How often do you get hit hard by your board

[benjl]

This was the average size sets, bigger ones were another metre on top of this

[kookRachelle]

Racheal I found this article which you might find interesting http://www.theinertia.com/surf/5-of-the-goriest-wipeouts-in-surfings-history/ and if you notice number 4, that is one that apparently happens regularly. I am reading a book by Izzy Paskowitz where he describes his brother Moe having a similar but even worse injury (he needed a colostomy bag for a year)

Oof! I had seen a couple of those stories before but #4 and the bonus injury one are pretty bad. I just saw a kook-type video of a guy falling onto his upright board at a nasty shore break. Didn’t see the injury that resulted but I can only imagine. Good news is, I’m a GI nurse and am an expert in butts and guts so I’ve got that going for me should I wind up in a similar sitch. Thanks man!

[oldmansurfer]

I fell on my fin once long ago. It remains my second most embarrassing experience surfing and the most afraid I have ever been surfing. You might find this story interesting and I am a story teller so here goes. I was surfing my usual break Kealia and it was about 3 to 4 feet (6 to 8 foot faces) I was perhaps just starting to get good at surfing and there was a group of girls on the beach and they were quite obviously watching the surfing going on and pointing here or there and in my mind I was hoping some of the time they were pointing at me. Anyway I caught this one wave and I could see it was going to beak all the way to the beach so I had this bright idea to impress the girls by riding all the way to the beach then jump off on the dry sand something I had never done before. It's kind of a kook thing to do but this wave was breaking with a steep wall all the way to the dry sand so a sketchy thing to do but I was sure I could pull it off Anyway I had a pretty good ride right up to where I usually cutout then kept going and rode the wave right to where it was just dry sand but right before I could jump off the wave lurched up suddenly tossing me in the air and my board on the beach fin pointing up on the dry sand. I could see that I was going to land with my rear right on the fin but in the air there is no way to change your trajectory so I braced myself to try to stop the downward force with my legs straddling the board. I hit the fin pretty hard but the worst injury was to my pride. However an inch one way and I might have been like number 4 and an inch the other way and I might have been castrated. I was so scared when I was in the air I am pretty sure that helped me to not get hurt with all the adrenaline giving my legs additional strength and making my body positioning perfect for that situation.

[kookRachelle]

Good lord! I think I heard an abridged version in another thread on here but I like the full story. Did you get up and say “I meant to do that.” or did you give up on pursuing the ladies?

[BaNZ]

I got myself with the fin a couple of times too. Ended up in ER with I hit my ribs. I didn't get out the water until I felt pain from breathing.

The worse one was when I face ball planted on a powerful wave. Not sure why but my balls took the full force of it and it looked like a blood vessel lump was protruding from it.

[oldmansurfer]

Good lord! I think I heard an abridged version in another thread on here but I like the full story. Did you get up and say “I meant to do that.” or did you give up on pursuing the ladies?

Full retreat from any ideas of pursuing women. I was shy. I think my response was to make sure I didn't need to see a doctor then paddle back out for a while till the women went home before I dared to show my face on the beach.

[SnowLynxRhys]

Personally I don't get nailed by the board that often... But it has happened a few times.

When I was younger I got hit in the face by the fins on the bottom of the board, and it cut my nose open along the cartilage, and I still have the scar today. But yeah, other than that it doesn't happen too often as 99% of the time the wave pulls the board away from you.

[AndreasPappas]

I need to ask here. I’ve switched to a Dakine leash and since then I’ve been hit by my board twice in the head. The first time left a huge welt and as I’m writing this in sitting in an urgent care waiting for stitches.

I was taking a right, definitely had right of way. Another guy was taking it left, I bailed and when I came up my board smacked me in the side of the head.

I don’t know why this keeps happening, but it’s super annoying, maybe I need a longer leash?

[oldmansurfer]

I use Dakine leashes and don't have that problem but how long is your leash and the board?

[oldmansurfer]

Long ago I was surfing and after a wipeout that was a bit rough I was sitting on my board and notice something green floating along next to my leg as I was sitting on the board. I caught a couple more waves and saw the green stuff by my leg again so on closer exam it seemed to be coming out of my calf muscle so I pulled my leg out of the water and nothing and I grabbed my leg to pull it up closer and blood squirted out of a little hole in my calf. I guess water filters out the red and makes it look green. I guess that the nose of my board poked me there although I can't recall getting hit. That injury actually ended up having me go the emergency room because it wouldn't stop bleeding. It stopped bleeding by the time I got there but since I was there anyway I went in and they cleaned it up gave me a tetanus shot and put me on antibiotics. That is the only time I had a significant injury from getting hit by my board except I don't remember it hitting me.