>>>>>>>>>>>your worst wipeout<<<<<<<<<<<<<

I fell 22' from a 2 story house at work a few years ago,I was flapping my arms like a hummingbird and had time to say "oh shit" before I hit the ground.Luckily I was in really good shape at the time,I landed on my feet and immediately fell on my ass,but got up and walked away without the slightest of injury but my nerves were a little racked.I've only surfed florida so no real surfing wipeouts to date,ran out of air a few times after being pushed down deep but thats about it.

nothing fancy from me, 1. a three wave set triple pounder with a gasp for air between the first two up north shore decades ago, n and ne swell kept bumpin into each other for two days. We were deep on the right side of Waimea, then I was to the rocks, paddled around and crawled up on the beach at three tables then sat there and sat there some more. Same thing here in japan once but s and se, great typhoon waves though. Blew and tumbled me to the rocks but got back out and had a great session. 3 Broken board and long swim against the Haleiwa channel at Puaena, 4 ripped leash plug and long swim to the beach for my board here in Japan last year. Outgoing tides both times.

Best wipeout ive seen was tc up north.

Pascuales, Colima.  Solid overhead.  Place is seriously heavy.  Took the first one of a set on the head on the paddle out, got separated from my board, board got seperated from my leash.   Held down like never before or after, I was actually relieved when I got bounced off the sandbar because it gave me a direction to push off from to reach the surface.  Came up, got a breath, got nailed again, thrashed, rashed on the sandbar, rinse, lather, repeat.  After the third wave I got a chance to catch my breath a little.   I was solidly in the "work zone" still, and had to swim out to try to get under the next waves rather than take them on the head again.  That was a crappy decision to have to make.  By the time I finally swam in I was completely exhausted.  In all my surfing, it was the only time I seriously had some fear about making it back to shore.

Photo from that morning, non-set wave:

Worst wipeout was getting poked in the eye by someone else's board.  Going down the line at Rat Beach... see another guy coming towards me from the next peak down the beach... I grab the nose of my board and kickout... only to see him panic and launch his board right into my eye.  Concussion and paralyzed iris.  My pupil was wide open for thirteen years from that.  Then one day, it started working again.  

Many (many) wipeouts over the years.

The closest I've come to thinking it may be the end was in Hanalei some years ago.  Titus was calling it 25' Hawaiian.  The faces were about 40' or so.  I was living in Paris - going to art school - at the time, and hadn't been surfing much... except for trips to see my family on Kauai.  I wasn't in the best surf shape.  I knew the waves were big, but they get much bigger after the long paddle out when you can actually see them up close.  I was riding a new 8'10 gun - too short for the conditions, but that's what I had.... plus I was sporting my art school ultra thin look, so I didn't need the same amount of foam I do now.

After what seemed like the longest paddle out ever, I placed myself outside, thinking I'd just bob and collect my thoughts.  All of a sudden a massive set wave appeared beyond the lineup.  I was in the death zone with no possible escape.  I looked around and realized the low tide was going to make the pounding even more sketch, since I could see almost dry reef in the boneyard.  I reached down and stripped off my leash, thinking I'd have a better chance on my own.  I said "good luck, I hope to see you again" and pushed my board away from me before taking a breath and heading as deep as I could.  

I took the pounding of my life.  I thought for sure I'd be smacking into hard coral and becoming fish food.  I could feel coral fingers as I brushed by them, but magically, I escaped with just a few very minor scratches.  

I swam to my board and paddled out again... only to have the exact same thing happen!  Crap... I was still a bit numb from the last pounding, so I wasn't as freaked.  Same washing machine rag-doll through the coral.  Again... no major impacts.  I was still alive.  Back to my board for the second time, and I hadn't even (voluntarily) caught a wave yet.

This time I paddled way the f*#k outside.  I didn't want anything to do with the death zone.  I didn't even want to catch anything except my composure.  I thought I'd bob around for awhile and shake the feeling of the near death experience(s) I just went through.  

All of a sudden... another outside set-wave started jacking, and I'm right there... not way outside like I was thinking.  There were a couple local heavies watching and hooting, and I had no choice but to turn and drop in.  It was a "push the tail in, pop forward, take two strokes, and freefall" kinda deal.  I remember my board and I didn't really seem connected until I got towards the bottom.  Somehow we became one, and I made what was probably the bottom turn of my life.  I focused down the line at the bowl that was pitching in front of me.  You could have driven a Mac truck through there and come out dry.  The ONLY way out was through the biggest tube I've ever seen.  I drove up the face and positioned myself high so I'd have a shot at it.  I made it!  

After that it was a cakewalk for what seemed like miles.  All I could see in front of me was an endless perfectly formed - and huge - face.  I love big waves because there is so much room to move around.  The sweet spot grows along with everything else.  That may have been the single best wave in my life.  It washed away the feeling of death I experienced moments before.  

I paddled back out for three more with a whole new attitude.  After 45 years of surfing, that's my standout day.  I went home with a new perspective on things.  I survived a near death (two) experience, and came to terms with the sea.  It was clear there is no "conquering" to be done.  I knew that was a losing attitude.  My level of respect for the ocean, waves, my life, other surfers, and pretty much everything on earth went way up that day.

I like that one Kendall...

Oh so many to choose from...This last one coulda killed me.  I yakked a late take-off on an overhead day at Basura.  Tangled up in board, leash and lip; I got the classic over-the-falls thrashing.  Seemed a little more violent than normal but I came up, no blood, limbs and teeth in place.  Good to go!

About 10 minutes later I felt a little dizzy and nauseous so I paddled out into the channel to rest a bit.  Next thing I remember was paddleing toward shore, then I was on the beach.  Everything felt dreamy.  I looked at the normal way up the cliff but the tide was high and it would have been touch and go even if I wasn't sketchy.  I remember deciding to paddle around the point to an easier passage but longer walk back to the car.  After the paddle I only remember bits and pieces until Brad Lally woke me up from a really deep sleep by pounding on the window of my car.  I had made the trek and got dressed but fell asleep in the front seat.

I drove to work ok but decided the whole morning was a little to weird to ignore.  I went to the doctor and told the nurse what happened.  They rushed me into a room and hooked all manner of wires to my head and tubes into my arm.  After the doctor checked me from bow to stern he said I had a mild concussion.  If Brad hadn't pounded on the window I might have slipped into a coma.

Watch out for one another out there!  And if you start feeling dizzy, tell someone in the lineup to help you out.

alomst went belly up & left more than the usual amount of my flesh on the reef at rocky rights this day. seems like the unsuspecting smaller days always get me. pics & commentary from my surf journal a few years back

http://www.808surfer.com/bsl/05pics/jan05/012305/

getting slammed and drug across a serious reef along the central coast on a big day was pretty "fun"....however, my worst wipe out came on a chest high peeler in knee deep water- cranked some discs in my neck and it has been nothing but a pain in the ass since. same spot, similar conditions onlya waist high sand gurglerr broke the neck  of a young lad- we found out later he was so near death as just a little more pressure on the nerve that controls breathing would have done him in.(according to the Dr.) it's those little ones that can get ya...

Love iT!  It's funny you asked.  This happened last Friday in a low tide 3 foot bowl at Newport.Head Wound I backdoored the section and was doing well through a small hollow barrel.  But the section was too fast, and somehow under water my board found the back of my head.  It's a nice inch and a half, 1/8 of an inch wide.  It was fun grossing out everybody at work!

Worst, where I thought I was going to pass out  was at the Wedge 1996.  Was held under forever, glued to the ground. But no pics...

Here's one that adds a little character to my face every day. Ha! I could actually get tongue into it at the top of my mouth.  The barrel was worth it! I was staying at a party house in Lido and everyone thought it was a gag when I walked through the door. Board in the face

Ok Herb, now it's your turn.    It's time to tell your story.

don't know which was worse..

early 70's early spring

sitting out in 3-4 pipe when actually we thought were at backdoor (our mistake)

Looking over my left shoulder I paddled for a peak on a borrowed board spray flying in my face from the strong offshores

stand up to take the classic lopez angle drop towards the right

only to realize i was going the wrong way heading into the pipe tube intead of running away from a backdoor one.

got totally blasted

neoprene vest shredded and a large chunk of reef stuck in the tail of the board splitting it up to the fin like a banana

worst part was crawling up the beach in full view of the beach crowd and then having to show my friend what his brand new board looked like.

Probably looked insane from the beach though..

early 90's

just came home, getting back into surfing and was surfing predawn (4;30 -5:30 AM) every weekend up at the northshore all by myself.

Paddled out Alii in the pitch black predawn into what turned out to be a 8'-10' foot day. You know where you can hear the sounds and see the white clouds in the lineup.. 

No one except Charlie and someone surfing way outside and me,

Before I could make it out to them I got caught inside and sucked over the falls on a monster(felt like i was weightless for seconds) landing on my back with the board on my head holding on for dear life putting a major dent on the deck of my BK.

Took the rest of the set on my head and by time there was any light to see what was happening the rip had taken me just past the break wall heading toward Puena park.

By time I paddled back to the harbor and walked back to the beach the first major group of surfers were paddling out.

Embarrased and shaken about what just happened I sat on the beach for a long time before summing up enough courage to paddle out to catch a small inside right outside the bathroom and go home. I realized that's how they find those cars parked near the beach on the northshore and never find the missing surfer.

Needless to say I never paddled out in the dark on the northshore all by myself again.

So much for my waterman dreams, my surfing mentality never was quite the same after that.

They say such events in surfing make you stronger living life, but I find as you get older like in your late 40's and 50's it isn't so true anymore being so close to death..

1973, slip fall in the bath tub (or that's what we were calling it in 73'). Knocked my front tooth out, pinned to the bottom by my brusier brother.........30 second hold down, just about blacked out...I don't know how he knew? but, thank god for the big man intervention, felt like one hand pulling me off the bottom...guiding me to the surface...mirykal it was.  thanks Dad for saving me from Brusier..

To this day I can't bath with another man.......