Downwinding safety.

[DavidJohn]

Here's what not to do.. 

[Dwight (DW)]

Excellent video!

I'm flabbergasted by the high number industry leaders going leashless in this sport.

[TallDude]

Let's see.... where do I start?
If you have a leash, which you should (when it's blow'in), don't take it off !!! (especially when it's blow'in).

Glad you made it back

[NEplay]

I was like cool she saved the day......or not.

[PonoBill]

Wow, you almost got a twofer there. Rider and rescuer.

Watching you fail to catch your board and looking so small as the board pulled away made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Been there, done that, though in my case it's leash failure, not brain fart. I assume that's what you had to be on a downwinder without a leash. I'd rather have no paddle.

[Chilly]

When does Part II get posted?

[SUPJorge]

DJ!!!, "What the hell were you thinking?"

Jay Leno, Hugh Grant interview Tonight Show 1995 -

I'm very glad you're ok. Uffff....

Jorge

[headmount]

 I assume it was a set up since the cam had been pointing forward before you fell and back (very dramatically) after you went in.  Looked like you were at the end of the gal's leash since it was stretched.  So that was continuing education?  Navy Seal training in very cold water.   

Great vid, great music.  Very good music.  So tranced out that I forgot that you left weren't wearing.  Great job shaking us up out of our complacency on our DWders.

[DavidJohn]

Excellent video!

I'm flabbergasted by the high number industry leaders going leashless in this sport.

Thanks DW.. That's exactly the response that I was hoping for.. and I agree 100%.. I've seen it also.. Crazy.. I never thought that I'd take such a stupid risk myself but unfortunately it did.. and I paid the price..

Glad you guys got to see this vid because it's likely that I will have to delete this vid soon if it makes it back to Seabreeze or Facebook.. It's not a set up Bill.. I had three cameras running with one pointed back..

I was well off shore and getting blown out fast when I realised that I had forgotten my leash.. We both tried to paddle on our knees against the wind to get back to shore but it seemed like we were going backwards in the strong gusts..

This was not our normal DW run that goes from North to South.. The wind had gone from North to Northwest and expected to go even more West so we changed out starting and finishing point making for a short trip across the top of the bay and if the wind was to turn even more sooner it would just make our run shorter with the onshore West wind blowing us back towards shore..

Because of this wind direction and expected change I made the stupid decision to stop paddling towards shore to get my leash and just head off making sure we kept close together in case I was to fall and my board was to get away from me..

I've done dozens of these runs without a fall because of the possible damage my board might get if it was to flip in the strong wind with my big camera mount on it.. I was taking it easy and held off paddling for some big bombs because falling at high speed would almost certainly mean loosing my board.. My knees were shaking at times with the nerves and worry about falling.. When I did have a silly little fall I dropped in beside my board putting a hand on it as I went down.. and a wave pulled the board away from me instantly.. In one second my board was three feet away.. I dropped my paddle and swam hard but in another second my board was ten feet away.. Even while swimming hard in just one more second my board was twenty feet away and uncatchable..

I knew my friend would catch my board for me.. and she did exactly what I would have done.. Put her leash on my camera mount and sit on her board..  Trying to paddle both boards back towards me was never going to work because she would be drifting much faster than I could swim.. But I guess anyone would have to try.. She could not believe how after a silly little fall right beside her board without her leash on would make swimming to it impossible.. Just like me.. 1 second=3 feet.. 2 seconds=10 feet.. and in just 3 seconds the boards were 20 feet away and there was no way of catching them..

Lucky for us we were 90% through our run.. The wind had turned more onshore.. and our boards came to a rest together on a soft sand beach.. We both had a relatively short swim to follow our boards to shore.. We were lucky.. I would never take this risk again.. and I hope by posting this vid others that might be in the same situation will not concider taking the risk either..

[photofr]

Excellent !

[PonoBill]

It's crazy how fast they get away from you. The first time I broke a leash on a DW run (Maliko) was outside Kanaha--about a mile from shore, maybe more. I fell on a big swell down at the bottom of the drop, and then felt the tug change to no-tug. What a sickening feeling. I dropped my paddle and sprinted for the board, almost got to it--it was bobbing sideways, but just as I was about to reach it, the wind caught the nose, turned it, and it was gone. I kept sprinting after it, but it just kept getting further away, until I couldn't see it any more.

I just chugged away at swimming in, and a few hours later my feet hit the sand. I was so relieved. I walked down the beach, found my board where someone had pulled it up. Knee paddled back out and spotted my paddle in about a half hour.

I'm glad you were close to the beach. You had a waist camelback on, if you blow them full of air they give some good floatation if you need it. I've used mine to hold my head up a bit. The drag makes swimming harder, so it's a bit of a tossup, but when you want to rest, it's nice.

I try to grab my board every time I fall. With all the falling I do I get a lot of practice. I grab it successfully about 25% of the time.

[Eagle]

Made me think - what would we do seeing our boards flapjack away from us?  Our inlet coastal waters are very cold even in summer and will wear neoprenes and a small chest PFD when the inflow maxes.

We have our leashes always tied to our DW boards so they are impossible to forget.  And know what you mean by trying to paddle against a heavy wind.  Great wake-up call safety post for others to see what can happen after just a few seconds.

[hbsteve]

How hard was the wind blowing?
Is the black a wetsuit?

[covesurfer]

When I watched this, it did not occur to me to think it was set up. I did notice the lack of a leash right away as well as the incredible conditions. WTF? I thought. Must be pretty confident. But I also know the buoy story which made a long-lasting impression so I wouldn't think that you'd undertake that kind of risk without a backup plan....

Lately, we've had a lot of 30 mph+ days that also come with plenty of surface disruptions. When I go down in those conditions, I am more often doing a full leash test. There is always a second or two where the board is stretching the leash and I'm wondering, will this be the time? I just replaced my fattie leash two weeks ago. But, that's still no guarantee.

This is a good reminder and instruction to everybody going out on the open ocean to downwind. A while back, a friend observed during a channel crossing in big conditions that humans were not intended to be out in the middle of the ocean in such extreme conditions. But there we are, and to a point (somewhere around 40 mph), the more extreme the better. And we're not out there by chance but by choice, having the times of our lives, surfing in the middle of the open ocean.

Doing this stuff doesn't come without some risk. When conditions are big, downwinding becomes an extreme sport if things go wrong. Having a buddy around is probably the most important thing you can do to decrease risk. Unfortunately, once you're going on a big day, you are almost always alone. If someone is just a few swells ahead or behind, they may as well be on a different ocean. People disappear in the troughs, maneuvering around gets difficult, especially when you stop or try and paddle back upwind. Seeing your rescuer lose both boards gave me a sick feeling. Swimming in those kind of conditions is difficult and you are never alone, something else knows you're up there, bobbing along like a tasty treat. Glad it all ended well.

[headmount]

Excellent video!

I'm flabbergasted by the high number industry leaders going leashless in this sport.

Thanks DW.. That's exactly the response that I was hoping for.. and I agree 100%.. I've seen it also.. Crazy.. I never thought that I'd take such a stupid risk myself but unfortunately it did.. and I paid the price..

Glad you guys got to see this vid because it's likely that I will have to delete this vid soon if it makes it back to Seabreeze or Facebook.. It's not a set up Bill.. I had three cameras running with one pointed back..

I was well off shore and getting blown out fast when I realised that I had forgotten my leash.. We both tried to paddle on our knees against the wind to get back to shore but it seemed like we were going backwards in the strong gusts..

This was not our normal DW run that goes from North to South.. The wind had gone from North to Northwest and expected to go even more West so we changed out starting and finishing point making for a short trip across the top of the bay and if the wind was to turn even more sooner it would just make our run shorter with the onshore West wind blowing us back towards shore..

Because of this wind direction and expected change I made the stupid decision to stop paddling towards shore to get my leash and just head off making sure we kept close together in case I was to fall and my board was to get away from me..

I've done dozens of these runs without a fall because of the possible damage my board might get if it was to flip in the strong wind with my big camera mount on it.. I was taking it easy and held off paddling for some big bombs because falling at high speed would almost certainly mean loosing my board.. My knees were shaking at times with the nerves and worry about falling.. When I did have a silly little fall I dropped in beside my board putting a hand on it as I went down.. and a wave pulled the board away from me instantly.. In one second my board was three feet away.. I dropped my paddle and swam hard but in another second my board was ten feet away.. Even while swimming hard in just one more second my board was twenty feet away and uncatchable..

I knew my friend would catch my board for me.. and she did exactly what I would have done.. Put her leash on my camera mount and sit on her board..  Trying to paddle both boards back towards me was never going to work because she would be drifting much faster than I could swim.. But I guess anyone would have to try.. She could not believe how after a silly little fall right beside her board without her leash on would make swimming to it impossible.. Just like me.. 1 second=3 feet.. 2 seconds=10 feet.. and in just 3 seconds the boards were 20 feet away and there was no way of catching them..

Lucky for us we were 90% through our run.. The wind had turned more onshore.. and our boards came to a rest together on a soft sand beach.. We both had a relatively short swim to follow our boards to shore.. We were lucky.. I would never take this risk again.. and I hope by posting this vid others that might be in the same situation will not concider taking the risk either..

Thanks for the post write up explanation.  Sounded heavy.