Big Wave Rider dead

[Archaea]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,315169,00.html

[TripletDaddy]

Originally Posted by Archaea

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,315169,00.html

Some of us in my ward went out this morning to greet the day and the lovely swell that was battering the coast in SoCal.

The swells started pounding yesterday evening, but by today it was in full force.

Surfline reported certain SoCal breaks that normal hit 2-4 feet were reaching 7-8 feet.

We were at Huntington, 13th this morning by about 5:45AM and it was pretty crowded. I basically spent about 20 mins just paddling out to the lineup. The waves were reported at about 10-12 and I am not going to argue. Let's just say that by the time I reached the lineup, my arms were exhausted and I was scared out of my mind to even try to drop in on one of those things.

I hung out in the lineup talking to people for about 25 mins, rode 2 smaller ones, and then called it a day. At the office by 9.

However, the noise from the surf was loud, and it felt like bass pounding in your chest.

Some people in the lineup joked that the folks up in NorCal at Mavs must be in heaven. Sadly, it didnt work out today for one person up North.

I can say this much....admittedly, purely through extrapolation.......anyone who makes the half-hour paddle out and reaches the lineup at Mavs, surviving the ice cream swirl and foot cramps, is about 1000 times stronger than I will ever be. And anyone, and I mean ANYONE, who dares drop in on the cold black face that is Mavs, is bolder and braver than any wide receiver that crosses the middle, or any catcher who covers home to protect the plate, or just about any other athletic accomplishment I can think of.

Mavs is death at any second. It is cold and heartless and sucks you under. No matter how good I ever became, and i will never be that good, I dont think I would have the guts to try Mavs.

Eddie Would Go, though.

[K-dog]

I believe Jeff Clark, quoted in the story and the first to surf Mavericks, is LDS or is married to an LDS lady in the Half Moon Bay Branch.

[MikeWaters]

Looks like many of the surfers wear life jackets. I wonder if he was wearing one, i.e. is the presence of a life jacket a pretty solid help in preventing drowning in this type of situation? Not sure.

[K-dog]

Originally Posted by MikeWaters

Looks like many of the surfers wear life jackets. I wonder if he was wearing one, i.e. is the presence of a life jacket a pretty solid help in preventing drowning in this type of situation? Not sure.

Some of the old school big wave riders think the life jacket can be what gets you killed.

[TripletDaddy]

Originally Posted by MikeWaters

Looks like many of the surfers wear life jackets. I wonder if he was wearing one, i.e. is the presence of a life jacket a pretty solid help in preventing drowning in this type of situation? Not sure.

Often the jacket adds as an extra layer of insulation, but big wavers wear jackets in the event that they get knocked unconscious by a pounding wave.

While a life jacket would likely not hurt, the issue is surviving the next set that is crashing down on you, even if you do make it to the surface. I can only imagine how hard it hits you when it is breaking on you at 20 feet or more. Probably feels like a load of cement being dumped on your head. since you crash in the impact zone, you are going to surface there too. You just have to pray that there is enough time between sets to swim out towards the channel or maybe someone can zoom in on a sea-doo and tow you away. Otherwise, you will drown.

Guys like Laird say that the biggest impediment when you are getting tossed around is the leash. If your leash is caught on something, you waste a second swimming upwards, only to realize you are caught...then more time swimming down in the darkness trying to find the end of the leash, then more seconds trying to un-velcro it, then more seconds getting back up to the surface. That is IF your leash is easily accessible and not caught in some crag somewhere.

Yikes.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Speaking of big wave surfing, I highly recommend the documentary called "Riding Giants" that goes through the history of big wave surfing:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0389326/

Outstanding film. Doesn't matter whether you surf or not, it is mesmerizing.

[TripletDaddy]

Originally Posted by Jeff Lebowski

Speaking of big wave surfing, I highly recommend the documentary called "Riding Giants" that goes through the history of big wave surfing:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0389326/

Outstanding film. Doesn't matter whether you surf or not, it is mesmerizing.

I enodorse this fully. Riding Giants is awesome.

For a modern Riding Giants, try Step Into Liquid.