WORST BEATING

[surfvida]

I remember it was about 1990 to 92? And I was like 12 to 14. And me and my friend heard from the surf report it was 8 feet with 12 foot sets on the outer reef. We were stoked! The biggest wave I surfed at that time was like 4 to 6. I'll never forget paddeling out thinking how tiny I was compaired to the waves. I was like 5 foot 2 at that time! When I was paddeling out I knew something was wrong like a preminition. The first wave I caught took me under I was thinking I aint that deep i'm going to push my feet off the reef then I realised the reef was too far below me and I looked up and I was real far from the top! I started paddeling then I realised I may die cause I was close to the bottom.

I thought right then how my mom would feel if I died then I thought about god, as I was thinking of these things paddeling to the top I wasnt thinking right and I thought I was at the top allready and breathed in water, then I realised what I did then stoped doing it. Then I saw that I was getting close to the top! Then I made it to the top and breathed the biggest breath I ever breathed in my life! But it hurt my lungs cause water was in them. So im breathing and hardly getting any air in them. Then another wave comes and sends me under again. This time I was close to the top. Then my friend starts paddeling to me with my board I was like "hurry man!". And he was like " I just went all the way in to get your board!"

I ignored what he said because he didn't know I almost just drowned. Then when I got my board I just caught white wash in. I will never forget that day, it was the first time anything like that happened to me in the water. And I thank god I didn't drown that day.

[red]

Ruggles, RI January 1998.

Came back from California so I thought I was hot shit. Freezing ass day with snow earlier and strongish winds but there were double overhead plus lines breaking around the corner. I hadn't been out in a while and was not in good shape (new england syndrome) so when I got to the lineup I wasn't paddling as fast as I should have and couldn't push through the lips in time to make the drop. It started getting dark and I had no waves and I could feel my fingers and toes going numb. A set comes in and I get psyched up to take it, no matter what happens, becuase the street lights have been on for a while and the only safe place to climb up the cliff was a narrow keyhole that was difficult to see and the current was zipping past it. I go for the wave but it makes a funky bend around the corner and I get hit by whitewater before I have a chance to stand. All of a sudden I'm getting pulled along towards the rocks on top of the foam ball, getting worked and holding on to my board and the wave is not letting me go. I travel for for a while like this and then I realize if I dont take action I'm going to get chewed up on the rocks, so I let go of the board and descend into the heart of the beast. My 6mil wetsuit, boots, gloves, and hood inflate with 38 degree water and I almost went into shock. Finally most of the water found it's way back out through my neck hole and I made it back up to the surface just in time for the next one as I'm skimming right by the inside rocks. I grabbed my board and used the last of my energy to get through the keyhole and scramble up the cliff before the next set could wash me down. I had about a 20% loss in my range of motion so when I climbed up the cliff I couldn't stop bashing my board. All I could think about was the heater in my van. When I got there I cranked the sucker up and shivered and shivered and shivered...

[LGREANZ]

how did ur balls feel ?

[red]

Let's just say I'm 6'1 and 220 with a high squeaky voice.

[JeSennia]

great stories..i'm learning what NOT to do altho i doubt i'll ever ride anything over four feet..

i have only two minor incidents so far, being a noob and all

last summer i was surfing, maybe my third day, was paddling out at canoes and sat up on my board for a sec to look at the lineup..some dumb ass tourist lost control of his board, before i could duck it went flying and hit me right in the neck..another inch over woulda probably broken my windpipe...even if i had been all bloody and not able to breathe i woulda knocked the living shit out of him if i could find him..some cute Japanese kid next to me 'you ok girl?' gasp gasp yup ..had to lay on the board and practically die for a while

the other time, i went out during that big swell last summer in waik...i know stupid but i was so drawn to the sight of those big waves, i'd had a cold all week and was still weak but had to do it...kept getting knocked back by white then i saw two locals paddle out thru the channel so i followed their path

i get out there and i forgot how big they said the waves were...fuckin humungous, i was like oh great here's the day i die...but i found a nice cozy spot a few feet away from the shoulder and watched the local pros zipping vertical down these beastie waves...i knew better than to try it, just wanted to watch them

i look out at the horizon and see this muther of a set coming, i face the shore and sink the tail by shifting my weight back, it still rolled me, my leash got wrapped around my neck, once again i thought this is it, and i didn't even have chocolate today, somehow i surfaced and like a half drowned frog started paddling in..i almost beat the next set but the white caught me, i sat up and it was like riding a wild horse, somehow i stood up and rode it...was so exhilarated i turned around paddled out and did it again ..one wave took me all the way in, a couple tourists watched me like you surfed that? yeah dude piece a cake