Moving Buildings
I\’ve been reading about big-wave surfing, inspired by MTV\’s show \”True Life: I\’m a big wave surfer.\” In particular, I\’m interested by a beach in Hawaii called Jaws, where some reasonable waves can be found. And some unreasonable ones too.
Big-wave surfers try for waves that measure upwards of 30 feet. Ken Bradshaw has the record for riding (and surviving) the biggest wave ever surfed – in 1998 he rocketed down an 85-foot wave. (Watch it here if you have real player.)
As you may know, we don\’t get many 85-footers up here in Minnesota, so I\’ve never seen anything like that.
So I\’m wondering, what if, just by chance, as you\’re surfing a nice 5 or 6 story water-wall, you happen to fall?
Aren\’t you pretty much dead?
Anyway, what kind of person would do that? Others wondered the same.
Falling off the wave (\”wiping out\”) is frighteningly common. If you\’re really unlucky, you might land in what\’s called the \”Impact Zone,\” which is the, um, zone where the wave makes impact. That\’s pretty dangerous, I gather, since everything I\’ve read about the Impact Zone says to \”get out of it.\”
If you know you\’re going to fall, there are a few things you can do (not to keep from falling, but to keep from dying):
* Practice holding your breath.
* Make sure you always stay calm. Try not to fight the wave to hard, thrashing about trying to reach the surface simply uses up your precious oxygen.
* On reef breaks, roll into a ball with your hands and arms over your head to protect your head from hitting the bottom.
* Fall into the wave if possible and dive through the back.
Found at http://my.cybersoup.com/bodyboardin/wipeout.html
Interestingly, most surfing injuries, according to this study are the result of people getting hit by their own board.
If, like me, you would never in a million years consider trying to surf a wave that was taller than your house, you can do like these guys and surf a nice, gentle, standing wave in a river.