I was just thinking about it. I mean I’ve never surfed the kind of monsters that maybe some of the guys here have surfed, but have caught some alright ones. But the one that scared the daylight out of me was in Australia, last year, at Bondi, my bro lives there. It was maybe 4-5ft but chunky, although fairly clean. I’d paddled out my 9’6 which was hard work, and maybe I shouldn’t have bothered. However, after a little breather I was straight into a couple, really fast waves you know, I was having fun. But, after a short wait the next set came rolling in, but behind them a really wierd kinda bump, and I thought sh*t. The whole line up paddled, like crazy towards the on coming waves, and I could now see this rogue rearing up towards us, and it was just huge, totally bigger than the waves all afternoon. I made it up the first, and through the top of the second, but the third was starting to break onto us. I tried to get some of the board under, and through the wave but it got me, and even most of the locals on their shortboards. The thing, just rolled me under water until I thought the old lungs were gonna explode, before dumping me up onto the beach, with a tonne of sand up the legs of my wettie!! What about you guys?? and Girls?? Peaman
just this past weekend i slapped my boyfriends thighs and and rode the waves all the way up to heaven (or so i thought). he had just come home from working in the coal mines and stunk like crap. i should have made him shower before i rode him. that was probably the scariest ride of my life. cozza.
THUNDERS IN THE SOUTHERN MENTAWAI’S!!!..DON’T WORRY ABOUT SAND CAUSE ISN’T ANY, ONLY REEF!!!
Mundaka, summer 1988, 8 feet waves : broke my leash, lost my board, had to swim back, paniqued … I was 18 years old, I had the wrong board (5’9"), had surfed for 2-3 summers and was definitely not ready yet for this sort of waves … The good things I’ve learnt from this experience : - I never paddle out if the conditions (wave, currents, water temp, health …) makes me doubt on my ability to swim back to the shore ; - even when the waves are perfect, I don’t wait till complete exhaustion or cramps to quit. - I try to relax, not panic uselessly ; - I buy quality equipment only, always rinse it and check it, never believe I can rely on it. Pierre http://mascaretgironde.free.fr
Mundaka, summer 1988, 8 feet waves : broke my leash, lost my board, had to > swim back, paniqued … I was 18 years old, I had the wrong board > (5’9"), had surfed for 2-3 summers and was definitely not ready yet > for this sort of waves …>>> The good things I’ve learnt from this experience :>>> - I never paddle out if the conditions (wave, currents, water temp, health > …) makes me doubt on my ability to swim back to the shore ;>>> - even when the waves are perfect, I don’t wait till complete exhaustion > or cramps to quit.>>> - I try to relax, not panic uselessly ;>>> - I buy quality equipment only, always rinse it and check it, never > believe I can rely on it.>>> Pierre My scariest waves have been measured by the resultant physical injuries, in addition to my medical bills cost and extended downtime for healing… quick visits to the emergency room followed by surgeries, rehab, etc. My second most scary waves were while out surfing alone at night, sensing that increasingly eerie feeling of being stalked, and then getting the first tentative “bump” from something underneath…
It caught me. Oxnard, Ca probably 1970. A freezing cold, grey weather situation with hard offshores and hail. 10 foot faces - spitting tubes. All alone on a 7’10" Morey-Pope spin out special - no leash. My brother was out and heating up in the car on the other side of the dunes. At that time, the biggest waves I’d ever been out in. Got pitched backwards in the lip trying to get over a set wave. Landed on my board at the bottom and got the wind knocked out of me just before the lip hit and drilled me to the bottom. I’m a wuss - I was happy to make it back to the beach.
I was on the shore watching . … okay . … so I wasn’t the rider . … but my heart was right on the board and my stomach in my throat . … firemen had just told us to evacuate our house . … I was walking away from the house and I hear one of them say “Damn someone is out there on a board”. I look and it’s Rolf. The ocean is one huge breaker, reaching up to the horizon and smashing the shore too frigging hard. To me, a 16 year old from Santa Monica, they looked like tsunamis (spelling). But then, seeing those fins really made me want to buckle over. Two, coming out of the water parallel to one another, heading straight for him - with 20 to 40 feet left. Ocean was churning up all kinds of inhabitants. It made sense they might be disturbed. The firemen thought the same. We just started yelling and pointing. . he’s looking behind him at this mother coming up .looks 30 feet tall - No exaggeration. Stats on that Winter all say it. Our attention leaves the fins - while all Rolf did was barely glance over. On a board definitely no longer than 7 feet - that 6’4" lanky 17 year old somehow grabbed that wave and rode it . . .we were frozen, mouths open. Minutes pass … he’s close enough in and safe, fireman says it’s an eel . … eel? stingray? … may not have the right name . … that gray thing with 2 wings that come out from its sides. Real long tail. They always have this pic of Fred Hemmings from that Winter in Hawaii . … because someone had a camera. There was no camera with us . … but Rolf on that wave . . … was incredible.
I was on the shore watching . … okay . … so I wasn’t the rider . … > but my heart was right on the board and my stomach in my throat . … > firemen had just told us to evacuate our house . … I was walking away > from the house and I hear one of them say “Damn someone is out there > on a board”. I look and it’s Rolf. The ocean is one huge breaker, > reaching up to the horizon and smashing the shore too frigging hard. To > me, a 16 year old from Santa Monica, they looked like tsunamis (spelling). > But then, seeing those fins really made me want to buckle over. Two, > coming out of the water parallel to one another, heading straight for him > - with 20 to 40 feet left. Ocean was churning up all kinds of inhabitants. > It made sense they might be disturbed. The firemen thought the same. We > just started yelling and pointing. . he’s looking behind him at this > mother coming up .looks 30 feet tall - No exaggeration. Stats on that > Winter all say it. Our attention leaves the fins - while all Rolf did was > barely glance over. On a board definitely no longer than 7 feet - that > 6’4" lanky 17 year old somehow grabbed that wave and rode it . . .we > were frozen, mouths open. Minutes pass … he’s close enough in and safe, > fireman says it’s an eel . … eel? stingray? … may not have the right > name . … that gray thing with 2 wings that come out from its sides. Real > long tail. They always have this pic of Fred Hemmings from that Winter in > Hawaii . … because someone had a camera. There was no camera with us . > … but Rolf on that wave . . … was incredible. He truly is/was an incredible surfer. I remember seeing him paddle out at Pipe on a 7-8 ft. twin fin, winter of '71 I think it was and rip Pipeline. He was out on that huge day that Greg Noll took his last ride. His surfing as seen in Sea of Joy in Johanna, Australia is truly way ahead of his time. Too bad he burned out so early. I think my scariest wave was on my first outing to the North Shore. We watched what seemed like 3-4 ft. perfect rights breaking at Mokuleia Beach Park. Quickly paddled out and found it was more like 4-6 and coming up. Paddled out over a couple of 6 footers only to be cleaned out by an 8 footer. Panic strucken and inexperience made for a hell of a time. Barely made it to the beach (1969, pre leash days) crawled up and almost kissed the sand. A totally humbling experience for a 14 yr old gremmie who thought he had it all wired…hehe.
He truly is/was an incredible surfer. I remember seeing him paddle out at > Pipe on a 7-8 ft. twin fin, winter of '71 I think it was and rip Pipeline. > He was out on that huge day that Greg Noll took his last ride. His surfing > as seen in Sea of Joy in Johanna, Australia is truly way ahead of his > time. Too bad he burned out so early.>>> I think my scariest wave was on my first outing to the North Shore. We > watched what seemed like 3-4 ft. perfect rights breaking at Mokuleia Beach > Park. Quickly paddled out and found it was more like 4-6 and coming up. > Paddled out over a couple of 6 footers only to be cleaned out by an 8 > footer. Panic strucken and inexperience made for a hell of a time. Barely > made it to the beach (1969, pre leash days) crawled up and almost kissed > the sand. A totally humbling experience for a 14 yr old gremmie who > thought he had it all wired…hehe. Good recollection . … excellent training ground if you can hack it I would think.Which obviously you did. Tell me, can’t remember well enough, but always also besides Hemmings hear reference to this Greg Noll day. Was there on the beach all the time that winter, so am curious who was Gregg Noll? Was he a competitor back then? When you say “last day” you mean like last day ??? what ??? cause he is still alive right? Stupid question but I think sometimes I mix up Gregg Noll and Hemmings. Hemmings was dark haired and short - course to me everyone back then was short and squatty compared to Rolf. Ahead of his time is such an appropriate term when applied to him, because it seemed to me I had never seen anyone faster - maybe a few times David Nuivhea (spelling) but his style was more smooth . … no one back then traversed so many corners of each wave the way Rolf did, he was all over the thing with complete control . . .And this Sea of Joy? only movie I ever saw with him in it was Pacific Vibrations . … so this Sea of Joy . … obviously an old one, but is it a film? Appreciate your last and anymore.
Double overhead at a point called byberg about 1 year ago. I was scared like shit, the waves was the steepest and fastests I’ve ever been out in. Paddled out around the point 3 times (a good 20 minutes paddle) just to get cought on the inside of rogue sets with no chance in hell to duckdive the whitewater. Got washes up on the rocks every time. Went home like a dog with tail between legs but was glad to live another day and with even greater respect for mother ocean. Havard
My second most scary waves were while out surfing alone at night, sensing > that increasingly eerie feeling of being stalked, and then getting the > first tentative “bump” from something underneath… That would have freaked me out! Surfing alone at night is scary enough on it’s own. I once had a pretty big salmon jump only a few feet away from me at night when paddling in. I fell of my board. I’ve also had a dolphin bump me off my board, but that was actually a fun experience. regards, Håvard
. … no one back then traversed so many corners of each wave the > way Rolf did, he was all over the thing with complete control . . .And > this Sea of Joy? only movie I ever saw with him in it was Pacific > Vibrations . … so this Sea of Joy . … obviously an old one, but is it a > film? Appreciate your last and anymore. Me is back…
I was just thinking about it. I mean I’ve never surfed the kind of > monsters that maybe some of the guys here have surfed, but have caught > some alright ones. But the one that scared the daylight out of me was in > Australia, last year, at Bondi, my bro lives there. It was maybe 4-5ft but > chunky, although fairly clean. I’d paddled out my 9’6 which was hard work, > and maybe I shouldn’t have bothered. However, after a little breather I > was straight into a couple, really fast waves you know, I was having fun. > But, after a short wait the next set came rolling in, but behind them a > really wierd kinda bump, and I thought sh*t. The whole line up paddled, > like crazy towards the on coming waves, and I could now see this rogue > rearing up towards us, and it was just huge, totally bigger than the waves > all afternoon. I made it up the first, and through the top of the second, > but the third was starting to break onto us. I tried to get some of the > board under, and through the wave but it got me, and even most of the > locals on their shortboards. The thing, just rolled me under water until I > thought the old lungs were gonna explode, before dumping me up onto the > beach, with a tonne of sand up the legs of my wettie!!>>> What about you guys?? and Girls??>>> Peaman This goes back to the mid- 1970’s surfing at the “lane” here in SC. It’s a Novemeber day, third reef is breaking 10-15ft and walling up all the way across to the pier on the inside. It’s a medium tide going higher. There’s about 20-30 guys out. Half are kneeboarders, which were real popular at the Point about this time. Anyway, the swell is building FAST! and breaking further and further outside. About hundred yards past Seal Rock and closing-out on the inside. Everyone out in the water now are those who have managed to punch thru the clean-up sets (mostly kneeboards) The rest have gotten washed into the rocks and are having to be rescued/helped to get out of the water without getting smashed on the rocks. It’s hour before sunset, we’ve been out 3 hours surfing the outer break but now we had better figure out how we’re getting in and it’s looking scary with huge walls of water slamming into the hightide cliff faces. Coast Guard chopper actually stops overhead and asks us if we want help. We (about 10 guys) decline and each guy starts picking a wave he thinks he can ride around “Indicators” to calmer water on the inside away from the cliffs. My wave is about 12-15 ft. I drop-in, bottom turn, climb high and just go for the speed down the line, hoping to make it past the huge section that’s breaking in front of the cliffs at “Indicator” . I don’t make it and get buried under the section and I’m thinking “I’m dead” I’m going to be ground to pieces on the rocks! But somehow I float thru the section( great thing about kneeboards) out onto the face and make it past the point into Cowells. A number of people were hurt that day, one seriously who was pulled from the water by the CG.
Mine was at a 3’ wave that breaks in 1.5’ of water. It closes out over 4’. I’ve ridden it for years, know it like the back of my hand. This day I’d ridden 20 of them but on this particular wave a kid was paddling out and I was going to run him over. So I did a stylish flick-the-board-over-the-back and do a casual bail out. Only I managed to land head first on the bottom - directly on the top of my head. I knew instantly that I was hurt and it took a minute or so for the stars to clear. I paddled back out to save face, but a few minutes later I paddled in, blood dripping down my face. I was probably a few ounces of additional pressure from breaking my neck. Waves don’t have to be big to be scary.
Ocean Beach SF every damn winter. Driving down the avenues and seeing it break over the dunes on the outside almost always gets me in to the shitter. There’s almost always someone out there too.
This was a few years ago and I wouldn’t consider myself an experienced surfer now let alone back then! It was maybe the second time I’d been to Santa Barbera after meeting my wife. She’s Californian, I’m British (and used to British waves!)The first time I went surfing at the northern end of the main beach off the right hand point there in (very)small mellow summer waves. The next time was a different story, it was December and there was a decent sized swell with 6 ft, maybe 8 ft waves pounding the main beach. I broke lots of rules through enthusiastic ignorance and paddled out towards the Northern end of the same beach maybe a hundred or so(maybe more) yards short of the area of the point. I was the only one paddling out there (Yeah I know!)and I was riding a 7 ft 10" x 22" big boy hybrid type board. The surf looked great from the car park! It turned out to be a quite a bit bigger than I realised as I was paddling out. I made it out without too much problem but I had that shakey, nervous feeling once I was out as the realisation crept in while watching as the shoreline seemed to be moving along at quite a pace!! Maybe the trecherous currents were partly why no-one else was out there! Anyway, in for a penny, in for a pound. I paddled for one of the smaller set waves and got a short but fast right and as I kicked out was flung up in the air much harder and higher than I was used to! I paddled back out again relatively unscathed and with over-confidence creeping in went for another wave and this time didn’t kick out in time and boy did it kick my butt! Once I emerged from the sea bed I was in thigh-deep water and it sucked me straight back out into the shore break which happened three times in quick succession and while struggling for breath I was starting to think I was in deep trouble!(I also now knew for certain why no-one else was out!!)It’s funny what things you remember when you are in situations like that and I remember seeing a guy sweeping up in the car park and he stopped what he was doing and put his hands on his hips while watching me more intently. I think that signalled to me that I had to make a concerted effort to drag myself out. I learned a lot that day and became a more cautious and respectfull surfer and was gratefull that it only kicked my butt!! I can’t wait to get back to California and back for some mellower spring waves. Hope I havn’t bored too many people but wanted to share that.
I buy the less is more theory…on my honymoon in Poipu out in front of the fish ponds (not even sure if they’re there anymore) riding a sponge (the wife knew better than to let me bring a board). I was on a 3 or 4 footer and pulled an off-the-lip in the end section. Just as I whacked the lip I noticed that there was no more water at the base of the wave, just coral and urchins. I did the slow motion pile driver, no time to bail, twist, roll, cover-up. Time stops and it’s like watching someone else…I landed on my cheek and somehow rolled onto my back…if my head had been turned a fraction of an inch and I had taken it on the chin, I wouldn’t be here to talk about it. I ended up with 3 long gashes in my cheek that resulted in some very strange looks the rest of the trip…
Good recollection . … excellent training ground if you can hack it I > would think.Which obviously you did. Tell me, can’t remember well enough, > but always also besides Hemmings hear reference to this Greg Noll day. Was > there on the beach all the time that winter, so am curious who was Gregg > Noll? Was he a competitor back then? When you say “last day” you > mean like last day ??? what ??? cause he is still alive right? Stupid > question but I think sometimes I mix up Gregg Noll and Hemmings. Hemmings > was dark haired and short - course to me everyone back then was short and > squatty compared to Rolf. Ahead of his time is such an appropriate term > when applied to him, because it seemed to me I had never seen anyone > faster - maybe a few times David Nuivhea (spelling) but his style was more > smooth . … no one back then traversed so many corners of each wave the > way Rolf did, he was all over the thing with complete control . . .And > this Sea of Joy? only movie I ever saw with him in it was Pacific > Vibrations . … so this Sea of Joy . … obviously an old one, but is it a > film? Appreciate your last and anymore. Greg Noll was a major board manufacturer in the late 50s to late 60s. He made his reputation surfing big waves on the north shore. His black and white striped shorts set him out from the rest of the pack. After taking off on a huge 30+ wave at Makaha in 1969 (getting obliterated after making the drop) he hung it up. He went on to commercial fishing and now makes high end wood surfboards in Northern California. I obtained the “Sea of Joy” by Paul Witzig, video from Mitch’s in LaJolla, CA. It features Nat Young, Wayne Lynch, Ted Spencer surfing Jbay, Mauritius, Kauai and has a segment on the 1970 World Contest in Australia that Rolf won. He’s shown riding a drawn out round pin low railer as compared to the others (except Reno, who was riding a hyper kicked blade), completely shredding some lined up rights.
…From Hill st. in SignalHill,Ca. on a clear day you can see all the way to Disneyland.If that isn’t enough to scare you… the intersection at the bottom will.Herb
I hear that! I have charged that hill a couple times…I never ate it… got some bad speed wobbels and pulled through somehow. As far as waves…I dropped in on a walled up 12 foot face and got flipped head over heals 4 times…while this happend, my rash guard got pulled over my head and I didnt know where up was. I had zero air in my lungs and thought I was going to die. When I came up I had to reach behind my head and pull the rashguard off…by that time the next wave tossed me again. Thanks to god it wasnt my turn to die.