Friendly Reminder

[ospreysup]

No tension on the leash....stay down!!!! Noreaster #2 at the Jersey Shore today. Not like Winter Storm Riley but still some long period swell with strong wind gusts and some current to navigate! Turned out of a closeout today and the board skidded out. When I went down I must have kicked the board up into the wind. As I came up I realized I never felt a tug on the leash. My first thought was I broke my leash but at the last second I said get down. Still took light a bump on the head but the water definitely slowed the board.

Anyway thought I would post because its a good reminder for everyone! Wish I had before the minor scare.

[stoneaxe]

Good reminder....that and cover your head....I sacrificed a paddle blade to a fin many years ago....if I hadn't had my hands and paddle over my head it would have hit fin first into the top of my shoulder or my head.

[Zooport]

My personal rule:  Never come up out of the water without your arms and hands protecting your head, no matter where you think your board is.

[eastbound]

certainly in strong offshore, always protect head when surfacing--a good whack in nicaragua, home of the constant offshore, learned me this

[NorthJerzSurfer]

yep- I remeber the first whack that taught me this on a prone board.   Even more important on a Sup

[Weasels wake]

Sometimes you can do everything right, waiting a bit before coming up, come up protecting your head, feeling if there is any tension on your leash, but still get nailed.
I came up doing everything right, was treading water, wondering where my board was, couldn't see it.  It was right behind my head, just inches away, floating peacefully, as I turned around, it slowly floated at my eye socket, couldn't get my hand up fast enough and the point hit me just below my eye on the bone.  It barely touched me, but I got a big shiner that lasted for two weeks. 

[PonoBill]

That sucks. Downwinding offers lots of opportunity for that kind of thing, and I get more than my share. Come up with my arms in front of my face and the board clocks me in the back of the head. Reminds me of the first board test we did at Launiopoko many moons ago. I was feeling my way carefully in the dark, arms outstretched, and walked into a palm tree face first that fit nicely between my arms. Or maybe that was my brother. it was a long time ago.

[Bean]

Nose of my board nailed my right eye scratched my cornea while surfacing, November 11, 1979, Seaside Heights, NJ.  Happy Birthday to me!

[supdiscobay]

Last year surfing pine trees, Hanalei Bay, Kauai, my wife took off on a wave.  I took off on the next wave. As I got closer to the beach and was getting ready to kick out, I looked up and my wife was holding her mouth and standing in waste deep water. Blood gushing from her mouth.
She rode the wave in to close out and then jumped off the back of the board.  Tide was high and the wave took the board up the beach and then the backwash took it right back at her.
Knocked out the two upper front teeth.  She said she put her hand up to block it as she had a feeling what was about to happen, but the force was too much.
It took 12 months of bone grafts/skin grafts to prepare for the implants and overall about $10k. 
The best part was, even though it happened 3 days into our trip, she still went on all the excursions we had planned, including heli flight and inflatable boat ride out to Napali coast.  She even jumped on a longboard the last day we were there and caught one wave so as she put it, I need to get back on that horse.

[p06781]

14 stiches at Nosara after coming up under my board.  It broke my fin box and thank God for human skulls! Was surfing 3 days later.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

[supthecreek]

Ouch, ouch, ouch to all of you!
Good thread!
 
Lots of pointy bits in our particular passion,
good reminders that sometimes love bites back 😵

[PonoBill]

Foiling adds another level of spice to the issue. Not that fins aren't enough. You've probably all seen the pictures of some guy's face on Facebook after a foil incident. It's been a wonderful opportunity for all the "you aren't doing what I do so you suck" folks. Somehow they've forgotten the havoc their own toys can wreak.

The newer foil wings have more rounded leading edges but the masts are still plenty wicked and both the trailing edge and the stabilizers are brutally sharp. I'd like to spend some time this year researching softer edges for these Ginsu knives that won't add too great a drag penalty. Obviously, it would be best to add softer plastic in manufacturing, but I don't control that, so maybe as an add-on. I think an even sharper profile that is much softer might fill the bill. Improved release to make up for the added drag but still deformable. I also think a deformable trailing edge might offer a performance gain anyway, adding surface area and lift that decreases in AOA as speed and lift force increase. Worth poking around with. If someone else wants to take up this torch please feel free. I'm going to have a busy summer.

[Wetstuff]

'Tension on the leash.'  ...I wudda never come up with that on my own; at least not before a 'Nosara slice.' (I can see coconut fiber stitches sticking out your hair, 781)  Thanks, O-S. 

Jim

[PonoBill]

'Tension on the leash.'  ...I wudda never come up with that on my own; at least not before a 'Nosara slice.' (I can see coconut fiber stitches sticking out your hair, 781)  Thanks, O-S. 

Jim

I liked that too--one more item to store in the memory bank.

[supthecreek]

Thanks ospreysup, for this thread.... it's always good to have discussions of safety tips!

Foiling adds another level of spice to the issue. Not that fins aren't enough. You've probably all seen the pictures of some guy's face on Facebook after a foil incident. It's been a wonderful opportunity for all the "you aren't doing what I do so you suck" folks. Somehow they've forgotten the havoc their own toys can wreak.

The newer foil wings have more rounded leading edges but the masts are still plenty wicked and both the trailing edge and the stabilizers are brutally sharp. I'd like to spend some time this year researching softer edges for these Ginsu knives that won't add too great a drag penalty. Obviously, it would be best to add softer plastic in manufacturing, but I don't control that, so maybe as an add-on. I think an even sharper profile that is much softer might fill the bill. Improved release to make up for the added drag but still deformable. I also think a deformable trailing edge might offer a performance gain anyway, adding surface area and lift that decreases in AOA as speed and lift force increase. Worth poking around with. If someone else wants to take up this torch please feel free. I'm going to have a busy summer.

Get on it Pono 
Seems more than reasonable, to remove the specter of brutal consequences from this upcoming sport.

My post on this last year, posed the question of dull or rounded wingtips.
https://www.standupzone.com/forum/index.php/topic,31618.0.html

It just seems to make sense to take the pointy bits out of it.
I don't think it will take much to improve the safety....
after all, airbags just slow you down for a millisecond, and have amazing results.

as Pono mentioned.... here's the latest reminder of sharp foil dangers