Author Topic: Worse surf accident due to bad technique.  (Read 3943 times)

surfinJ

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Worse surf accident due to bad technique.
« on: July 31, 2016, 04:30:43 AM »
Well it felt that way at first.  What a freak accident.

4' wave hollow bowl takeoff.

 I try to keep my paddle somewhere in the mix,  lots of contact with the wave. There is a time however, when a steep takeoff with ia turn blended in to get into a hollow section leaves me carrying the paddle like a bag of potatoes.  Holding it somewhere in the middle due to a side transfer.

Well I had almost made the tightrope drop into turn frontside when, with the paddle in my leading hand,  I caught an edge and launched onto my back.  Point of impact was back of neck upper back, shouldn't be too bad, been here before, it's only water.  But no....

Bam!!  A shock like I haven't felt in years.  Huge jolts down both arms to my hands.
First thought, broken vertebrae.  As I surfaced I realized that I could move everything, ok, but I had to head in.  Fudge!?!!  The waves were so good.

Oh, the paddle is broken at the bottom of the blade too. At least an excuse to stop, pretty shook up.

Slowly I realized what had happened. As I flew through the air, the paddle blade moved behind me. When I impacted the water the blade was waiting, lying flat on the surface.

Quite a scare from a bag of potatoes.

PonoBill

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Re: Worse surf accident due to bad technique.
« Reply #1 on: July 31, 2016, 07:18:31 AM »
Sounds nasty. Glad you're OK.

I've had mine get between my legs in the rinse cycle. I don't recommend that either.
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surfcowboy

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Re: Worse surf accident due to bad technique.
« Reply #2 on: July 31, 2016, 09:50:58 AM »
My fav is underestimating the weight of the lip. I was paddling out in North SD and went to jump over a lip but I didn't jump over. I plowed full length in the air into a nice thick lip and got my bell rung. Thought I'd busted an eardrum and my body felt like I'd been dropped out of the top bunk onto the floor.

Sometimes diving under is the better part of valor why it's over chest high.

SUPcheat

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Re: Worse surf accident due to bad technique.
« Reply #3 on: July 31, 2016, 10:01:48 AM »
So sorry, Jay, but glad it came out OK.

I have heard similar stories, usually from shallow reef rather than a paddle at the wrong time and wrong place.

My neighbor scrunched his neck in January, felt the shooting tingles to his hands and then arm and shoulder weakness.  He has been out for over six months now, not from that, but it helped him to decide to have fiberoptic surgery on his back and neck.  It has been extremely successful for him so far.
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surfinJ

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Re: Worse surf accident due to bad technique.
« Reply #4 on: July 31, 2016, 11:56:21 AM »
Thanks guys, I feel like I dodged a bullet.   

supthecreek

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Re: Worse surf accident due to bad technique.
« Reply #5 on: July 31, 2016, 12:27:44 PM »
That sucks!

Paddles are deceptive they are light and feel delicate, but landing on them is like landing on a 2x4.... it could easily break your neck.

I hope you just got a warning shot..... check it out if you have doubts.

by the way...... that 2 fubar's in a month. Knock it off before you hurt yourself!



surfinJ

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Re: Worse surf accident due to bad technique.
« Reply #6 on: July 31, 2016, 01:14:58 PM »
Yea, when I got home it was to "again?", instead of a kinder inquiry into my state.  First fubar didn't physically hurt at least.

"Be more careful!"  she said.  Sure gonna work on that  ;)

SUPcheat

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Re: Worse surf accident due to bad technique.
« Reply #7 on: July 31, 2016, 05:28:34 PM »
Maybe with the broken board, you are pre-disastered for a long spell, fingers crossed.
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mrbig

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Re: Worse surf accident due to bad technique.
« Reply #8 on: July 31, 2016, 06:10:57 PM »
Jay,
Glad you are OK! No more barrels in the inside section for, hmm, at least a week!
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RATbeachrider

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Re: Worse surf accident due to bad technique.
« Reply #9 on: August 01, 2016, 08:47:24 PM »
I was out of commission from May 2nd until July 21st ... I used my head to crack the rail on the 9'6 nose rider longboard while surfing knee-knocker waves.  For the time being, I'm wearing the Gath surf helmet ... and liking it!

covesurfer

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Re: Worse surf accident due to bad technique.
« Reply #10 on: August 02, 2016, 03:18:38 PM »
Regular surfing on a very thin 9' longboard about 11 or 12 years ago at Indian Beach, OR coast. Was coming in to the beach on a small, knee high wave, just riding along and must've buried a rail. I popped off the board like a cork and came straight down on my head in about a foot or 18" of water. Hyperflexed my neck. Couldn't swallow for at least a day. No tingling, no numbness (except for being a numbnutz for doing this in the first place). But I came up terrified and thoroughly stunned. Came very close to breaking my neck. Got examined right away and the doc just kept telling me how lucky I was. If I'd been more focused on what I was doing, the accident would have never happened. It happened because I was not paying any attention to what I was doing.

surfshaver

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Re: Worse surf accident due to bad technique.
« Reply #11 on: August 02, 2016, 07:24:24 PM »
I was surfing at The Ranch a few years ago and jamming a high line on a hollow overhead wave.  As the wave began to close out I hesitated for just a split second as to whether to pop out the back or hit the section and ride it down.  Just then a strong gust of wind hit me and flipped my board into me, then the lip hit on top of that, jamming the rail into my side as the wave crashed on top of me.  I came up from the vicious wipeout bellowing in pain.  Broken ribs.  To this day if I paddle a few days in a row, my ribs get sore.  OTOH, it could have been much worse.

surfercook

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Re: Worse surf accident due to bad technique.
« Reply #12 on: August 02, 2016, 07:40:55 PM »
Definitely fear the paddle. I had a similar experience w/the single fin of a longboard. Wipes are gnarly!
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