Howzit dutch, Sion would enter the Pine Trees LongBoard Classic Contest and that was how I first met him and he alway did really good in the contest and since it is the premier LB contest on Kauai it was the one cotest that the best longboarders would enter. If you entered Charlies contests when we had bodyboards then most likely I judged you and hope you did good in the contests since they were for the kids and that was why we judged them for free most of the time. I think that Sin may have on his age division at the Pine Trees Classic at least 1 year and I remember him being a really good surfer and then I saw him riding Pipe and some other Oahu big waves and it just was a proud moment for me knowing he was a Kauai boy, right up there with Bonga and the rest of that crew. Aloha,Kokua
I can't help but wonder if the use of a leash in very extreme conditions, contribute to the risk faced by the rider instead of reducing it. There might have been a different outcome, without being attached to a tombstoning board in giant surf. Think about it. In any event, it is the sad loss, of a dynamic young man.
Howzit Bill, Now is a good question and I wish there was a way to compare surfing deaths with and without leashes. I know people have been drowning for years but It seems that leashes have had an affect on them a bit more in the since they have been worn and if you pass out under water and don't have a leash you might float to the surface where if you have a leash on and it is wrapped around a rock you won't rise to the surface. We need some statistics. Aloha,Kokua
How deep are some of these guys lining up when they take off? Is there not enough risk involved in big wave surfing to begin with?
I don’t surf waves the size of houses but on the leg rope issue I think it’s vital to have one so you can pull on it when your really deep so you could A) get to the surface quicker and B) know which way is up so your not swiming sideways or down.
Ever trolled for fish on a boat using a Kona or Rapala lure? Now imagine you being the Kona lure, that's how it feels like to be dragged underwater attached to a leash, could hit a rock or never get to the "quick release mechanism". What really scares the crap out of me and get's me thinking is that Sion was a very fit, experienced and trained big wave rider and was wearing a pfd. I have never surfed waves that big but I am currently training to push my limits and even bought a gath helmet. I guess that when we get the call that tells us our time is up on this dimension, it doesn't matter if you are walking the tight rope and fall, or showering and slip. I guess sometimes we don't decide when it's game over... May Sion Milosky rest in peace and may he feel joy and well being on the other side...
I’m with Marsh on this one. Two times nothing but my leash got me back up. Once I got so tumbled I swam into the bottom not knowing which way to go. Another time a ruptured eardrum had me spinning, not knowing which way to swim. I wipeout is less violent cordless, and not being dragged, but it is still the guidline up.
I ruptured an eardrum in medium heavy surf. Left me very distressed out there. Luckily I didnt get hammered repeatedly after it or I might not have survived the repetitive dives under waves, et al, not knowing which way is up when you go under a wave, spinning and feeling like a bad drug trip.
I figure the dirty little secret of some drownings like Mark Foo and maybe others is a busted eardrum.
I haven't surfed anything like a big wave in years and years. Never anything like Mav's. And at my current age and state of conditioning, I would be foolish to paddle out in anything much overhead. But back when we used to surf Ventura Overhead on bigger days, we preferred no leash. I think the difference might be that we were surfing bigger waves in deep water, a lot of guys are surfing bigger waves in shallow water, which is a whole 'nuther thing. Surfing Vta. Overhead outer reef, if you lost your board, it could be a half mile swim in. And sometimes you swam in, and your board went the other way - out to sea. Usually we looked out for each other, and tried to retrieve each others' boards.
Leashes were still pretty new back then. When we wore a leash, we'd wear a long one, and swim straight down, hard, when caught inside. I don't know what conventional wisdom is nowadays, but we'd try to swim straight down so hard we'd pull the board under the turbulence as much as possible. Sometimes we got ragdolled, sometimes a quick jerk and the board was gone, but a lot of times it worked, and we missed the worst of it. Man I hated getting caught inside at that spot!
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Another thing (I could start another thread, but its Sion's death that has me thinking about this, so I'll leave it here on this thread): Breathing exercises, and oxygen tanks.
When I was younger and surfed more and bigger waves than I do now, I used to practice holding my breath for great lengths of time. On the side of a pool, I would breathe in gently, hold it for a brief period. Breathe out gently, then hold it out (i.e. not breathe in) for a brief period. I would do this repeatedly, each time breathing in or out a bit stronger, and holding a bit longer. When I finally worked my way up to a good lung-filling breath, I would duck underwater and swim underwater laps for as long as I could hold it in, then I'd keep swimming as I let it out slowly. I can't remember now where I learned that, or if its even considered valid. I also used to free-dive quite a bit. I know that Jay Moriarity is alleged to have died doing deep water breath holding, but I don't know the details.
So I was wondering: what are big-wave surfers doing for lung-capacity breath training these days? And would it be possible to carry a small oxygen tank on their back when surfing huge waves like Mavs, where a two-wave hold-down could be fatal?
Back just before the winter of 1997-1998 I had a discussion with a big wave enthusiast from HI about the feasibility of carrying a small air tank (say something like a SpareAir–but smaller) when surfing big waves. He claimed to use one and was a strong proponent of the practice. I had (and still have) some reservations about the practice because of the possibility of Pulmonary-Barotrauma (Burst-Lung). At that time, Scripps Institution of Oceanography was teaching in their diver training classes that Burst-Lung was most like to occur when ascending through the near surface waters and could occur even at a depth interval as small as 1 meter.
To avoid this possibility the diver was taught to ascend slowly and continue breathing while doing so to minimize differential pressures. That’s obviously not an easy rule to follow when being worked over by the turbulence of the broken wave. Vertical excursions of the turbulence of a meter, or more, in only a few seconds are likely in big waves–and for all intents and purposes frequently totally out of the surfer’s control. That sounds to me like it could be ideal conditions leading to Burst-Lung trauma. Does anyone have an idea of how many big wave surfers carry or have carried a spare air supply? …how many times they have been used, if any, following a wipeout?..and if so, if there have been any instances of Burst-Lung?
mtb
reference: Risk of Pulmonary Barotrauma While Scuba Diving
Howzit mtb,I think Ace Cool wore one when he rde that Kaena pt wave they made the post card of. And Iam probably wrong but did Laird have one when he rode that that wave at chops, I can't say for sure but it seems like they mentioned one in the story,but I am probably wrong. There are big wave riders and wannabe's that wear them also. Aloha,Kokua
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So I was wondering: what are big-wave surfers doing for lung-capacity breath training these days? And would it be possible to carry a small oxygen tank on their back when surfing huge waves like Mavs, where a two-wave hold-down could be fatal?
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I've never worn a leash in really large NS waves. Only smaller NS, and large Calif waves. ( 10/12 ft, North Garbage, and Windansea) Original intent of the leash was the convienience of not having to swim in. Never as a ''lifeline.'' Active swimming, surfing, and diving, was the ''training'' we engaged in. Timed breath holding, was how to check your status. In the day, as the saying goes, I could hold my breath, relaxed on the couch, for five minutes. And to show off, in a college swim class, I swam four lengths underwater in an olympic size pool. The longest hold down that I experienced in really big North Shore surf was maybe 20 seconds. I personally never had a two wave hold down. Came close a few times. The ''secret'' is to dive deep, and open your eyes, so you can see and dodge the boils that come spireling down at you. They can grab you, and pull you over the falls underwater. Don't ask how I found that out! I can't express how important it is to open your eyes, during a wipeout or hold down. Remain calm, and wait for light to tell you where up is. In really large surf the white water blocks the light, and it's black with zero visability, until light filters back in. MTB is correct about the danger of lung damage from breathing pressurized air at even a modest depth. My point is, depend on yourself, not on the leash, or anyone else. Ever had a leash break? Then what do you do? You're all you've got.
LEASHES! Murphys law says that any line,string, or rope will allways tangle around something that it is not suposed to! Then combine that with SHIT HAPPENS and you can have a big problem. Wiped out once at Majors Bay and after a couple hold downs found myself strugling to get to shore with my wet suit ripped down and tangled around my legs ! Getting beat to death by a spare air bottle would fall under SHIT HAPPENS! Sion sorry to say falls under SHIT HAPPENS ! He got the front page of the Garden Island news today !
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...LEASHES! Murphys law says that any line,string, or rope will allways tangle around something that it is not suposed to!...
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I used to have a big wave leash with a release pin. I figured that it was a good thing to have for safety. I was wearing it one particularly big day at Sunset Cliffs. I don't remember what happened on the wave, but I ended up underneath it. As I was rolling around in the white water my leash tightened. It was attached to my right ankle. Somehow, the big toe of my left foot got caught in the ring that held the release pin. The force from my toe pulled out the pin, and my board went tumbling into the shore. When I got to the surface the ring was still on my toe. I thought to myself that I was lucky that it didn't break my toe. I don't recommend using leashes with release pins.
Which reminds me that one time windsurfing at Mahaulepu some how got my leash tangled around both ankles and wiped out going up the face of the wave. Was pulled over the falls by my rig and board nicely sinching both legs to gether. I bet there are a lot of guys out there that have been tangled in their leash . Won't even get into the kite surfing kite line thing,there are a lot of close ones with kite lines in the surf !!
Howzit Wood_Ogre, That was a problem I had the couple of times I worea leash was the thing wrapping around my ankles and my feet being about 4" apart. Hate them and only wore them if there were rocky shorelines to deal with and that was usually in Mexico or some other foreign country. Aloha,Kokua
Sion Milosky - wow
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Sion Milosky - wow
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That plume of spray behind the board is caused by his B&LLS dragging behind him! Such a wave is unimaginable to me, as is the idea of getting into it. This guy was a man among men. The photo only underscores what a loss he is to the sport of surfing. I'm awestruck, that wave scales out at over 70 feet.
Doing a little internet research, I came across this article on Mark Foo, and his untimely death at Mav's in 1994. Its a pretty well-written article, with a lot of insights into Mavericks the spot, and the huge-wave-riding culture as well.
Mark Foo was a braggart and by all accounts, a bit of an egotist, although well-liked by his close friends and his family. Sion, in contrast, was low-key, and by all accounts, soft-spoken and unassuming. A welder by trade, a businessman, a family man. Both men had made it their public resolve to seek fame riding the largest waves possible to paddle into. Like Mark Foo, Sion was surfing waves smaller and tamer-appearing than the waves he rode regularly in Hawaii. But appearances can be deceptive, and both men died under very similar circumstances.
The title is Mark Foo's Last Ride. In the light of Sion's death at the same spot, its worth a read if you haven't already.
amazing guy. saddest loss for me in a long time.
donate to the sion milosky fund by clicking the link
https://www.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_flow&SESSION=D_yDkuP3-YaE7...
or just mail a check to
Sion Milosky Memorial Fund
1740 Monrovia Ave
Costa Mesa, CA 92627
doesn't need to be big... ANYTHING helps!