Safely surfing with kids
This is worthy of a bump
Definitely.... Not safe for the kids or other surfers to be out in conditions not suitable. Glad you are ok and have a quick recovery..
Yeah I saw this happen. It was a sickening bang when the board hit the guy’s head. At first I thought it must have been board on board given how loud it was. Lucky it wasn’t much worse.
I think it’s a good lesson that parents need to keep an eye out for their kids and not take them out in conditions they’re not 100% comfortable in, particularly if it’s a busy lineup.
Yikes. Hope you're OK Fritter.
Sorry to hear mate. Unlucky, I hope you're alright.
I'm not sure what the conditions were like etc. but just to play devil's advocate, it can be really tough for young kids to duck dive properly owning to their lack of strength. Its a tricky one because for progression often kids can paddle out, get a few and in the right environment good to be out when its a little bigger than they are used to.
I do agree though, the old man needs to be closely monitoring the youngster if conditions are borderline for them.
Hey Solitude, thanks for you comment and I agree with your sentiments. It’s tough for kids to learn and progress, and sometimes they won’t be able to hang onto their boards. I think that’s why the imperative is on the parents to really make sure their kids are capable of the conditions they’re taking them out in, to teach them how to be safe in the water, and to keep an eye on them. Busy reefs probably aren’t the best location for young kids.
Thanks for sharing Fritter, totally agree mate - have had similar happen to me at a bit of a crowded beachie surfcoast way, but suprised to hear yours was at a reef, unlucky as. Hope it's a speedy recovery.
I copied this from Byron Bay community Facebook page……… Time to talk compulsory legropes.
Yesterday, one of my best mates was surfing at Watego's and was hit by a board whose rider had fallen off... with no legrope.
In fact, he got fin chopped. Fin chopped so badly that it cut through his bicep to the bone, severing tendons and arteries in the process. If help wasn't there from other surfers who used a legrope to tourniquet his arm, he would have bled to death on the beach.
The ambulance arrived 45 minutes later while my friend had been dropping in and out of conciousness. He was then taken to the Wespac Rescue helicopter and airlifted to the Gold Coast hospital.
Thankfully he is going to live, but at this point it is still uncertain whether he will lose his arm. Even if they save it, he is looking at a hard and extended period of rehabilitation.
This was completely avoidable. All that was needed was the surfer whose board hit him to be WEARING A LEGROPE. A loose board, especially a heavy mal as this was, is a dangerous piece of equipment if it is coming toward you on a wave - riderless. There is a lot of momentum and those fins are sharp.
If the same board had hit a small child, it could very well have killed them. It almost killed my mate and he's a fit, strong man who has surfed his entire life.
I've always been fervently pro-legrope, but now it's very personal. We could wait for the "authorities" to put legislation in place requiring legrope use on all boards, but before that happens, surfers as a community can start doing the right thing and calling out those not using them. I'm not suggesting a witch-hunt, nor am I suggesting open confrontation... but if the culture of the sport is to ALWAYS wear a legrope, the ones who continue to not wear one will be made to feel uncomfortable and know they are not doing the right thing.
I would like to thank those who assisted him on the beach. Without your help, this might be a very different post and many of us would be distraught with loss. Thank you. https://m.facebook.com/groups/byronbay/permalink/6203164576381522/?mibex...
Was just about to post the same in a comment section.
Things are getting ever heated, though I don't know what will come of it.
Pretty heavy injury, hope he makes full recovery and sues the other guy and I hope it’s a wake up call for people not wearing leggies , fair enough if you’re surfing by yourself but in a crowded wave like watego’s with kids and elderly swimmers its not on .
Maybe we should get stickers made up and plaster them all over Byron:
"Wear a f*cken' leggie ya hipster kook"
Lost count of the number of times i've had heated conversations with hipster mal riders who don't wear leggies and lose their board.
This conversation has been going on for 10 or so years and still nothing has changed.
I've even seen violence over it in Byron, but still no change.
Not sure what the answer is apart from common sense and public shaming.
Being forced to do anything in the ocean by authorities smells a little off to me.
But not wearing a leggie in crowded surf holds as much weight as deciding to get in your vehicle drunk and crashing into another car.
It's a choice that was avoidable and put other people at risk.
Maybe just ban hipsters from surfing!
For hipsters especially in ultra cool hip town of the universe Byron
its very very uncool to wear a leg rope because that wasnt the way
back in the day. But hey its cool and hip to surf a modern long board.
Absolute and complete ultra cool wankers.
I hope that unlucky fella makes a full recovery!
But complaining about getting hurt by surfing at the Pass is like having repetitive unprotected sex at a brothel and complaining about catching an STI.
Only difference is there’s more etiquette at a Brothel than the Pass.
jedi old mate wrote:I hope that unlucky fella makes a full recovery!
But complaining about getting hurt by surfing at the Pass is like having repetitive unprotected sex at a brothel and complaining about catching an STI.
Only difference is there’s more etiquette at a Brothel than the Pass.
It's a good point.
I remember chatting to a mate from Lennox who did the World Tour for a few years in the early naughties, and he reckons The Pass is more dangerous than Pipe.
Says it all.
udo wrote:
Geez, yeah very nicely written.
Wear legropes people!!!
Can the Swellnet people please shine some more light on this issue / maybe interview Matt from the article above?
A quick safety note following an incident from last weekend on the Surf Coast… Last Saturday I surfed a reef a little way out of Torquay and swung to go on a wider wave which came through. As I was getting to my feet I was hit in the back of the head by a board which had been bailed by a young girl. I blacked out for a moment, fortunately landed on my board, and when I realised where I was and what I was doing, I gathered myself and paddled out of the impact zone, and felt blood streaming from a gash in the back of my head. I made my way in, helped by a mate, and saw the young girl come in too and I spoke to her about never letting go of your board etc (you can’t get angry at a young kid). We waited for 20 mins in the car park while getting changed and applying pressure to the gash to let the Dad know what had happened and that perhaps his daughters shouldn’t have been out in conditions they can’t handle. He didn’t come in while we were waiting, and I needed to get to hospital. Overall, I had 4-5 stiches put in, have pretty bad whiplash, and 4 days later I’m still very much recovering from concussion. If I’d landed in the water rather than on my board, it could have been a really bad situation and outcome. So if you’re taking your kids surfing, please make sure they’re actually able to handle the conditions you’re taking them out in, that they know basic safety standards like not bailing their boards, and please keep an eye on them them in the water. Cheers