Greg Long at the Cortes Bank

[Tom]

 

article here
http://espn.go.com/action/surfing/story/_/id/8775178/greg-long-survives-cortes-bank-close-call

[sup_surf_giant]

Seriously heavy.

[Strand Leper]

Hmmm.  Greg was very delicate in his statement. He was "forced" (going from memory) to straighten out.  Translation:  "that a@@hole Gmac hopped me. And forced me to straighten out."

Why aren't their hoods orange or red?  Good points about the safety teams coordinating so they all don't converge no one dude, while others are in trouble.

SL

[headmount]

 I agree.  "Didn't see" means you weren't looking.

[SUP Sports ®]

I got a first hand account of some of the drama on the high seas by a local hellman who towed Cortes Bank 8 years ago...some of it prolly won't make it into print...;-)

He took our 11'1" One World out to stroke into a few...ended up spending most of the time driving a ski...and, assisting another local standup paddler, and world class photog/videographer, Greg Huglin in snapping some phenomenal images...including this one of Jamie Mitchell on a standup...sounds like he got a couple at the end of the day after most everyone had left...

I heard a couple of guys didn't go out because they didn't think it was big enough...YIKES!

AFAIC, there has already been too much armchair QB jabber about GMAC and the WaveJet...one of the new big wave heros out there, Ben Wilkinson, has just spoken out regarding other surfers being towed back out by skis after a ride...not much difference really in some ways than a WaveJet assist...

"I personally think that you should still paddle out after you catch a big wave , not get towed straight back out into the line up"...

I would like to hear GL's *real* synopsis...you know, like over a beer when the truth kinda starts to come out...so, I would be careful not to put words in Greg Long's mouth regarding the incident...he's quite capable of the analysis of root cause since it was him that was directly impacted...pardon the pun...;-)

This wasn't their first rodeo together...these guys count waves...and, turns...so again, I'd like to hear the unedited version...as there is always more to the story...;-)

You can catch more images on Greg's Facebook page...

http://www.facebook.com/GregHuglin
http://www.greghuglin.com

Image gallery here:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=552267348136368&set=pcb.552273334802436&type=1&theater

Bottomline, this is a dangerous sport...and, even with all of the safety gear and training, even the most prepared guys can get KO'd...I've suffered a two wave hold down...and, saw stars...had to climb my leash trying to find the surface...can't imagine having all that adrenalin and then having the lights go out...HEAVY...

[Cardiff Sweeper]

Was he wearing an inflatable jacket/vest?  Would it have helped to get him back up to the surface?

[Tom]

Was he wearing an inflatable jacket/vest?  Would it have helped to get him back up to the surface?

The ESPN article said he had one but it failed to inflate. You can see in a lot of photos that most were wearing impact vests

[SUP Sports ®]

Was he wearing an inflatable jacket/vest?  Would it have helped to get him back up to the surface?

"Long's board had hit him in the ribs and knocked the wind out of him. This made it impossible for him to catch a breath when he finally made it to the surface. His inflatable bladder built into his wetsuit failed to deploy, forcing him to the bottom. From his own account he had to climb his leash twice."

Situation critical...you have to watch the video clips on Surfline to get a feel of how much power was out there and how fast the waves were moving...

http://www.surfline.com/surf-news/apocalypse-swell-all-paddle-edition_90292/

He's lucky to be alive...there was a medic on my friend's boat that helped to get him stabilized...also, they had a couple of Navy Seals out there...there is a very real danger of drowning even a couple of days after an incident like this...taking on water in the lungs...

I imagine that it will be a life altering event for Greg...and, I would imagine it's gonna screw with his head a bit in the future, on land and in the water, unless he gets some professional help...

It also puts in perspective the decades of big wave surfing gone by before the days of wetsuit technology, jetskis, and GoPros...

[headmount]

Even if you enjoy the size, that video and pics didn't show a great looking wave.  Too many bumps.  Looked like they were getting dressed to go snowboarding.

Yeah the vests work.  If you got one you will come up.... eventually.

[endlessfight]

the sequence is on surfline now. wow. wtf was gmac thinking. he says he didnt see him but i dunno man. I've never liked how this guy rolls and all this while on the wave jet    way to pick up your rep in the surf community dude. that video on YouTube of him snaking a bunch of local RI riders on a sup is the worst.

From the article:

"How's that?" Healy asked of Greg's fall. "You go 100 miles out to sea and you still get faded."

[Cardiff Sweeper]

^
And if Greg drowned...

Oh my, there would be serious redemption going on.

[headmount]

Yes. 

On the plus side you have DK (the guy who pulled him out of the water) who was prime time in anyones' book.  The man of the day for sure.

[supthecreek]

As long as  there has been big wave surfing, there has been the issue of multiple people dropping in on the same wave. Lots of people paddle for the same wave. If you catch it, and there's a guy inside you... you can't get out of the wave most times.

If you look at the wave that got Greg, Gmac is way down the face, and Greg is a bit higher. In the action out there, it is possible that Gmac did not see him, from the look of his position.

I'm not saying he was right... just that it happens all the time, and to heap on Gmac because this wave had serious consequences for Greg is a bit Monday morning

Look at the next picture... slalom at downhill speeds... not a great situation either.

Everyone out there is taking a risk.... even with no one near them.

On another note.... sheesh, you think a 10 hour boat ride to the middle of nowhere to ride monster waves would get you away from the crowds

[surfcowboy]

I agree that it's bad to sit in a warm chair and judge. I don't know how I feel about GMAC but as to the interference, remember that there's nothing to sight on out there so the concept of "the channel" is vague at best. Paddling back out has to be a nightmare.

It's hairy, surfer beware. And if we know anything it's that if there are cameras, there will be a throng.

[headmount]

I agree that it's bad to sit in a warm chair and judge.

Isn't that what we do?  Following sports is all about warm chair Monday morning QBing.  You should see what the sports blogs say about their teams after they lose on Sunday.

But this morning even this warm chair won't keep me anchored.  Surf's up here.. good size but not Peahi big NW swell.