Are SUPs really more dangerous than prone boards in the surf?

[Newcastle]

"One Supper makes it safer for the whole crowd" Come on. Cardiff sets aren't dangerous. SUPs are more dangerous. Longboards too. More volume and way less ability to stay in control when caught inside. A good shortboarder can duck dive most waves in control. SUPs when faced with white water of size or critical breaking waves are an iffy proposition. Once they fall the board becomes a danger. Don't kid yourself. When you SUP in a crowd, you have to be more careful about sets and position in relationship to other surfers. Bigger board=more responsibility.

[SlatchJim]

Activity in NZ Injury rate per 1,000 participants
Tramping 0.17
Source and further information:
http://www.mountainsafety.org.nz/resources/outdoorsafety/resources/docs/injury-statistics.doc

That's it.  I'm quitting everthing else and putting all my energy into tramping! 

[Cardiff Sweeper]

"One Supper makes it safer for the whole crowd" Come on. Cardiff sets aren't dangerous. SUPs are more dangerous. Longboards too. More volume and way less ability to stay in control when caught inside. A good shortboarder can duck dive most waves in control. SUPs when faced with white water of size or critical breaking waves are an iffy proposition. Once they fall the board becomes a danger. Don't kid yourself. When you SUP in a crowd, you have to be more careful about sets and position in relationship to other surfers. Bigger board=more responsibility.

  Hello, sarcasm.



Right, and that's why I ride smaller Sups so I don't need to be responsible.

This all comes down to the generalization that every guy is riding a 12'12" Stand up Board, is a middle-aged fat guy, who wants to get back into surfing, and who was never really good at it to begin with.  Hey, when I'm around those guys in the water, I need to be more responsible, because it's easy to see they haven't the ability that I possess to control what's going on.

Skill makes up for the hate.  If you know what you're doing, or you can seriously rip on a wave (on any kind of board), people will leave you alone.  If you're falling all over the place, in the middle of the lineup, yes, YOU ARE MORE DANGEROUS.


It's the damn generalizations that get me going.    

[Boludo]

"One Supper makes it safer for the whole crowd" Come on. Cardiff sets aren't dangerous. SUPs are more dangerous. Longboards too. More volume and way less ability to stay in control when caught inside. A good shortboarder can duck dive most waves in control. SUPs when faced with white water of size or critical breaking waves are an iffy proposition. Once they fall the board becomes a danger. Don't kid yourself. When you SUP in a crowd, you have to be more careful about sets and position in relationship to other surfers. Bigger board=more responsibility.

I do agree with you that when you're in a crowd you need to about sets and position in relation to other surfers.  However your "Bigger board = more responsibility" analogy gave me a good laugh .  I guess I've been looking at this all wrong.  So, since I went from a 10' sup to a 7' sup my responsibility lessens.  I guess that's true in life, right?  Bigger car means more responsibility.  I have a couple younger girls.  Does that mean as they get bigger my responsibility is greater?  That maybe explains why many proners aren't very responsible.  Because they follow the Newcastle law.

[SoCalSupper]

"One Supper makes it safer for the whole crowd" Come on. Cardiff sets aren't dangerous. SUPs are more dangerous. Longboards too. More volume and way less ability to stay in control when caught inside. A good shortboarder can duck dive most waves in control. SUPs when faced with white water of size or critical breaking waves are an iffy proposition. Once they fall the board becomes a danger. Don't kid yourself. When you SUP in a crowd, you have to be more careful about sets and position in relationship to other surfers. Bigger board=more responsibility.

  Hello, sarcasm.



Right, and that's why I ride smaller Sups so I don't need to be responsible.

This all comes down to the generalization that every guy is riding a 12'12" Stand up Board, is a middle-aged fat guy, who wants to get back into surfing, and who was never really good at it to begin with.  Hey, when I'm around those guys in the water, I need to be more responsible, because it's easy to see they haven't the ability that I possess to control what's going on.

Skill makes up for the hate.  If you know what you're doing, or you can seriously rip on a wave (on any kind of board), people will leave you alone.  If you're falling all over the place, in the middle of the lineup, yes, YOU ARE MORE DANGEROUS.


It's the damn generalizations that get me going.    

What Cardiff said x10

[seaox23]

Its the old saying: guns dont kill people; people kill people.  As long as we are responsible and not wreckless injuries should be minimal. 

[JT]

I don't think my original post is ludicrous. It's seductively simple for proners to assert SUPs are "dangerous." There's a real risk that people who regulate the use of beaches but don't surf themselves will buy into that argument even if it's without basis or just "BS" as PB put it. I believe that's actually already happening in some regions, with SUPs being banned or relegated to the back of the bus or their own drinking fountains so to speak.

Celeste clearly points out the relationship between mass, acceleration and damage-to-the-body potential, but, correctly, I believe, points out that it does not necessarily follow that SUPs will pose the greatest risk in all scenarios. As PB might have put it, a SUPer wobbling about in knee-high slop doesn't compare on the danger meter to a shortboarder landing a big, out-of-control air, pointy nose first.

My view is that proners throw out the "dangerous" line because surfers (to generalize) are like the Alpha Males who want the whole harem for themselves. I don't know of any shortboarders who worry about whether sponges get any waves; I don't know of any longboarders who worry whether shortboarders get their share. Yet, I know of any number of SUPers who do worry about their impact on the wave count of others. Who's more evolved here?

As for the risk factor, I suspect the board that poses the greatest danger to you is the one you ride yourself. I would bet any rigorous study would show that to be true.   So if any proner worries about getting hurt by a board in the water, I would suggest they just not surf.

And I remain puzzled by the repeated assertion about how significant numbers of SUPers in the surf have no surfing background. That may be true, but it's obvious to me that 100% of prone surfers just taking up surfing have ZERO surfing background. All beginners, regardless of what they ride, should seek uncrowded spots to build their skills.

As SUP surfing grows in popularity, I suspect we will have to be on guard for further calls to regulate or ban it from the beaches. My view is that SUPs and prone boards should be considered the same in terms of using the beach. I'm no lawmaker, but if it's human powered and ridden like a surfboard, it should be good to go. It may take some good PR to convince others of this, but it's probably best we be prepared to make our case.



 

[Celeste]

It's the damn generalizations that get me going.    

Exactly my feeling.  Stereotypes and over generalizations are for people that don't want to have to actually think critically.  Jerks come in every shape size colour and flavor.  Don't be a jerk!!

[surfcowboy]

This is why I refuse to wear a ponytail.

[paddlebattle]

This all comes down to the generalization that every guy is riding a 12'12" Stand up

I know this science talk is tricky but I think that is generally known as 13'.  

[Celeste]

This all comes down to the generalization that every guy is riding a 12'12" Stand up

I know this science talk is tricky but I think that is generally known as 13'.  

you say it that way so the proners don't know how long it is.  Kind of like how when Titanic came out it was 2h87m long so they would not break the 3 hour barrier 

[Old School 213]

I too agree with Cardiff. "If you're falling all over the place, in the middle of the lineup, yes, YOU ARE MORE DANGEROUS." It's the rider not the board.

I found these fun stats. They are outdated, from 2002 but interesting nonetheless.

*paste*
Direct contact between a surfboard and a surfer was responsible for 67% of all sudden ("acute") injuries. Most (82%) of the board-related injuries were caused by a surfer's own board and 18% were caused by another surfer's board. Other injuries were caused by:

    Contact with the sea floor (17%): cuts and scrapes with coral and rock.
    Wave force (7%): eardrum ruptures, near-drownings, shoulder dislocations.
    Excessive body motion (5%): knee sprains.
    Marine animals (3%): jellyfish, sea urchin, stingrays, sharks, dolphins and seals.

The majority of injuries (62%) occurred when surfers were riding a wave. Although the researchers believe that surfers spend less than 1% of their time "getting tubed," riding in the tube of a wave accounted for 10% of the injuries. Surfers also suffered injuries when they were retrieving their boards, paddling out to a wave, and getting in and out of the water.

The most common injuries were cuts, followed by bruises, strains and sprains, and fractures. The head and neck were the most common sites of injury. Of those people who had a head or neck injury, 16% suffered a concussion and most of these occurred when a surfer's head struck his own board. The researchers also found that older surfers, more advanced surfers and large waves contributed to a greater likelihood of a significant injury.

[Ucycle]

From the above #s, i conclude if surfer wants to cut down injuries and dangerous sitituation, they have to ban the use of their own board.   

[PonoBill]

What it boils down to is that it's not about logic, safety or rational argument, it's just a way for people to justify their selfish behavior. I think Colas is very right, and I think 99.99% of the the time those SUP those "danger" factors make big SUP boards more dangerous to the rider.

Perhaps I misunderstood the grumpy old farts with the ponytails--maybe they were concerned about my well being.

[headmount]

Hey we could buy a strap on ponytail and fit right in.  You first.