Down for the count

[surfinJ]

10' and offshore, thank you el nino. What should have been a crowded lineup was empty, 5 guys.  Annual motocross quad beach races, no parking and most of the day closed to get to water.

I stayed wide and waited for a makeable shoulder. Got one clean to the channel. Feeling confident controlling the breathing waited some more. Good vibe with the other guys.

A bigger set came through and and I got one, wave of my life.  I am New Yorker in my surfing roots. Tube rides are rare and accidental. This monster was huge(for me, mortal human level) and started to pitch, way over my head and I'm standing up straight. As the lip started to impact down and below me I started to realize that I wasn't going to exit cleanly the foamy cavern.

I almost made it to the end but... not sure what exactly... explosion, multiple high speed spinning body extended rag dolls and I popped up. Not to bad....

The next two waves of the set drilled me bad.  The waist belt and guuru vest probably kept me alive, at least it feels like that.

The leash is 15', there is no sudden tug.  No issues with how it pulls on the back.
Look good at Beasho's cartoon, it's almost magic. Instead of the deep in the water ankle pull that only delays surfacing, I now get actually pulled up. 

The velcro pulled loose and seemed to have lost it's holding power.  The leash itself was in good condition.  It seems the velcro can break down after time and loose its effectiveness.?

When I lived in Hawaii, leashes were hand tied things you bought from some surfer that made them. This is the strength of Hailey's work. Pure hand tied beauties.
Lopezwill, just order a new belt from him, easy replacement.  Pic of leash to waist belt attachment.   

The only casualty today, my beloved Kialoa Methane. No idea what happened. After my thrashing I still had my paddle in my hand, cool.....but only the top half.

Last year out for two months with broken ribs and this year a perforated ear drum.
No specific impact felt, just a heavy spin... And just when I was getting into the winter rhythm.

[supthecreek]

Geeze J..... that sucks.
How do you heal a perforated ear drum?

However you do it.... do it well, get back in the water soon.

I really have had zero ear issues since wearing a Kook Hat with chin strap.... the webbing over the ears seems to give enough protection from wind and impact.
Maybe you wanna be a kook when you get back at it 

[surfinJ]

Thanks Creek. Just time heals it. 3 mos at worst.

Been checking out those caps. Looks like a good cold weather cheater.
Though I realized I probably should be helmeted when I decide to put myself in the way of so much water

[stoneaxe]

Nutz....but you have a great story anyway.....

Heal well.

[SUPcheat]

I missed this thread for some reason, Jay.

Yup, the broken ribs HURT from my incident a few years ago. The only way to make the pain go away for a while was to sit still and not breath. Eventually, you have to breath, though. A cough or throat clearing would create a maelstrom of pain.

I slept in a chair upright for about a month.

I believe that a helmet helps to prevents the proximate pressures that can perforate the eardrums, but I am not sure about that, but I know the earplugs do.

I think you may have used up your broken paddle bad karma for a while.  The waist leash is a must, with impact vest or flotation, for the "big stuff".

Anyway, my habit of trussing up like a ninja is reinforced once again.

I hope the eardrum heals in timely manner.  I hate the descriptions that people have of sudden vertigo and inability to know where up or down is while spinning. That sounds like a terrible thing when submerged.

Hope you are back in the water soon.

[surfinJ]

Thanks for the support guys, basically can't surf or swim for a while.  There are worse things to deal with. Happy holidays to all.