Hideous Injuries

Gidday yorkessurfer. Wow that is hideous! Hope he comes good.

I have seen some shockers at Blacks. One night, just before dark, I was surfing with a good mate Toddy Archer from Newy, and another mate Lee Holmes from Newy too. Toddy surfed Blacks better than anyone I've seen, so powerfull, and fearless. As anyone who knows him knows, he is a big guy, 6'5", and all muscle. We were training really hard then, and he was in his prime, ripping. He started telling me that there was nothing he couldn't get down at Blacks, and we'd have hilarious arguments. This night it was pretty ugly blacks, phantoming and a new, too west, raw swell, the tide getting super high, and pretty southerly wind. Pretty much the worse scenario, full, last minute. lumpy, no entry, distorted slobs.

Just before dark this hideous set comes through the phantom, just a grotesque slob, zillion ledges, and Toddy is all 'Im going!' I was screaming don't, you idiot, its fucked, and homer was down the line screaming his head off. He went way over, trying to get under and behind it, and made a radical effort, but it had 3 ledges and he only went down 2, and then got sucked right into the top as the whole thing went ballistic. I saw him hurled out over dry reef, then was behind it, so couldn't see, but I could hear Homer screaming. He said he just bounced in front of an avalanche and was gone. It was humongous blacks, so ugly.

Anyway we couldn't find him, and its getting dark, when I just spotted him waving at the base of the cliff where you come down. I saw something was wrong, because the tide was super high and he was just washing up and down in the rocks. When we got in, he was tripping, in agony, and couldn't move his legs. There was no way we were getting him up that cliff, so I had to force him and Homer back in the water, and get them to paddle around to Anxious, while I drove the car down the track to the beach. We tried to use leggies to tie him on his board and I was sure his back was broken, it was horrific. I put the lights out to sea so they could see, and they made it. Todd was fully in shock, but still in agony, and we had to get him laying flat into the back of the station wagon.

Finally we got into the hospital, and he was too big for the nurses to lift, so we had to get him on the trolley and inside the hospital. The doctor was an hour away, and we had to help the nurses cut his wettie off and shit. He was pissing blood, no legs, they were sure his pelvis was broken, it was full on. Homer and I were outside the hospital just stunned.

In the end he had full on tears, kidney ruptures, and not too bad fractures. He was out of action for a long while. We got back into training and he healed up really good, super fit again. Everyone thought he was stuffed, but, as plenty of gaga people witnessed, he rode the bomb to end all bombs at Blacks later on. Full on legend stuff.

His worse nightmare come true is that I had to rescue him at Blacks, (another East Coast Rescue Mission), and just love telling anyone and everyone. He spent most of his surfs after that praying that I would go down like a sack of shit. Whaaat you say!

Jesus, that sounds heavy YS. Hope Luke is OK! Uplift, that story is frightening.

Never had anything that serious before - only one major incident in Costa Rica when my traveling partner Scott Gilbert sliced his head open at Pavones. Although there were quite a few people living in Pavones at the time, there was no medical assistance whatsoever and we had to somehow find transport to the local hospital in Conte which was over an hour away. Got there in the end and Scotty ended up with a big row of stitches on the top of his noggin, but it really highlighted how an ordinary surf in 3-4ft waves can suddenly become very dangerous if you're out in the middle of nowhere.

Jeeebus, YS, just seen this post. Both tibias??? Fuck!!! They're the body's strongest weight-bearing bones. Was it just landing on his board or did he also hit the ledge?? I'm sweating just thinking about it. Thank fuck you guys were all there. Imagine what might have happened if it was a weekday session with no-one else around. And even the chopper ride would have taken, what, an hour? God, the poor kid. How's he doin?

PS. I have a couple of stories but nothing nearly as bad.

Gidday thermalben, yeh, that would have been full on. At least I was in familiar territory. The unknown adds a whole new take to things.

Gidday Barley. That's gonna go way off topic, but you asked. So I'll answer, because answering you is a big part of using thoughts, and thinking, for me.

It starts right here, its always right here, now. We all have loads of conditioning, that makes up how we act. Some we actually want and like, some we don't, some we aren't even aware of. For whatever reason, (it doesn't actually, really matter why for me), a thought comes up, despite it not being what I really want, along the lines of, 'I'd like to be face to face with this barley guy and see how fucking cocky he is'. Kind of chimp like. But we are human, we have gifts that makes us human, discrimination, and the ability to create scenarios and weigh up outcomes in our mind, like computer simulations. So I can see that my thought is fucked, not at all in line with what I really want, and I can instantly change it, or stop it, which means a whole different outcome...for me. I can choose to be human, or limit myself, my true self, my being before the thought, and behave like a dog, or animal.

So, I'll write this. Because I value truth, and honesty and oneness, and I want to treat you like I would anyone else, because maybe something good will come of it. You asked me, so I'll take it as given that you are sincere, and dive in and try. However, maybe its just a game for you, just wasted energy. Maybe you would just love to stitch me up, kick my arse, or, maybe you will think I'm even more full of shit than before, and if so they are not issues for me at all, or I wouldn't write this. Writing this, all the stuff I write is good for me though, there's value in it for me, because I get to examine my thoughts and feelings, my conditioning, and see what it is, warts and all. And I get to try to be in line with what I want, to reinforce it.

If it wasn't for my learning about thinking, visualising, all that kind of stuff, and how to use it, the injury story would never have happened. I never would have had the chance to meet Todd and Lee. My life would have been so different. Three and a bit years ago I became Project Manager to build Maisha Fitness, despite having no formal qualifications. I have managed some amasing building projects, because ridiculous opportunities arose, and the owners of this one, who have the means and clout to do pretty much whatever they like, chose me rather than a zillion more formally qualified and experienced people. Who really knows why, but next thing, I'm the guy that built Maisha Fitness. I put in a lot of visualing, creating a way to think, meditating, along those lines, behind the scenes effort though. A huge, disciplined, persistent effort. We get tourists, and fitness industry people from all over the world here, and they are dumbfounded that such a top class facility exists in Port Lincoln. And I honestly believe and know that anyone could have done it, if they truly wanted to, and used their thoughts the right way. Anyway, that's a very shallow glimpse. Its such a simple but so deep topic.

If you notice here, we talk about muscles, fitness, and people advertise on the site. We talk about this, people will advertise on the site. I am gratefull to the site for being able to write, and I am sincere, so maybe something somehow goes their way. Pro Surfing says it wants to be something it presently isn't in a forum. I am sincere when I write about that. Its hard to talk about legends like Rabbit, etc, and I mean Kelly Slater is an untouchable contest surfer. Like many would think, who the fuck am I. Change that one. Know who you are. Everyday I deal with that same scenario. Whether its a bigger bicep, or Pro Surfing, the workings are the same.

So we have Anthony Robbins advertising. One thing that I love in his approach, that he actually highlights well, is the 'dirt honesty' he calls it. Pro surfing is fucked. I love surfing more than most people on the planet, yet, I can't stand watching it. Too much sitting around, bobbing... 10 - 15 minutes bobbing? Waiting periods, and I've made my other points clear already. That's my answer to the survey. The other zillion fans that won't watch it would give theirs. The honesty thing says, shit, my car is a rusted heap of shit, I can't drive it or sell it, so I can 'A': just give it a quick spray job and try and suck some one in, all boils down to be afraid to change or 'B': be brutally honest and then focus on getting a deluxe car. Maybe that honesty will mean its not even worth holding onto and starting again. But until I am truly honest, its just patching up, and hiding the rust. Even that boils down to fear. What if...

Some people get amasing results. There is always a pattern. They genuinely want to see what's wrong, they genuinely examine and accept it, and it makes it so easy for them to ditch it and be gung ho in the new direction. They might be the meekest little granny from nowhere, but right there and then, they have more than many supposedly more successful people. They have no fear, and true honesty. They let go, and hook in to the true power within them and results come miraculously.

I guess you mean tumor Barley. Hideous injuries? Maybe this guy can help you feel good.

"If you notice here, we talk about muscles,fitness" ???

I thought this was a surfing website

When I was in South Sumatra I stayed a a camp at Ombak Indah losmen. Not my stroy but heard it retold that night. Young guys was surging Way Jambu (sumatrian pipe) which is about 20mins from the camp. Surf was very good over there and only 4 guys in. Barrelling left and the young guy kicks out of a barrel/close out and board comes back in hits him hard in the knee. Top 6 inches of the board snap. Young man works his way in and limps up the beach. His other 3 mates don't pay a lot of attention to it as he is walking. Anyway guy jumps on his bike and starts to ride back. Makes it as far as the next town and shock sets in while riding. Manages to pull up at a local police station and translate enough to have a policeman take one look at his knee and the shock and carts him off to the nearest indo back street clinic.

Some funny stuff from here as he retold the story of the scream and blood all over the floor of the clinic. Apparently the lady there was giving birth. Then the screams amplified as the young surfer's knee was taken to with a blade and no anaesthetic, pain killers etc. Why I hear you ask? Well they continued to remove about 2.5 inches of the timber stringer from his board. Apparently when it snapped over his knee the stringer splintered and lodge in the tissue down the side of the knee. They used a pair of forcepts to just grab it and pull it upwards all while they offered a piece of belt to bight down on.

Anyway about 2 hours later this young guy arrive back at the losman. His mates had no idea that the injury or events had even occured. Spent the next 6 days out of the water until the home trip. For those 6 days the swell of course improved in size as did the size of the knee. Pretty lucky that the stringer hit the tissue and travelled down the side of the knee. Could barely see the stringer from reports as it was lodged the full length in. Could have been a lot worse for him but suspect the hours in the clinic was likley enough to scar for life.

Poor little bugger. His bones may be chalky but there's no probs with the size of his cohones - Chi's at 6' foot is equal to most other breaks at 8 or more.

Shock reading this and would never wish that on anyone. Hope Luke makes a full recovery and keeps on charging!

I've had lots of random injuries, with the worst being a broken jaw but I'll get back to that after the footy..

Anyone seen Dion Atkinson's wipeout at the Margs comp today? He got smashed on the takeoff and broke the board in half with his chest. Commentators were in shock, I was in shock...Looked terrible...

Here it is, 1 minute mark, heavy!!

http://vimeo.com/62483571#

Well I though having blood through my shits was bad enough after hurting an intestine recently at guillotines. Though I just winded myself till I saw the blood next time I took a dump so I paddled right back out.

Gee Dion had been in pretty good form of late . I hope he hasn't aggrevated anything in his spine or hips/pelvis . Kind of injury/scenario that has you surprisingly sore , " the day after " ... Core injuries are not good .
I broke my lower back , which just missed my spinal cord , whiched eventually to not hinder me . But still to this day i have trouble with my core strength / flexibilty and hip flexors .

Thats the kind of thing that usually happens to me in SOLID conditions , much to others ( mates ) amusement and my own cringe , when someone captures it on footage . Feeling for him .
What gets me , is his commitment to still stay over the board even after he's been bounced once only to still try to maintain control into the Hideous position he ends in . He hasn't been a Body boarder in a Previous life has he ?

Gidday southey, what do you do for it? There's stuff you can do that can make it stronger, more flexible than ever.

I've seen some shockers at the local reef here with the worst being a guy who fractured his femur and dislocated his hip after the lip hit him.It pulled his joint out of his socket and and stuck it up behind his arse cheek from what I heard later if his femur didn't break it would snapped his pelvis.The poor bugger was washed into an area where someone was lucky to come across him I found him almost blacking out in pain and shock his leg was twisted up behind his back and looked like a chicken wing.The shore break at Bullies is hard enough at the best of times let alone at 8ft plus he was freaking he didnt want to go through the shorie but take him out the back.I just told him to hang on to his board and hang on to it like your life depended on it to which it did.I took my leggie off and swam him through getting smashed all the way.After a while people started to realise something serious was going on.End result was something like 2yrs out of the water the doctors saying it was a type of injury you see in an serious car accident the guy rang at work a week or so later to thank me as he confessed he was gone for all money and would of drowned.

Hope Luke gets better. We shared a few sessions with him when we were down that way recently.

Uplift's story from Blackfellas reminds me of a good mate who had a similar thing happen there. He's a regular traveller on that coast but was camping on his own this trip. Blacks was apparently a good size and he took off on a set and tried to sneak under the lip. Things went awry and he wore the full force of it. Says he can't quite remember the impact, reckons he was knocked out for a short time and came to on the inside.

He had a severe pain in his back and couldn't feel his legs so assumed the worst. No-one came to rescue him and he was bobbing about in the bay making the smallest movements possible to paddle toward shore. Thing is, one of our friends had broken his back a few months earlier yet none of the shards severed his spinal nerve. Doctors were astounded at the good fortune and I reckon these thoughts were going through my mates head as he tried to propel himself toward shore using only his fingertips.

Once on shore he realised no-one knew he was there and no-one was coming to the rescue - he had to get up the cliff inside the bay by himself. Again, making the smallest movements possible and dragging his legs he scaled the cliff. He then lay next to the road till the next car came along. It was a local fella (Emu?) and he took him to the bush hospital who organised the Flying Doctors to pick him up fly him to Adelaide thinking grave thoughts the whole way.

Turns out it wasn't a broken back but his torso was jarred, sprained, cut and bruised in many places. He was messed up for a while - but he could walk.

Worst one I was witness too was a Nu'usafee Island on the South Coast of Upolu, Samoa. Was surfing there on a six foot day when an American expat who jagged a ride with us had the injury from hell.

He caught the first wave of a set while I took on the second. When I flicked off I heard him yelling out. "Fuck! Fuck! My leggy!"

"I've got a spare leggy." I politely offered. "Just paddle back to the boat and grab."

His screams were unrelenting and I figured there was something much worse than a snapped leggy bothering him. When I paddled closer I could hear him screaming that he'd broken his leg. He was writing on the inside with 2 or 3 more six foot waves bearing down threatening to throw him onto the reef. If that happened he was truly fucked.

I ditched my board and anchored him while the waves passed then stated swimming us towards deeper water. By this time the rest of out party had joined us and we started to take stock of the situation. His leg was broken just below the knee and was bobbing about with the waves and movement. Bone was sticking through the skin and there was fair bit of blood escaping.

The first task was getting him onto the boat which took a good fifteen minutes and achieved by using someones board as a stretcher and lifting him over the back. The problem was keeping his leg still during the ebb and sway of the boat. Each time it moved he release a blood curling scream.

Nu-usafee Island is the only place offshore in the trade winds and we heard a lot more blood curling screams as the boat bounced about in the open ocean chop. Didn't matter how slow we went the movements were causing him immense pain.

After a long trip we got back to the wharf and then had to transfer him into our van for the cross-island trip to the hospital. He was drifting in and out of consciousness as we took turns trying to keep his spirits up.

About three hours after the accident happened we rocked up at the hospital and they took over. A day or so later we heard from some of his neighbours that he'd flown back to the US and had to fly Samoa-Fiji-Sydney-Honolulu-Los Angeles. Fuck knows how long the whole ordeal took in total.

As a sad postscript: The fella who broke his leg was very lucky to have Sean McGuigan, a surfer from the NSW Central Coast, working as a surf guide. Sean competently took control of the situation and kept everyone calm. About a month after I returned from Samoa I heard that Sean himself suffered an accident. Flicking off a small wave he hit his head in the shallows and broke his neck. The surfers present took every measure possible not to unduly move him, even motoring the boat back inside the fringing reef to minimise chop. But it was to no avail - Sean is a quadriplegic and the local boardriders and Rugby clubs at Avoca set up foundation to help him.

Gidday Stunet, those stories are radical. The broken neck thing is horrific.

Blacks has a long list of them. I have to tell this one, because although it could've ended up like the tragedy you described, it was pretty classic in the end. I was surfing with Johnny Newton one morning, and it was really weird, really heavy in that lots of waves were doing ridiculous things, huge projectiles flying out of the face. Blacks looks a lot like Tahiti, but it often doesn't hold its shape at all at size, that huge bay and water movement does some weird things to it sometimes. We were sifting through them and getting a few. Johnny was charging back then and a bit of a pumped up, classic local. We saw a touro's car pull up and he was straight away going off about them fucking off and stuff. Out they came, classic east coast stuff (sorry guys, but fuck... duh we're from and we rip, even though we're clueless fucks) straight up, pushing inside us, no idea. I used to try and be nice sometimes, he's right into giving them shit, and I said that they might want to go down the line and have a look first, as there were lots of unridable ones. No worries mate we've been over west, and been surfing the bombie heaps was the ludicrous answer. Why don't ya fuck off back there then, Johnny was warming up.

An ugly slug was loping in on queue, and Captain Pigdog is sneering his way in, looking all hot and heavy, until he was instantly projectiled into the reef. He came up with a sheet of blood across his face, squealing, and Johnny was stoked. Something like ya mate's all fucked up mate, piss him off we don't want his fuckin blood in the water, plenty of big fish around. Captain Pigdog 2 has just freaked and launched at the next bomb, instant replay, and pops up screaming about his neck. Bombs away and they are both gone. There's more people on the cliff by now, and soon they are running up and down the cliff. The ambulance even rolls up, and it looks chaotic.

Anyway it wasn't super bad, but they both ended up in the Elliston Hospital, side by side for about about a week, one with his head a big blob of bandage and the other in a neck brace. Their panelvan was out the front on the roadside carpark... at the mercy of the boys, I know its cruel but it was so fucking funny. We would all drop by regularly, just to check on them and make sure they were all right, and to give them relentless instant replays of their hot charging. They were immobile sledging targets, and the car became a 'we rip the Bombie' etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, billboard.

But the most ludicrous thing ever at blacks, hilarious, even now I roll around on the floor just thinking about it, absolutely the ultimate South Park style debacle, so fucking ridiculously funny, revolved around a legendary surfing industry big gun? and shaper. Its too cruel to put here, tempting as it it is, I just couldn't do it to the poor guy/legend.

i was surfing by myself,i couldnt make a tube and my board slammed into my arse and broke my tail bone , i then had to climb some steep sandunes in agony for a long walk to the carpark, no one was around, and i had to kick start my high compression start you bastard motorbike, and ride 15 km's into town standing on the pegs, sitting wasnt an option, i didnt shit for a week and enjoyed a childbirth experience when i did... My second one was a mate talked me into a quick surf on new years eve, i wasnt that keen but said ok, it was a remote point that requires a long walk, halfway into the session i air dropped into the pit on a big one and was sucked over the falls and slammed into the reef, rupturing the muscle in my lower back, i then had to be carried all the way back along the point feeling like i was being stabbed every step of the way, then i had a nightmare bumpy ride in a 4wd into town , i spent new years eve in a hospital bed all plans of a raging into the new year with my girlfriend gone, still have the dent in my back from the reef years later.... same point break 2 months ago , rock up, points going off no one in , do the long walk run, as i get halfway i feel a slight pain down from my throat, i ignore it and keep going to the end of the point , i bolt into the surf, as i paddle out i feel pretty weird, i dismiss this as being tired from 3 night shifts, i start catching waves its pumping , but by the 3rd wave i feel shit, the pain shifts to my chest and i start to feel worse, i realise i have to get out and fast , i get changed in record time and start the long walk back, the pain gets real bad, i realise i am having a heart attack, i dump my board and pack and keep moving, i start gasping for air , in the distance i see people on the beach, i struggle on as i get around the last of the point, there is a guy standing there, i tell him i am no good,he calls 000 , after a long wait, and being mauled by heaps of march flys, the SES and the Ambos haul me out for yet another bumpy hell trip to into town ,I am in casualty for only a short time when i flatline in front of my horrified wife and friends,they resuscitate me , i am then airlifted out that night to box hill , and then spend the next few weeks in hospial, i am still waiting to go surfing but today i had a flat water paddle for the first time in months in the sea it was great way to help my rehab, Cheers to the Portand Ses, ambo's , doctors ,nurses and Boxhill staff without them i would be dead

Well Strawbs, thats a trump card story no doubt about it! Glad you are still with us and doing rehab with return to surfing in mind. Everything I've seen doesnt stack up to that in terms of extremeness, but one funny episode was a trip I did with my now-wife and a guy who had a knack of getting in the way and was always the person you'd think would be first to get injured. He actually backed his car into my car the night before.. Anyway, he was aware he was a bit injury prone, wore contacts whilst surfing and often a gath helmet. Walked into a spot in the middle of nowhere and he decided not to take the gath for the only occasion during the trip. A few waves later the contacts washed out and he managed to put himself right in a critical spot when my wife was taking off on the ledge resulting in her board spearing him in the head. Escort out to the nearest hospital, stitches etc.
Another is when we were young - probably only just started driving - good mate dislocated his knee in another out of the way spot. Another friend was dead set on smacking his knee back into place with a rock, but we eventually decided that this would not be good and got him to hospital. Four of us including our injured mate ended up finishing a whole big bottle of nitrous oxide in the hospital. Funniest hospitalisation ever.

Gidday yorkesurfer, stoked the grommie is doing ok. He'll be back.

Yeh, so much radical shit at blacks over the years. I don't get on real good with him, well, not at all with him, but hard to top Archer's flying up to the point, and some touro has flogged his sand lump/come brakes, so straight over that radical cliff, to the bottom. Somehow he and board survives, so out for a quick one. The car was there for years.

That other thing, I can't do it to the poor guy, but he's lucky I'm not a total prick, because he brought the whole classic circus onto himself. Honestly, its so fucking unbelievably hilarious, all of these synchronised, ludicrous circumstances came together as one grand production, and Mr Legend was suddenly like the biggest kook that's ever graced the planet, for days on end. He couldn't wait to get out of the place and back to his life of stardom. If he had a sense of humour even he would laugh, but its just too fucking cruel, I can't do it to him. Well...nah can't.

Strawbs story is mind bending.

Unreal post Strawbs. I mean putting aside the fact you had a heart attack it was a good read.

The 15k motorbike ride standing on the pegs and subsequent childbirth turd had me chuckling. Glad to hear you're doing better.

Its always the way. If you want to search for those perfect uncrowded waves there is a good chance your gonna be far away from medical help and probably faced with a massive cliff on the way out....I guess that's where the rush comes from when you push the limit and get spat out of a gaping barrel! You just cheated all of that!

Strawbs story is full on. Glad you pulled through.

I've been a lucky surfer, just a few tweaks here and there and got 3 stitches in me noggin once from a fin chop.

Did surf with a mate who had huge buck teeth, we called him Dr. Teeth like the dude from the muppet show. One night we were camping at Byron and we were having bongs and Dr. Teeth coughed so hard he ended up getting lock-jaw. There was nothing we could do. He just kept pointing at his wide open mouth going 'ock orr, ock orr' so we drove to the local GP at 1am (there was no clinic back then) and we woke him up. He was so pissed off but agreed to help him out. He took him into the room and closed the door. We're sitting there stoned and giggling until we heard our mate scream a scream that was blood curdling. We sat in stunned silence for about 5 seconds then pissed ourselves laughing. Dr. Teeth came out sheepishly and didn't utter a word on the way back to camp.

We mulled up and carried on.

I hope I never have to tell a story like some of the ones preceding mine.

nearly 12 months on hows lukes injuries ? back surfing ?

yorkessurfer wrote:

One of the top junior surfers in South Australia Luke Sykora suffered a hideous injury surfing solid 4to 6ft Chinamans today. Coming out of a big turn, the wave bowled out heavily causing Luke to free fall out of the lip. He landed on his board but the pressure of the wave and the landing snapped both of his legs through the tibia(shin) bone. He also broke his right ankle.
We carried him screaming up the cliff before he was carted off to hospital, then taken to Adelaide by Air Ambulance. It's a long way way from medical assistance when you fuck up down here.
I'm sure there would be a few worthy "Hideous Surfing Injury" stories that Swellnet users have heard of or experienced so fire away!

Mine is noway near that... 2012 surfing Patong beach low tide (2 foot shore break) on a 9,0 log... tore top bone off my ring finger. I hold the back of the leggie to go though waves... cheap leggie was sharp as and cut/tore top of my finger off.. even cut through the bone... was a great way to start a 6 day holiday. : )

yorkessurfer wrote:

@VICLongboard tearing the top of your finger off definatly qualifies as a hideous injury! Ouch

a part of me will always be in Phuket now : )

i was bloody shocked... last thing i thought would happen... thumbs up to Bangkok hospi Phuket town they did a great job fixing me up. & tip travel insurance comes in real handy.

Had a mate get sucked over onto his face at supersuck and ripped his forehead open, got video footage and u can see his skull inside his head, u could of put ur hand inside his head... Seen a guy rip his face off at the ledge too, before the stairs were built.

100 km/hr Mountain Bike Avalanche...[Stax on]
[WARNING] Sister's Giggling Sound FX were dubbed. (So! Not a heartless bitch!)

[Rider cam]