in the water there.

 

Two wave hold down east side oahu about 15 years ago. 6-8ft+ walled up lines stacking the horizon. Long story short.....I got smashed paddling out after riding off the back of a wave. I was getting thrashed underwater, when finally things calmed and I began swimming to resurface. Next thing I know, I got pulled down a second time and started getting tumbled. Again, things calmed and I began swimming to resurface. Luckily, I made it out alive and didnt drown. When I finally came up from underwater I was soooo far inside that I basically got dragged out of the impact zone. I grabbed my board and layed my body across it for a minute to regain my compsure, them paddled in with my tail between my legs. Definitely scared the crap out of me. To be honest, when it was happening, I didn’t think about drowning or say to myself “your going to die”. I think my mind went blank and survival mode kicked in.

 

Playa Negra Costa. My last day there, was a little drunk and the waves were a bit too large. The fact that no one was out should've been my sign not to go. Since it was my last day I felt that I had to do it, maybe it was the alcohol or that fact I was 25 at the time. Took me forever to get out, not even sure how I did get out. I sat out back for a long time catching my breath.

I was really contemplating how in the heck I was going to get back to shore at this point. The smaller waves had to have been 8-10, super fast and powerful, the sets were 10-12, maybe even 15'. Well when I was camping out back forever, scared to go back in the break zone, I could see this wave setting up way outside. It was a rogue wave and was building tremendously. Soon the gigantic wall was coming right for me.

I tried to paddle further out but the way it was building and the speed in which it was traveling was hard to figure out what to do. If I didn't do anything it was going to swallow me and there was no way I could duck dive this thing. I decided the only choice I had was to go for it. I tried to drop in on the monster and it just devoured me completely. I remember at some point during the thrashing, grabbing my board and just bear hugging it to hold on. Had a few hold downs and basically washed up on the shore. I laid there for about 20 mins completely exhausted.

I finally walked back down and found my buddy, his leash had broke and he almost drowned. Later I noticed that my leash had torn through my board at the tail from the force, the leash was still stuck through the glass and foam.

 

Yeah im still thinkin that 5'6" twin in some big 12 ft buxton surf was a pretty interesting session

 

Great tales great treadde here's some visual aids

[video=youtube;DPSYFE_epIU]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPSYFE_epIU[/video]

 

young and dumb. First time I realized the importance of the right bort for the right conditions.