SUP surfing safety considerations

[SpaceRacer]

Hi, I have a few questions about safety and wonder if anyone could chime in:

1) In your opinion, who makes the strongest leashes and what length leash is best?
2) Do you ever SUP surf with a helmet?
3) Do you ever SUP surf with a PFD?

Thanks, SR

[supthecreek]

Hi SR

1) I use only DaKine leashes. Best IMO... ps... they only work if you have a good leash string!
I use a 9'r for all my SUPs. (8'10 to 10'6)
Too long and they can wrap around your neck.

2) 55 years chasing waves around the world..... never a helmet even at Pipeline. Personal preference.
Yesterday, lots of big rocks just underwater, so I fall accordingly.

3) Never a PFD in surf either

I am neither crazy, nor stupid....
I am experienced and very comfortable in the water after surfing rocky New England winter conditions forever.
Simply relax, don't struggle and you come up easily.
Struggle, panic.... you lose air, strength and sink.
Know when to bail and how to fall.
Your feet tell you where your board is going... and control where it goes.

At 70 yo, I was out in OH waves yesterday for hours.
Windy, 54 degree water, sun going down, no wetsuit....
no drama at all catching 10 waves on the head.
Just relax, don't fight... pick your moment and get paddling (in the right direction)
 
video below on how committed they are at Dakine
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ln88acRS6_I

b - Pics of leash workout yesterday... no problem 

[Subber]

+1 on Dakine = DaBest
There are other good ones and lots of poor ones.
Mostly it won't make that much of a difference
if you are in small waves but becomes more important
in larger waves.  I want 8mm or 5/16th for large waves.

I have a helmet but I don't think I ever wore it.
I see some laydown surfers with them, occasionally.

Even if it is warm and sunny, if it is big, I wear
thick wetsuit shorts and a vest for "float."  If cold
I'll already be wearing my fullsuit which has lots of float
(some have more than others).

Some on this site wear impact vests for extra protection
(from hitting the board, etc.) and for extra float.

[PonoBill]

A helmet is one of those ideas that might go either way--in the wrong circumstances, they can be a big liability. I tried them windsurfing and just about killed myself with a helmet pulled down to my nose being pounded in overhead waves. But I've used them kitesurfing, and for some reason, it seems like a better idea.

I don't wear a PFD, but in big surf, or for foiling, I wear an impact vest. It provides some float, but more important, it gives some protection when your board tries to pound your ribs out. I nearly broke my breastbone a few years ago and the doc told me next time it would crack like a lobster.

You need to be able to swim in from wherever you're surfing. If you can't do that, then you need to learn that first. You don't have to sprint, but you need to be able to keep chugging. My shoulders are so messed that I don't swim well anymore, but I can keep going. Don't use a PFD to replace swimming.

I use very heavy leashes because I prefer a waist leash. In big surf a standard surf leash won't stand up to the extra tug a waist leash causes.

[TallDude]

+1 to all the above. I haven't tried the waist leash yet. I can say I've never inflated a PFD to this day. I do wear them when I paddle distance way out in the ocean, but not when I'm surfing. One time I was ocean paddling and decided to surf  my 14' race board when I got close to the beach. The waves were a little to big to try to make a bottom turn on my 14' race board, so I fell and my leash broke. I had a PFD, hydration pack, trucker hat, sun glasses, and of course my paddle. It wasn't that far of a swim, maybe a hundred 100 yds or so. The problem was, half of the broken coiled leash was still around my ankle. It kept wrapping around my other foot preventing me from effectively swimming. My hydration pack was still full of water, and combined with my waist PFD they were dead weight. I'd throw my paddle and swim to it, then do it again. I had to side kick because of the leash issue. Then there was my hat and glasses I was clutching in my hand, so it was more of a fist swim with one hand.
I probably could have had someone on my shoulders and still made it. Keep it simple surfing. Leash, paddle, and impact vest or wetsuit / or both if that makes you feel safer at first. You definitely have to know how to swim.   

[Bean]

As PB has so often said, a hydration pack (even half full of water) can be a good floatation device simply by blowing a little air back into it.   

[SpaceRacer]

Really good advice!  Thank you!  Never heard of a waist leash before and I am sure there is all sorts of discussion and opinion on this forum vs the two . Thanks all!

[Area 10]

Balin make a Storm leash that is 10mm thick. It is a monster, and it feels like you’d lose a limb before it broke.

Practice getting your leash off with your eyes closed in water, in a hurry. Some leashes have such aggressive Velcro that it’s almost impossible to get them off single-handed whilst getting tumbled. But you’ve gotta be able to get it off to save your life, sometimes. They can get caught up, in some environments. I’ve nearly drowned four times because of my leash being caught up.

Waist leashes are generally a good idea. But for some reason they can get tangled between your legs more easily than a leg attachment, and you might lose a testicle. So, you just have to choose your risks. Sh1t happens if you surf often enough.

[APPST_Paddle]

Hi, I have a few questions about safety and wonder if anyone could chime in:

1) In your opinion, who makes the strongest leashes and what length leash is best?
2) Do you ever SUP surf with a helmet?
3) Do you ever SUP surf with a PFD?

Thanks, SR

1. Ocean and Earth - super strong. Fiji, CR, no issues. 6' long, but I'm on a much smaller board than I'm guessing you will be on. Learning technique of how to duck under a wave and how to kick back underwater towards your board when the wave passes under, etc.

2. No

3. No - and it's not a good idea, you have to be able to duck under waves. You need to have confidence in your swimming ability to be able to get back to shore without the board wherever you are. Obviously, there are conditions that can push you to the edge of this if your leash does break.

It may help to give some info on your surfing background, etc.

[Badger]

Dakine leashes have the best velcro I've seen. I like 8'.

O'Neil Techno Comp impact vest for overhead days. Comp vests have just enough flotation to keep your head above water in case of exhaustion or injury. I've never had any desire to duck under waves. I'd rather float.

Avoid the CG approved vests which are too bulky and unnecessary.

.

[capobeachboy]

++1 on Creek’s response. I hope I can take gas like that when I’m 70 !

1.) Been using Stay Covered for years. Owner is a personal friend from the prone paddleboard world and truly lives the life traveling and meeting dealers. I got with an 8’ cause they all stretch. https://staycovered.com
2.) River SUP yes surf no but my choice would be Gath https://gathsports.com/
3.) No on the PFD but the Jeff Clark Inflatable Surf Vest by Quatic is pretty nice. You don’t have to charge the big stuff - I wear mine foiling and I know a guy with a heart condition that wears one in the surf. https://www.quaticapparel.com/inflatable-surf-vest

[toolate]

growing up skiing no one ever saw someone with a helmet on. Nowadays?

If it is windy and big , Helmet  for me. Deaths due to being knocked unconscious are not as rare as one would guess i suspect.
ON the Aussie forum seabreeze nearaly everyone who responded said yes to helmets.

[FRP]

These are good questions and thoughtful answers.

1. I use waist leashes only for SUP surfing. 9’ on 8’10” boards.
Leashlol Hawaii 9mm is very robust. http://www.leashlokhawaii.com/leashlok-hawaii-store.html
I also use a Crow Hayley waist leash that is a bit lighter and well made.
https://supsports.com/shop/sup-schwag/gear/crow-hayley-waist-leash/

For a lighter riders (I am 70 kg) my boards are big (115-140 l) In larger surf waist leashes can be a good choice. I use mine in all conditions.

2. Helmets. I wear a Gath surf helmet all the time when surfing. Again these are big boards and once a year (80 sessions a year in the surf) my board seems to find my head.

3. I do not wear a PFD but do always wear a Goru impact vest under my wetsuit. A bit of floatation, very good rib protection and in our cold water a bit of added insulation. Again about once a year I think it has prevented a rib injury.

There is the “goof” factor that all this equipment tends to intail. You do look a bit different than the average surfer. As I have aged my concern for this has diminished.

Bob

[Beasho]

Waist leash far superior in all conditions. Especially big waves aka 9 feet to Infinity. 

Waist leash will pull you backwards FACE up when getting dragged.  This is something that the big wave knuckleheads fail to recognize and it can literally be a life saver.

The DaKine leashes are probably the best but I have been making my own using a Thimble design for 5 years.  Never had a failure at the thimble and you can see when the leash is getting stressed AND you can swap out parts.  I am not sure if this design could be easily massed produced but I feel like SurfFoils jumping up and down with a better idea and no one listens:

https://www.standupzone.com/forum/index.php/topic,18684.msg235427.html#msg235427

[Beasho]

And if you are even asking these questions you should at a minimum be wearing an 'Impact' vest under your wetsuit.

Makes you look buff, keeps you warm and will add 5 feet to your confidence level.  Aka if you are good to 6 feet this will take you to 11.  Ha!

O'Neal Gooru is one brand they may be discontinued but if you hunt around you can find them.  Another is Patagonia.  They appear expensive but will last for 10+ years and are a game changer when things get dicey over 5 feet.  For the record my Gooru is 9 years old, and I just bought a Patagonia but like it as well.  Patagonia is a bit puffier.

Patagonia here:
https://www.patagonia.com/product/mens-yulex-impact-wetsuit-vest/190696647051.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_content=shopping&utm_campaign=shopping&CAWELAID=120226140000470340&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_content=shopping%20ad&utm_campaign=&gclid=Cj0KCQjwguDeBRDCARIsAGxuU8Zam2faJb_7QNNAox1CWFWltuK_Az3z7IjtVP9Z3p0XrtDdJVKoCBEaAkmTEALw_wcB